Chapter Sixteen

“We don’t need him,” Kael muttered to Anna while Matt tested several new bicycles they had taken from the Sports Authority store that loomed, massive and quiet, behind them. “How can a kid like him help us? How do we even know he really wants to help?”

Mildly exasperated, Anna asked, “Why would he be here unless it’s to help?” She reached around to the sling on her back, and Zep squirmed playfully at her touch.

“That’s a great question.” Kael watched Matt race on a bike around the perimeter of the lot. “Why would he leave his companion just like that? I don’t buy it.”

“You’re the one who thought Robby was such an insufferable asshole. Why do you find it so hard to believe that Matt would leave him?”

Kael shrugged, silent as Matt pedaled over to them and swapped to another bike, saying, “It was okay, but I want to try the blue one again and then we can leave.”

“Make it fast,” Kael growled.

Matt hesitated, obviously unsettled by Kael’s tone. “It’s okay, I can just—”

“Go ahead and take it for a spin.” Anna gave him a gentle smile. “Another couple minutes of rest won’t kill us.” As the kid pedaled away, she took Kael’s hand and asked, “What is it about him that upsets you so much?”

“I don’t know. I just…don’t want him around.”

“But he’s offering to help us. How can we refuse? I think we need to accept any help we can get.”

Kael dropped her gaze to their joined hands with a half-smile. “He doesn’t look like a fighter to me. I doubt he can use that knife he carries.”

Anna smiled at the truth of that statement. Matt probably wasn’t the fiercest of warriors, but she hoped that he would be capable of holding his own. “No, he doesn’t seem like the violent type.”

“I’m serious, Anna.” Kael’s jaw was tense, all traces of good humor gone from her lean face. “How can he help us?”

“I don’t know yet. Aren’t you the one who told me not to think ahead of myself? That’s not a question to be answered now. I say we keep him with us until we find out.”

Kael released Anna and mashed the heels of her hands into her closed eyes, exhaling harshly. “What if he gets hurt? He’s just a kid.” Her voice cracked on that last word. “He’s only a little older than my firstborn.”

Anna didn’t like thinking about the danger Matt would surely be in, but the threat of it wasn’t enough to sway her to turn him away. “I don’t know, but I think we’d be stupid not to take any advantage we can.”

“Fine. He stays. But you take care of him, too.” Kael flashed Anna a reluctant smile. “Him and the puppy.”

Anna smirked. “Got it.”

As though sensing that the time was right, Matt coasted back over to them on the blue bicycle. “I’m taking this one. We can leave now.”

“Great.” Kael hopped onto her bike and walked it forward a few steps before tilting dangerously to one side. She planted her foot to stop the fall, shooting Anna a self-conscious look. “We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”

“Does Kael hate me?” Matt pedaled his bicycle next to Anna, the two of them straddling the center line of the road leading to Interstate 65. They were about thirty-five miles south of Louisville, now heading north at a healthy pace. The topic of their conversation pedaled briskly in front, far enough ahead that she couldn’t hear Matt’s question.

“He doesn’t hate you.” She bit her lip as she struggled to explain Kael to a relative stranger. Now I know how Elin felt. “He just has a hard time trusting people.”

“What does he think I’m going to do?” Matt sounded truly perplexed. “I told him I want to help. Doesn’t he believe me?”

“He’s upset about Elin. It’s been a hard week or two. Give him some time. He’s a good guy—he’ll warm up to you.”

Matt nodded. “I’m going to prove myself to him. I swear I will.”

Anna smiled at his strong-willed determination. “I believe you.”

“Is Kael very close with your sister?”

“We’re a family.” Anna felt no need to elaborate; that was enough to make him understand. Curious, she asked, “Why did you really leave Robby?”

Matt cruised for a moment, then pedaled to maintain his speed. He shrugged. “Like Kael said, he’s an asshole. I left him while he was sleeping.”

“But why now? Why all of a sudden?”

Matt looked away from her. “He was just ragging on me pretty bad, that’s all. I got sick of it, and I thought—” He glanced at Anna, then settled his gaze on Kael’s form ahead of them. “I thought you were really nice, and I thought that trying to help you and Kael was better than staying with him.”

“Why was he ragging on you?” She watched Matt’s cheeks redden and wondered if she was asking something too personal. “You guys were friends, right?”

“I guess. He was my father’s friend. I grew up around him, like an older brother.”

“But you weren’t close?”

“Nah. Robby wasn’t really close to anyone except my father.”

“Your dad’s not around anymore?”

“He passed away about three months ago.” Matt’s voice was so quiet that Anna had to strain to hear him. “I don’t know what was wrong. His stomach hurt, and it just kept getting worse until one day he didn’t wake up.”

“I’m sorry.” That was a shame. He was a post-sickness baby, after all.

