Page 77 of Defenseless
Kara smiled back. It was a little watery, but genuine. “Remember? Of course I remember. It was the worst trip she took us on. Eating MREs, living in the desert, dusteverywhere.”
“Reallyeverywhere,” Sabina added, remembering how uncomfortable it had been when she and her sister had realized all the places the fine dirt managed to lodge itself.
Kara snorted. “You remember the mac and cheese MRE?”
“Oh my god, don’t make me gag. I’m still a little hungover,” she said, nudging Chad in the ribs. He chuckled and released her enough that she could move.
“Or the bike?” Kara asked, leading them out of the office.
“The one without the seat?!” Sabina said, laughing. “And that time we found the snake sleeping in its frame?”
“Don’t even talk to me about that snake. It nearly killed me,” Kara said.
“It wasn’t venomous. I told you that!” Sabina said, as they walked through the halls of the Capitol and toward the future.
“Bullshit. It so was. You’ve never been able to identify snakes,” Kara said. “Chad, if you ever go camping with her, you need to know that. She’sterribleat wildlife identification.”
Chad, Ethan, and Gina all laughed, happy to let her and her sister reminisce. With each step they took away from their past and toward their new lives, the weight on her shoulders lifted more and more.
And by the time they touched down in Mystery Lake, she’d never felt lighter, stronger, or more hopeful in her life. The road she’d taken to get there might not have been the most efficient or easiest. But none of that mattered. Not anymore. She was finally on a journey she’d chosen. One that filled her with awe and wonder. No one knew what tomorrow, or even the next second, might bring. Whatever it was, though, she wasn’t ever going to face it alone again.
EPILOGUE
“Let’s go!”Chad said, yanking the comforter from Sabina’s body. He paused to admire the sight. She’d more or less been living with him since they’d returned from DC before Halloween, but she’d only officially moved in with him six weeks ago on New Year’s Day. Gina was now living in her old apartment and settling into life in Mystery Lake. The wily intelligence agent had even struck up a friendship with his grandad. One that included whiskey nights and brutal games of Battleship.
“Ugh. It’s freezing out there,” she muttered. “Where are you dragging me?” She tried to grab the comforter, but he lifted it out of her reach. She rolled onto her back, giving him a particularly spectacular view, and glared at him.
He grinned. “You won’t want to miss it. I promise.”
She studied him and by the softening of her expression, he knew he wasn’t hiding his excitement very well.
“But you’re not going to tell me?”
He shook his head.
“Not even a clue?”
He started to shake his head again then paused. “When we get there, I want you to remember that I never lied to you,” he said.
“But you misled me?”
“More like omitted to mention something,” he clarified. Her gaze was steady, and he loved that she didn’t assume the worst, as many would. Their relationship was solid. Better than he’d ever imagined or hoped. That she felt the same was written in her every expression.
“Well, I guess with that vague but intriguing statement, I best get my tush out of bed,” she said, swinging her legs over the side.
“And dress in warm clothes. I’ll get us some coffee to go,” he said over his shoulder as he left.
Fifteen minutes later, she joined him in the kitchen, dressed in layers as he’d suggested. Another five minutes after that, they were in his car on the way to the large expanse of land on the northeast side of the lake owned by the Warwicks. The resort his cousin Brad ran occupied most of it, but the family had left a couple hundred acres untouched.
Parking along a dirt road, he grabbed his hat, gloves, scarf, and jacket and made sure Sabina did the same. When they were bundled up, he slid from the car and slung the backpack he’d packed early that morning when she’d still been asleep over his shoulder. Then he grabbed the snowshoes.
“Ready to go?” he asked, his feet crunching in the snow as he joined her.
Her eyes flickered to the snowshoes, and the spark of curiosity in them brightened. Always game for a new experience, she said nothing as she reached for her pair. Within minutes, they were traversing through the woods across virgin powder, accompanied only by the occasional sound of a winter bird or snow falling from branches.
“It’s beautiful here,” Sabina said from a few feet behind him.
“It is. We used to come here as kids all the time. It was our favorite place to play in the winter.”
