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“Oh wow,” Burgundy murmurs. “I remember that church building. I didn’t realize we were back in this region.”

“What region? Do we know this place?” Ridiculously, I’m feeling left out, like all my friends share a secret I don’t know.

“We’ve been here before,” Micah explains. “We stayed for a couple of months last year in a town nearby after a bunch of us got injured in a fight.”

“Oh. Okay.” I meet Deck’s eyes. “Did you get hurt?”

He shakes his head and points toward Micah.

“I got winged,” Micah says. “Logan was grazed in the side, and a few others had more serious injuries. We tookout a gang that was causing trouble in the area, so the folks in town were grateful and helped us out.”

“I thought Logan wasn’t into missions of mercy.” I glance from one to another, still feeling slightly isolated. They have a long history together that I don’t share. It ties them to each other and to Logan more closely than to me.

Even Deck.

“He isn’t normally,” Burgundy explains. “But there were extenuating circumstances.”

“What extenuating circumstances?”

“His ex-wife lives in the town.”

My eyes widen. “I didn’t know he was married.”

“He was before Impact. All the fear and chaos pulled them apart. She hooked up with another guy, and they ended up here after Logan started traveling. Her new man died pretty quick, but she and her parents stayed. Anyway, Logan wanted to help by taking out the gang.” Burgundy’s been explaining all this in a matter-of-fact tone. “But he let us know it was purely voluntary for the rest of us.”

“Oh. I see. How many people helped him?”

“Everyone.”

It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve rarely seen such loyalty as these people show to Logan. I feel loyal too but not to the same degree.

Another reason I stand slightly apart and probably always will.

21

We stop shortly afterwardat a long-abandoned campground and have a quick lunch, but I don’t get to pull Deck away and work on his hair and beard because Logan has other plans.

“I’m going to check things out in town,” he explains as the rest of us are sitting around, finishing our lunches. “Make sure it’s still safe.” He uses two fingers to point at me and Deck. “Y’all come with me.”

I’m pleased to be included since I don’t offer much by way of skill or strength. He must be counting on Deck for any defense he needs if we run into danger.

Obviously thinking similar thoughts, Trisha asks, “Are you sure you don’t want some more help? What if you run into trouble?”

She must be trying to be nicer because she doesn’t mention the obvious fact that I’m not much help in a fight.

“I don’t want to show up with an intimidatingentourage until we see what’s what there,” Logan says. He hesitates. Then nods. “But you’re right. Another gun won’t hurt.”

Trisha is starting to smile when Logan gestures toward Burgundy. “Why don’t you come along too.”

The petty part of me has to muffle a snicker as we collect ourselves and get on two ATVs—me behind Deck and Burgundy behind Logan.

We’re less than ten miles away, so it doesn’t take long to get to the town, which has a defensive perimeter with posted guards like nearly every populated community now. When we approach the front gate, one of the guards must recognize Logan because he calls down a greeting and descends from his post to meet us.

He’s grizzled and tough-looking, but his attitude is friendly enough as he says hello to Logan, Deck, and Burgundy, all three of whom he remembers.

“We were traveling in the area,” Logan explains, his longish hair windblown and slipping out of the low ponytail he usually wears. “So I thought we’d stop by and see how things were going in town. Everything all right here?”

The man makes a face. Then says with obvious reluctance, “Generally the same but got some bad news for you.”

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