Riley reacted quickly, hit the brakes. “What’s the deal?” she demanded as she swerved to the side of the road.
“Back up. The hitchhiker. Turn around or back up. The hitchhiker.”
“Oh, yeah.” Riley tipped down her sunglasses, aimed a look as sarcastic as her tone. “We’ve got plenty of room for one more.”
Sasha pushed out of the jeep. “He is one more. Of us.”
“No shit?”
Bran boosted out of the jeep as Sasha took a step down the shoulder. “Just let’s hold here a minute then, darling. He’s coming to us. Let’s gauge our ground first.”
He jogged up the road and still seemed to saunter, a pack hitched to his back, hiking boots worn and dusty. He wore the black ball cap over shaggy, dark blond hair.
His eyes, though she couldn’t see them behind the dark glasses, she knew to be gray.
He sent them a quick, sunny smile. “Kalimera,” he began. “Efkharisto, ah—”
“Don’t strain yourself,” Bran advised. “English works.”
“Good thing. Thanks for stopping.”
“American, are you? I’m surrounded.”
“Yeah. Sawyer, Sawyer King.” He added a fresh smile and a nod when Riley walked up.
“Where are you heading, Sawyer King?” she asked.
“Oh, around for now. A ride however far you’re going would work, but you look pretty packed in.”
“That we are,” Bran agreed. “We’re going a bit past Sidari. Bran Killian.”
“Irish, huh?” Sawyer accepted the offered hand. “Y’all vacating?”
“Not exactly.” Riley turned, looked meaningfully at Sasha. “Well?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Sawyer hooked a thumb in his belt loop—an easy stance—but clearly went on alert. “Sure of what?”
A picture could be worth any number of words, Sasha decided. “Can you wait a minute?”
“Yeah.” He flashed a grin—quick lightning—but stayed on alert. “I’ve always got time.”
She went to the jeep, leaned in to pull out her tote from where it was wedged on the floor of the backseat. She dug out her portfolio, then the sketch of the six.
She took it back to him, offered it. “I drew that about three weeks ago, in North Carolina—where I live.”
He studied it, took his sunglasses off, studied it a bit more. Yes, gray eyes, like evening mist over a shadowy lake.
He said, “Huh.”
“I know how strange it sounds—is—but I’ve got other drawings in here. Of us, of you—of this,” she said, waving her arms.
“Who are you?”
“Sasha Riggs, and this is Riley Gwin.”
“Who are the other two in the drawing?”