Page 38 of The Last True Hero
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Mia was wrong.
Apparently Ellie Thwaites knew exactly how to get her way, because the argument with Ethan only lasted ten minutes before his shoulders slumped and he started to cry. Ellie hugged him for another five minutes, before wiping her eyes and making her way over to where Mia checked over the supplies they'd need.
"What did you tell him?" Mia muttered, as she stripped the vest and weapons off a female reiver someone had killed last night. She paused with her hand on a set of goggles. Might be useful to protect her eyes from the stinging desert winds, but she was definitely going to drop them in a pot of boiling water first. Same with the neck scarf. Mia brushed a fleck of dried blood off it.
Ellie's face paled, making her freckles stand out even more as she stared at the body. "The truth. That Thea's not just my friend."
Mia looked up in surprise. She'd never noticed. Ellie knelt down to undo the dead reiver's belt. Neither of them had much in common, except for the fact they both had sisters. Clearly she'd never bothered to pay much attention to Ellie's goings-on.
"Then we'll do our best to get her back," she said, squeezing the other girl's hand.
"Thanks," Ellie muttered, and removed the reiver’s belt. "This feels so wrong."
"She doesn't need them anymore." Mia collected the belongings she planned to take. Two days ago she'd probably have blanched at the thought as much as Ellie did. Amazing how much could change in such a short period of time.
She felt vaguely numb to it all. Shock, perhaps.
All she could do was focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
Sage, Thea, and the other girls. Poor Sara, Sonya, Bethany, and little Tommy Hannaway, who was probably not so little anymore.
They were the only things that mattered.
"Let's go," Mia said, and headed off to sterilize the goggles.
A subdued air hung over the camp as the four of them prepared to leave. Guilt, perhaps. These people had their families and friends back, and they wouldn't risk anymore. Maybe it was unfair to blame them for that.
Mia made her way from person to person, accepting hugs and good wishes.
"I promise I'll look after her," she told Ethan when she finally stopped in front of him.
The big man nodded gruffly. He'd never been a man short of words, but apparently Ellie's decision cost him.
"You're a good girl, Mia." Thwaites hugged her awkwardly, his other arm knotted in some sort of sleeve sling. "Good luck with your sister. I wish I could do more than I am."
"You've done enough," she whispered, then hugged him back.
Jenny waited patiently beside him. Mia clasped her hands. "You look after that leg."
Jenny snorted. "Are you telling me what to do, girl?"
"Mom always said I might as well try and hold back the tide."
Jenny caught her at the back of her neck, an almost affectionate pat, then turned to the matter at hand. She started unbuckling her belt. "You'll need this. It's all the ammo I've got, plus I'm giving you my Remington. The bolt action's a little stiff these days, but it's the best I've got." She flipped a heavy hunting knife from its sheath. The handle bore a gorgeous hunting hawk pattern etched into the polished wood. "This too."
Mia's chest felt several sizes too small. "Jen, I can't take this. This is Hawk's." The last thing Jenny's man ever gave to her before they parted.
"It's a knife, Mia, which is exactly what you need." Another snort. "I've got another back at home."
But this one was special. Nobody had ever been allowed to touch it, and sometimes Mia caught her aunt rubbing oil into the steel lovingly, long after it needed it. "Thank you."
It meant so much to know that Jenny—who'd never been the sort to give hugs or take much interest in the day-to-day things—was surrendering her most precious object into Mia's keeping.
"You watch your back, and you get those girls home," Jenny said. Her gaze slid sideways, and Mia's followed it.
McClain strapped his bedroll onto his bike, next to where Jake was helping Ellie into the jeep he'd commandeered. Those strong hands jerked hard at the strap, McClain’s shirt clinging to the muscle in his broad back. Last night sprang sharply into her mind. A desperate kiss that she could remember every detail of. Mia jerked her eyes off him before she betrayed her thoughts. Jenny always could see straight through her.