“Your parents died in the sickness, right?”

“Yes. And my older sister Marina. I’m twenty-five.”

“My mom died during childbirth,” Matt said. “Not me. My little brother. He died, too. That was about six years ago.”

“Again, I’m sorry.”

Ahead of them, Kael called back over her shoulder, “We’re coming up on the highway.”

“Understood,” Anna shouted. She looked back at Matt to find him watching her intensely. She smiled at him, causing a fierce blush to arise on his tanned face. “So Robby doesn’t know where you went?”

“He might guess.” Matt looked back to the road. “I talked about you and your sister after we met you. He knows I felt bad about what happened to her.”

Anna had a sudden flash of understanding. “Is that what he was ragging on you about?”

Matt shrugged, then gave her a shy nod. “He’s always giving me a hard time about something. It’s going to be great not to have to listen to him anymore.”

“You don’t think he’ll come after you?” She wasn’t sure if Robby could catch up to them, or if he was capable of tracking their movements, but the thought made her uneasy.

Matt laughed. “No. Robby loved my father, but he and I have never had a lot in common. It wasn’t so bad when dad was around, but ever since he died, I think Robby’s been taking it out on me.”

“Well, we’re glad to have you. And I thank you for your help, Matt, from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

Matt’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Well, I just…I hope I can really help.” He chewed on his lip, then blurted out, “I should tell you that I’m not the best at fighting. I’ve never really been very good at it.”

Anna’s suspicion was confirmed. “What are you good at?” she asked in a gentle voice.

Looking emboldened, Matt said, “Tracking. Hunting.” After some hesitation, he muttered, “Writing.”

“Really?” Anna had never met someone who liked to write. “Like stories?”

“And poetry.”

Anna raised her eyebrows in surprise. A sweet boy who doesn’t like fighting, blushes when he talks to me, and writes poetry. He may be as rare a find as Zep.

“That’s very cool.” She gave him an encouraging smile.

Matt shrugged, not meeting her eyes as they steered onto the highway. “I guess. I don’t think my father ever understood it. And Robby…well, sometimes Robby called me a faggot because of it.” Matt blinked hard, obviously upset by the confession. “I’m not a faggot.”

Anna gave Matt a brief nod. “It wouldn’t matter if you were gay.”

Matt’s face darkened. “Just because I like to write doesn’t mean I’m not normal.”

Frowning, Anna tried to decide how best to approach this rather sensitive topic. After only a split second of internal debate, she said, “And just because someone’s gay, that doesn’t mean they’re not normal.” When Matt swung defensive eyes in her direction, she said, “I believe that you’re not gay, Matt. I just want you to know that even though Robby thought that calling you a faggot was a good way to be mean to you, that doesn’t mean that gay people are bad.”

“But homosexuality is wrong.” He gazed at her with innocent eyes, no doubt repeating exactly what he had been taught. “It serves no purpose, and so it’s wrong.”

“My very best friend when I was growing up was named Garrett. He was like a brother to me. He was gay.”

Matt blinked rapidly at that. Anna suspected that he had likely never known of a gay person, and so she gave him time to adjust to the idea. “Just think about it, okay?” she said. “No matter what Robby made you think, there are worse things than being a faggot. Like being an asshole.”

“Robby gave me a hard time, you know, because I never wanted to go out and find women. I just…if I’m going to be with somebody, I want it to be someone who really wants me.” Matt coughed, face even redder, and stopped speaking as though afraid that Anna would mock him.

“I think that’s very honorable,” Anna said. “Some woman will be very lucky to find you.”

Matt looked almost painfully sunburned by this point, cheeks rosy-red with his embarrassment. Anna did the kid a favor and stared up at Kael’s back, careful not to look at him while he struggled to regain his cool.

“Do you think I’m pathetic?” he finally asked.

“No,” she said. “I think you’re one of the best men I’ve ever met.”

Interstate 65 took them up to Louisville, through the surrounding communities, and finally to 71, the road where Matt and Robby had seen Elin. Riding through the silent remains of the once-bustling metropolis was unnerving, and Anna felt uncomfortable at times talking with Matt, too aware of the way their voices seemed to echo off the concrete and steel that surrounded them. Twice they saw people.

The first time it was a group of three men and two women who glared at them suspiciously from the parking lot of an old shopping mall that was visible from the highway. They’d been far enough away that Anna could barely make out their features, and while she was unsettled by their presence, she hadn’t felt threatened.

The second time it was a lone man who walked along the side of the highway. He wore an oversized backpack, and his brown hair was shaggy and wild around his head. As they rode past him, he leered at Anna and blew her a kiss. Shuddering, she pedaled harder with her desire to leave him behind. Kael, who had fallen back at the sight of the stranger, glanced at her, protective indigo eyes reassuring her in an instant.

