Page 46 of Heat
Diamond eased the truck into the gravel lot and killed the engine. The cab settled with a soft groan as it rocked back into silence.
Carla stirred in the sleeper, rubbing her eyes. One of the girls yawned loud and long while the other blinked sleepily at the snack signs through the window.
“I’ll get fuel,” Sayer said, already climbing out. “Grab what you need.”
Diamond nodded and turned to Seven, who sat up, running a hand through her hair. “Bathroom?”
“Please,” Seven said, slinging her duffel over her shoulder. “Grab me something salty and cold if you’re heading in.”
Diamond motioned to Carla. “You and the girls take the bathroom first. I’ll be right behind you.”
Carla didn’t argue, she just opened the door and guided the girls toward the restroom, heads down, moving with the quiet, careful rhythm of people still recovering from too much fear.
Diamond stepped inside the convenience store. The place was small and dim, one buzzing cooler light and an older man behind the counter flipping through a local newspaper.
He didn’t look up when she entered. Perfect.
She moved quickly. Two jugs of water. Trail mix. Protein bars. Instant coffee. Wet wipes. A handful of random candies for the girls. A pack of gum. A roll of duct tape. She added a gas canister for good measure and grabbed a lemon soda for Seven on the way out.
By the time she made it back to the truck, Sayer had finished pumping and was wiping his hands on a rag.
“You good?” he asked.
“Full tank. Working bathroom. Snack stash. This place was a damn miracle.”
He gave a small smirk. “Even found some duct tape, huh?”
“Always,” Diamond said, tossing the bag into the cab.
Seven was leaning with her back against the truck, chewing sunflower seeds and watching the clouds roll overhead like she had all the time in the world.
“We rollin’ out?” she asked.
“Five minutes,” Diamond replied.
Carla returned with the girls just as Diamond climbed back into the cab. Everyone looked a little more awake. A little steadier.
But the undercurrent of tension? Still there. Still humming.
Diamond turned the engine over again and looked toward the road ahead.
“No calls,” she said aloud. “No signals. No names. Until Nova gets us the next move, we don’t exist.”
Sayer gave a nod, already taking a seat in the back with Carla and her girls.
Seven climbed back in and dropped in to the passenger seat.
And just like that, they were back on the road. Silent. Invisible.
Diamond kept her eyes on the road as Seven leaned forward. “Take the next right after mile marker sixty-three,” Seven said, tapping lightly on the dash. “You’ll see a rusted cattle guard and a green fence post with a white ribbon tied to it. Turn there.”
Diamond gave a quick nod and eased them onto the narrow road when it appeared, the tires crunched over gravel and loose stone as they dipped into thick, tree-lined cover.
Sayer walked up in between the two women looking out the window, scanning the tree line. “This the switch?”
“Yeah,” Seven said. “We’re hiding the truck. You’ll come back for it later, once the family’s secure.”
Diamond exhaled a quiet breath of relief. She hated the idea of fighting over destroying her truck. Ditching good equipment didn’t make sense and the rig had been part of the plan from the start. It was familiar. Reliable. Losing it felt like losing a limb.
