Page 168 of Corpse Roads

Squeezed into a window seat, a smiling, blonde-haired man waves at me. He’s smartly dressed, his crisp, white shirt complementing his kind, hazel eyes.

“Hey, Harlow. We met while you were unconscious. I’m Kade.” He gestures to the person next to him. “This is my brother, Hudson.”

His brother doesn’t speak, nodding instead. From the tattoos inked all the way up to his throat and multiple facial piercings beneath his messy, raven-coloured hair, he looks a little intimidating.

“Ignore this one.” A female voice snickers. “He’s a teddy bear really, beneath the emo exterior.”

Standing up from her seat, the platinum-haired woman is looking at me expectantly. She looks around my age, but she’s strong and sinewy like a trained marine. Her ripped jeans match the worn leather jacket wrapped around her shoulders.

“I’m Brooklyn.” She tries for a smile, but it looks a little foreign on her mouth. “Enzo’s told me a lot about you.”

“He… did?” I reply anxiously.

“I knew this introduction was a bad idea,” Enzo grumbles behind me. “Brooke, keep any embarrassing stories to yourself or find another job.”

She smirks at him. “You’re no fun. Come sit next to me, Harlow. I’ve got plenty of juicy stories to tell you about this lump of meat.”

“M-Me?” I stutter.

Brooklyn pats the empty seat next to her. Taking a breath, I move my backpack and slide into the empty spot. Kade and Hudson are sitting behind us, leaving Enzo to move further up the plane.

I watch him go with a sigh of relief. Hunter, Leighton and Theo are piling on board with various bags of equipment, preparing for takeoff. They spot me with Brooklyn, and all seem to relax slightly. Clearly, they trust her implicitly.

“I hate flying,” she admits quietly. “Although the bar is well stocked, I suppose. That’s a bonus.”

“I’ve never flown before.”

“This is nicer than a commercial flight, so you’re in luck. Better to sit with us than Captain Cockblock over there.”

I choke on a breath. “Excuse me?”

“He said not to embarrass him.” Kade sticks his head between the seats with a knowing grin.

“So?” she snarks back.

“I’m not standing between you and Enzo when he comes to break your legs for telling that story. I’d like to keep my face intact.”

“Dammit,” Brooklyn curses. “Why should I marry you if you won’t defend me from leg-breaking assholes?”

He ruffles her shoulder-length hair. “Because I’m a catch, love. Don’t complain. We’ll defend your honour against anyone but him.”

Kade disappears back between the seats, and I can’t resist a glance. He has a laptop balanced on his lap as he resumes working. Next to him, Hudson is frowning at the men swarming over the tarmac.

Danger seems to cling to him, shrouding his entire stony persona in a threatening cloud. When he catches me staring, I’m knocked off-kilter by the tiny, reassuring smile he gives me.

“You ready for this, Harlow?”

“I, uh… I hope so.”

Hudson cocks his head to the side. “None of us are going to let anyone hurt you. Stick by us. You’ll be alright.”

“He’s right,” Brooklyn says beside me. “You’re not going into those woods alone. You’ve got every single one of us by your side.”

Turning back to face her, I wring my sweaty hands together. These people don’t know me, but they’re putting their lives at risk to keep me safe. If anything happens to them, it’s on me.

“He’s dangerous,” I squeeze out. “Pastor Michaels will hurt you to get to me. You don’t know the things he’s done.”

“We don’t hurt all that easily.” Brooklyn’s shoulder bumps mine. “This asshat isn’t the first monster we’ve faced.”

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