Kael was down, but she wasn’t out. And she would kill to protect what was hers. Her eyes told Anna that and so much more.

The sun went down shortly after they left metro Louisville, and they continued northbound on Interstate 71 for a few miles until Kael pulled over to the shoulder of the road.

When Anna and Matt caught up, she asked, “Matt, how far north do you think you were when you saw Elin?”

“Not far at all. In fact, we better start checking for their trail anytime now. It couldn’t have been more than two miles from here.”

With a nod, Kael climbed off her bike. “We stop for the night then. We’ll start out again as soon as there’s enough light to see tracks if they’ve left any.”

Anna gave Kael a grateful smile. “Sounds good. I don’t know about you guys, but my ass is killing me.”

Kael laughed, and when Anna followed the direction of Matt’s gaze, she realized that their young companion was staring at the sore body part in question.

“Mine, too,” Matt said quickly. Looking well and truly busted, he tore his gaze from her bottom and said, “And I’ve gotta piss. I’ll be right back.”

Kael smirked as Matt stumbled off the road and disappeared behind a large billboard far out of earshot. “It’s kind of cute, but if that kid puts one hand on you—”

“He’s harmless,” Anna said. Though I’ve got to admit that getting checked out is kind of freaky. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. My ass hurts, too.”

“We covered a lot of ground today.” Her fingers twitched to grab Kael’s hand, but she remained still, afraid of being rebuffed if she tried to initiate more intimate contact.

Hesitating for a beat, Kael stared at her, then invited, “Come here.”

Anna fell into her embrace with a sigh of relief. Kael’s lean frame felt thinner than she could ever remember; Anna was sure she could feel her ribs, but she ignored that and concentrated on her scent and the softness of her neck. She didn’t realize she was crying until Kael pulled back and looked down on her in concern.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Anna shook her head and wiped the tears from her face. “It just feels good to be held, that’s all.”

“It feels good to hold you. I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you.”

“Don’t be sorry. I think you’ve got a good excuse for being distracted.”

Kael kissed the top of Anna’s head. “Maybe. But Elin would kick my ass if she knew how I’ve been acting. She’s always telling me not to bottle things up inside. To talk about stuff.”

Anna ran one hand over the back of Kael’s head. She eyed Kael’s scalp wound, which was actually starting to heal. “I don’t expect you to be good at it right away. And not with me, certainly.”

Kael frowned at the quiet comment. “Why not? I really do love you.” She traced the backs of her fingers over Anna’s cheek, then leaned in and brushed her lips across Anna’s. Groaning in relief, Anna parted her lips and tasted Kael until strong hands settled on her upper arms and gently pushed her away.

“Our friend is returning,” Kael murmured.

Dazed, Anna stared at Kael’s mouth for long moments before she realized what her lover was saying. She looked over her shoulder and blushed, knowing what Matt had just witnessed. Then again, he probably saw Kael with his hand between my legs last night. I shouldn’t get bent out of shape about a little kiss.

Kael jerked her head to her left, toward a grouping of trees. “Let’s get away from the road. We’ll scout out that area and set up camp, then I’ll catch some dinner.”

The threesome walked their bikes off the highway and across gravel and grass toward the trees. This would be their first full night together. Anna hoped that Kael would warm up to Matt.

“You know, I could catch dinner.” Matt gave Kael an eager smile. “I’m a good hunter, I swear.”

Kael hesitated, and for a moment, Anna thought she would turn down Matt’s well-intentioned offer. Instead she thanked him, adding, “That’d be great.”

Anna bumped Kael with her hip. “Hey, maybe we could take a bath in the river.” It had been at least two weeks since she’d had the time and the means to give herself more than a cursory cleaning, and despite the slightly chilly air, the idea of a swim was intoxicating.

Kael bit her lip, and Anna could see how her eyes darted nervously to Matt. “I don’t know—”

Matt interrupted, eager to please. “I’ll totally give you guys some privacy. You can bathe, and I’ll catch and clean dinner. I’ll even cook, if you want.”

Kael chuckled. “You know, kid, maybe I could get used to having you around.”

Matt’s beaming grin cut through the darkness. “Yeah?” His voice, as it often did, broke in excitement.

“Sure.” Kael bumped Anna back. “Anna really does need a bath, after all.”

Anna laughed in surprise at the unexpected return of Kael’s humor. Like her unbridled rage, it came in flashes, unpredictable and usually short-lived. Anna’s chest grew heavy with pleasure at the prospect of spending time with Kael during this moment of respite.

“Shut up,” Anna scolded. “Dickhead.”

Matt giggled, a surprisingly childlike sound. He stopped abruptly when Kael shot him a look of admonishment. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“I’m not that used to you yet,” Kael said.

Despite the tone, Anna knew that Kael was being playful, and that brought a smile to her face. Things were looking up.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14