Page 10 of Gone
“No, you think you know what your body needs because you’re craving the sugar. Listen to me or I’ll tell your wife.” Tailor’s face went blank as he heard Lena’s voice.
“Tell his wife what?” she asked, looking up at Adam. He smiled at Tailor, waiting.
“We were just talking about what we bring for snacks on the trail, babe. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” she said with her hand on her hip. “Let me guess. You want junk food and lots of it. And probably sandwiches.”
“Damn. She really knows you,” whispered Alec.
“And I know you, Alec Robicheaux,” said Lissa, handing him his backpack. “I’ve already packed it for you. Plenty of water, granola bars, nuts, and dried fruits. That’s it. That’s all you get.”
“Aw man!”
“Let’s go, children,” said Lena. Adam just smiled at the two men, chuckling.
“Watch it, doc. When you least expect it, we’ll be behind you,” smirked Tailor. Adam could only continue to laugh at the big men, shaking his head.
As it turned out, the backpacks were lined up along the edge of the campsite, each one already packed by the wives with water and the appropriate trail snacks. When the men approached them, their wives handed them the backpacks, smiling at them.
“You’re all in on this, aren’t you?” frowned Ghost.
“Yes, babe. Which means no extra coffee today. Only water,” said Grace, kissing his cheek.
“Wh-what?” he gasped.
“Too much coffee isn’t good for you,” she said, taking his hand. “Let’s go. We planned a nice long hike today to one of the falls.”
Spook turned in a big circle, raising his head to the sky as if searching for something.
“You good, Spook?” asked Code.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m actually great. I’m not getting any interference in my head. Whatever that device is you guys implanted in my skull, it’s working.”
“Well, we were only the tech guys on the project. You can thank Paige and Riley for the rest of it. They were the ones who figured out your auditory neurons were overreacting to sounds at certain frequencies. It’s pretty cool what they developed.”
“All I know is that he’s had peace for the first time since I’ve known him,” said Valentina.
“It must have been miserable, brother,” said Sly. “I mean, there have been times when all I see is computer screens flashing before my eyes, but that’s usually a nightmare, not a day-to-day thing.”
From time to time, Bryce would stop with his wife, allowing her to take photos of the magnificent surroundings. They were never left behind. Several couples were always walking with them.
Nat sped up a bit, hoping to talk to Sophia and Alexandra.
“Hi,” she smiled at the two women.
“Hi, Nat. Thanks for helping start the campfires this morning,” smiled Sophia.
“It’s what I do,” she grinned, waving her fingers in the air, sparks flying from them. “I have to be careful if the ground is too dry. Thankfully, with Flip, I’ve learned to control my emotions or I’d be setting everyone who pisses me off on fire.”
“Sometimes, that could be a good thing,” said Alexandra.
“Hey, I was wondering something. I was a kid who didn’t really have a family. I mean, my mother tried to kill me when I was just a child, and I lived on my own after that.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” said Sophia, frowning at her.
“No, it’s okay. All roads led to here,” she smiled. “I was just curious why you both chose not only to adopt but to adopt multiple children at the same time. I mean, going from none to six and five was a lot to take on.”
“It was easy for me,” said Alexandra. “I always wanted kids, and I was madly in love with Gaspar. My injuries were too extensive for me to ever have children of my own. When those six babies showed up, rescued from traffickers, I couldn’t say no. Neither could Gaspar.”
