Page 36 of Harmless
Round and round my thoughts went, focusing on nothing in particular. At some point, Torr hit the brakes and we slowed, my chest leaning lightly into his back. Up ahead, Rori was sitting on her idling bike, talking to a man in a small shack next to the road. He looked to be in his early forties, had a black leather vest on, and carried an automatic rifle almost as long as my arm span.
They talked for a few minutes and then Rori burst out laughing. She and the man embraced like they were family, and then he settled back into his gatehouse. Rori signaled for us to continue forward, and on we went.
“Who was that?” I asked Torr as we pulled forward.
“Family friend,” he answered. “Well, biker family, not blood. Slick rode with Rori’s fathers back in the day, so he’s basically another uncle to her.”
Slick was not the only guard we passed, he was merely the first. Our whole caravan went through three more checkpoints, all manned by armed, black-vested bikers. All of whom seemed to know Rori like she was their sister or daughter.
Our elevation changed constantly too. It was a never ending up and down, the gears on the motorcycles putting in the work to make us climb and descend. We didn’t go through any more canyons, thank God, but stunning mountain passes and valleys that became greener the longer we rode. The air became cooler too, a sign that we were leaving the blistering heat of the desert for somewhere more temperate.
When Rori stopped her bike for the fifth time, it wasn’t at another checkpoint but a cleared plot of land set with a few buildings and tons of open space. There were two houses facing opposite each other on a gravel road cul-de-sac. Between them was a detached garage, which didn’t seem entirely necessary because each house had its own garage door.
Nonetheless, a black pickup truck was parked in front of the detached garage. A dark-haired woman sat on the edge of the truck bed pulling bungee cords free and folding back a tarp over the bed’s contents. She looked up and grinned as everyone pulled into the cul-de-sac.
“Bitch! Took you long enough!” The dark-haired woman cackled as she jumped gracefully to the ground, arms wide open to the sides as she approached Rori.
I tensed, only because I could clearly see the two guns in their holsters under the woman’s leather jacket.
“Fuck you, bitch!” Rori laughed in return as she hopped off her bike, spreading her arms in the same gesture.
I only relaxed when the two women embraced hard, nearly knocking each other to the ground. Rori was a few inches taller, so she would have won that fight, but the other woman had a similar air of not-to-be-fucked with.
“Everyone!” Rori turned to face us all, her arm around the other woman’s shoulders. “This is my cousin, Valorie. She brought the lion’s share of supplies for you all, and we’re going to divvy it up fairly. Everyone will get the very basics that they need, but if there’s anything else like meds, phones, what-have-you.” She wrapped her arm playfully around Valorie’s throat, holding her in a headlock. “Take it up with this bitch.”
Valorie laughed, wrestling out of Rori’s hold. “We’ve got a mobile clinic with a nurse and a doctor arriving soon too. So anyone with more serious injuries will be tended to.”
“If you’re not injured, start lining up with Val for supplies,” Rori said. “There are clean beds and showers inside both houses and food in the pantries. But please, do not take more than you need. There is enough for everyone.” Her expression went serious, eyes sharpening as they scanned over the roughly two-dozen faces that needed refuge. “If I find anyone stealing or hoarding anything, that is where my generosity will end. Medics?” She lifted a hand, motioning for those riders to come forward as she walked to the driveway of one of the houses. “Let’s assess the injured here to hold over until the mobile clinic arrives.”
“Goddamn it.” Torr sounded angry as he kicked the bike into motion again, driving forward slowly to get out of the way of traffic. He headed for the edge of the driveway where Rori and the medics were setting up.
“Something wrong?” I asked when he parked and shut the bike off.
“She’s treating the injured when she’s fucking exhausted. Look at her, I bet she’s been awake well over twenty-four hours.”
Now that I could see her up close, Rori did look burnt out. There were large, dark circles under her eyes, and she moved slower than she had at the resort. Her smile as she snapped on a pair of sterile gloves had no light behind it.
“You go talk her into getting some rest. I’m gonna claim a bed and some food for her.” In the work of a moment, Torr was off the bike and heading into the house through the garage, which was now open.
Rori and the medics used folding tables to set out a random mix of medical supplies, which looked like a bunch of first aid kits that had been combined into one pot. I took a seat on the folding chair next to Rori and got straight to business.
“You need to rest,” I told her.
As if I hadn’t said anything, she made a little spinning motion with a gloved finger. “Turn and sit the other way so I can check out your shoulder.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
She said, “Yes. I’m just choosing not to listen.”
“When did you last sleep?”
“I don’t remember. Doesn’t matter, I’ve been running on caffeine. Turn the other way, Santos.”
“Paloma, you’re exhausted. What if you accidentally stick a toothbrush in my shoulder?”
The laugh that erupted from her began as an adorable snort, then she slapped a hand over her mouth and laughed louder. She was too tired to hold back any of it and started wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh God, my mom would kill me.”
“Why’s that?” I wanted her distracted. Maybe if she wasn’t sogo-go-goall the time, she would realize how exhausted she really was.
