Page 67 of Sanctuary

They give us a map, and we estimate that a fairly relaxed pace will take us about four days to get there, and that’s without any unexpected delays. So we plan to leave the following morning and begin preparations immediately.

Del is coming with us on the trip, although she’s still not planning to be part of the attack. She doesn’t say so, but I’m pretty sure she wants to make sure there’s a reasonable chance of coming out of it alive before she’s okay with Cole and I putting ourselves at risk.

I don’t blame her for her concern or her caution. Cole and I are her entire family. If she loses us, she loses everything. I want to take down the monsters in that stronghold but only if we can actually accomplish it.

There’s no sense in sacrificing all of our lives for a lost cause.

I’ve been impressed with Maria so far, so I don’t have any reason to doubt the plans she’s made. I only hope she’s been able to rally a sizeable force since the communities in this region have only ever focused on defense.

There are three additional men from Monument participating, and we all start out the following morning. The weather is cool but sunny. Perfectly comfortable for an extended hike. I try to feel invigorated. To anticipate a worthwhile mission, taking action against the forces that have hurt me.

But mostly I’m lonely despite the five others who travel with me.

I wonder what Aidan is doing. He was supposed to be with us. To help us take the criminals down.

I go where she goes. That’s what he said.

But he was working with the bad guys. He might as well have been one of them. On any given day, at any given moment, he might have been right there in that hotel, doing business when we attacked.

It’s a bleak, depressing thought, so I don’t dwell on it. Don’t picture his handsome face and wry expression. His hair burnished dark gold in the sunlight. Or hear his warm, lilting voice in the distance.

He’s gone. I’ve made my decision. We both understood it was final. I could see the knowledge on his face before I left. There’s a good chance he went back to his old life, his old ways, and put aside his brief attempt to be a different, better man.

Just like I’m back to who I used to be—with a hard shell of protection forged forever around my heart.

We reach the designated meeting spot late in the morning on the fourth day. It’s an old mall. A small one with three anchor stores and two short wings that housed the smaller shops. Oneside of it has collapsed, and all of it is in disrepair, its contents long ago emptied out by looters and scavengers.

But one of the anchor stores is still structurally intact, and I’m shocked by the number of people milling around inside when our group enters.

Several dozen so far. At least. Yes, quite a few of them are from Maria’s own crew, but still… I can’t believe she’s managed to gather so many volunteers from this area.

The first few hours are rather chaotic. We find Maria and check in, letting her know our numbers and then getting instructions on what to do. Basically make ourselves comfortable and wait for tomorrow, when everyone will have arrived and we can be assigned our designated roles.

We find an unpopulated corner and lay out our stuff. Del is tired since she is no longer accustomed to walking four days straight. After we get something to eat, Cole sits down, leaning against a wall, and Del stretches out with her head in his lap.

I leave them alone. They deserve privacy, and I don’t feel like sitting still.

Instead, I wander, saying hello to people I recognize and introducing myself to people I don’t. After a couple of hours of mingling, I’m tired of small talk and want to sit down. But Del is still resting with Cole stroking her hair. It feels like I’d be intruding on their intimacy, and it makes me uncomfortable. So I search for somewhere else to sit for the time being.

Because I’m looking in another direction, I’m not watching where I’m going, and I almost plow into a small woman I don’t know.

“I’m so sorry,” I say quickly, smiling apologetically and hoping she won’t be annoyed by my absentmindedness. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Me either,” she says with a small smile of her own. Her expression is reserved but not unfriendly. She’s young andstartlingly pretty with long dark hair and vivid green eyes. Almost as green as Aidan’s. “It was my fault as much as yours.”

“I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Breanna. I’m from Monument, which is a town three days’ north of here.”

“Rachel. We’re from Kentucky. Maria called us in. We’ve worked with her a lot.”

“Oh. Wow. Thanks for coming all this way to help out.” I glance around, but it looks like she’s by herself. “Who arewe?”

She gestures over toward the left to a group of about twelve men and women of varying ages. They’re chatting and not paying attention to us, except for one big, rough-looking man. He’s got dark hair and a full beard and an intimidating manner. He’s watching Rachel steadily. “That’s Cal,” she says, when she notices I’ve focused on him. “He’s my man.”

He’s a lot older than her.A lot. And Rachel has a fresh, innocent appearance that makes me worry for her.

Many young women end up in bad situations because they have no other choice. I know that fact better than most.

Rachel must be able to recognize that my bristles have been raised because she adds, “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. He’s a good man. He’s never taken advantage of me.”

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