Page 22 of Their Property
“Where do you live?”I asked him.“Can you show me? My friends and I will bring you food.”
“Wait, are you communicating with him?” Governor Perry asked.
“Yes,” I said, still speaking with my hands after the boy told me his address. “Sir, we need to supply the food bank in this neighborhood immediately.”
My signing became more aggressive, my body language reflecting my emotions as I spoke. I could still feel andalmostsee the armored woman, and I channeled her strength while I addressed the governor and his nephew. “Before you build luxury homes or a golf resort, I suggest putting more affordable, accessible markets at the top of your list. No one in your territory should have to jump in front of cars to beg for food.”
“Wow, impressive.” Now Nathan smirked, leaning toward me. “How did you learn that?”
I faced him squarely, still using my hands to speak and wishing I had a shield to beat him away. “Didn’t you learn a foreign language growing up, Nathan?”
“Yeah, I picked German.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty awful at it though.”
“Well, I took two languages,” I said. “Icelandic and American Sign Language. I’m fluent in both.”
“Heh, overachiever.” He smiled like he was teasing, but I saw the hostility he tried to keep buried.
“Why would he jump in front of the car for food?” Governor Perry asked, still staring at the boy like he was a curiosity.
“Because he had no other option,” I said, my exasperation bleeding into my hand gestures.
“Okay, you can stop that now,” the governor said, referring to my signing with a dismissive hand wave.
“No.” My hands cut through the air aggressively. “He has a right to know what’s going on.”
The governor frowned at me, probably not accustomed to hearing the wordnooften. Dyno approached me before the older man could say anything else, resting a warm hand on my arm. In that moment, I felt the armored woman relax, her shield lowering a few inches.
“All three of us will help. Just tell us what we need.” He flashed a smile at the boy, and my anger thawed just a fraction.
“Let’s go back to the capital,” I said, making sure the boy could understand. “We’ll buy food from the main kitchen. There should be plenty to go around.” I looked at Nathan and his uncle. “Unless there’s a better place to get food from?”
Neither said a word for several seconds. Nathan looked blankly at his uncle for his decision, but I could see the wheels turning in the governor’s head.
“That will suffice for now,” he bit out before turning sharply back to the car.
Unsurprisingly,my two tour guides had ‘important matters to attend to’ when we returned to the capitol. So it was me, Anita, our driver, and the Sons making trips back and forth with groceries for those who needed it. Word spread quickly in the neighborhood, and several more families came out of the woodwork, asking for rations. By the time we finished, it had been dark for hours, and I was dead on my feet.
“I can’t thank you both enough,” I said to Anita and our driver, whose name was Neil, as we prepared for our last trip home. “I’ll make sure you’re both compensated from my own budget for all the extra hours. I know this wasn’t how you expected to spend your day.”
“Thank you, Ambassador. I enjoyed this, actually.” Neil smiled kindly at me in the rearview mirror. “It was certainly a break in the routine.”
“Yes, Miss Vance. It felt good to do something nice for those families.” Anita rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Um, if you don’t need me for anything else, I might lie down in the backseat for the trip back. I’m exhausted.”
“Of course, go ahead.” I moved my legs to the side so she could get behind me. The Sons were just outside, talking among themselves. With only two bikes, I wondered if they would double-up or if someone would ride back with me.
I got my answer as the guys slapped each others’ shoulders and broke away. T-Bone and Dyno headed for the bikes while Grudge came to join me. He started for the backseat, when I touched his forearm to stop him.
“Anita’s resting back there. You can sit with me, if you’d like.”
“Ah,” he said, crouching and moving carefully to take the passenger-side window seat in my row, leaving a large space between us.
As Neil pulled onto the road heading back toward the capital, my thoughts drifted to wondering what I could get away with now that he was next to me. Nathan and the governor weren’t here, and Anita was lying down. What would happen if I just reached over and tangled up my fingers with Grudge’s again? Or let my weary head rest on that comfortable shoulder? Would it be so bad?
I was envious of how openly affectionate the Sons were with each other, especially in the small ways. Even today, as they unloaded the car and passed out crates of food, they snuck quick kisses and let touches linger on each other. They teased each other and laughed at private jokes.
I wanted that, but not just with anyone. Barely a full day had passed, and the old yearning from years ago was back with a vengeance. It was dawning on me that I wanted thatonlyfrom them. I wanted to be included in their affection, part of their relationship.
Was that pathetic? Delusional? Probably.
