Braylon had never been so glad to see a small, sad, rickety shack in his life as he was when the five of them emerged into a clearing just after daybreak the following day.
And icing on that cake: a large burly man stepped out of the front door as soon as they came into sight.
Rush dropped his pack and hugged the man, the two of them rocking back and forth. “Thank God you’re here.”
The man looked at him. “Fuck, Rush, thank God you’re here. I seriously didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
Rush turned toward the others. “Stuart, this is Braylon, Riggs, Storm, and Haley.”
Stuart clasped Braylon’s hand and then everyone else’s in turn.
“Based on how fast you got here from the last post, I’m betting you all are dead on your feet. Do you want to rest here for a while or get in the van?”
“Van,” Haley said definitively.
Braylon chuckled and pulled her into his arms.
Rush nodded toward Riggs. “Before we travel any farther, I want to clean up Riggs’s wound and put a few stitches in it.”
Stuart cringed when he glanced at Riggs’s arm. “Guess you didn’t quite make it here unscathed.”
“Close,” Riggs admitted. “It’s just a graze.”
Braylon rolled his eyes while he followed the others into the cabin. He watched as Rush meticulously tended to his best friend in the world, impressed with his bedside manner and talent. In no time, Riggs was cleaned, stitched, and bandaged.
“I’ll check it again in a few days, but it will be fine,” Rush declared as he put his medical supplies back in the case they’d pulled out of a locked compartment in the cabin.
“Let’s get out of here,” Riggs declared, slapping Braylon on the shoulder. He grinned. “I’m fine. Good as new.”
Braylon blew out a breath, realizing he must have been frowning and uncertain.
Stuart led them all out of the cabin, heading for the tree line. “It will take us several hours to get to the main compound. You all can tell me the saga on the way.”
Braylon took Haley’s hand as they followed Stuart. He pulled her into his side and kissed her temple. “So close, baby.”
She smiled at him. “My legs could not have gone another mile.”
“I know. Mine either.”
Stuart opened the sliding side door of the older model van. The inside was stripped and redone with makeshift bench seats. Stuart looked at Haley. “Are you claustrophobic, Haley?”
“I don’t think so.”
Stuart popped a lever on the front bench and tipped it forward to reveal a hidden compartment.
Braylon shuddered. It was more like a coffin.
Stuart glanced back at Haley. “If you can tolerate it, you’ll be much safer riding in here. If it makes you panic, we can let you stay on top, but when we pass other vehicles, you’ll need to duck inside really quick.”
Haley stepped forward, taking a deep breath. “I think if you give me a couple of the backpacks so I’ll have a pillow, I’ll fall asleep and not even know I’m there.”
Stuart nodded. “We can do that.” He reached for her hand and helped her climb into the fucking box, making Braylon’s skin crawl.
Haley didn’t seem upset though, so he hid his reaction. Storm unzipped his pack and pulled out a pile of clothes, making her a pillow. He jammed the rest of the pack and another one alongside her to anchor her to one side so she wouldn’t roll back and forth. Lastly, he handed her a bottle of water and a protein bar.
Rush leaned closer. “Be sure you eat and drink, Haley. It’s going to be a while. You need fuel. Let us know if you need to pee or stop for any reason.”
She nodded, glancing at each of them. “I’m fine.”
Braylon cringed as Stuart snapped the bench seat back into position and motioned for everyone else to climb in.
Rush sat in the front with Stuart.
“What happens when we run into other vehicles?” Braylon asked as he and Riggs settled on top of Haley. Storm took the rear bench.
Stuart started up the van and pulled out of the hiding spot. “Nine times out of ten, we slow down, wave at the passing car, and keep going. Occasionally, some asshole will stop us and check to make sure we’re not transporting a woman.”
“Has anyone ever found the hidden compartment?” Storm asked from the rear.
“Not yet.” Stuart looked at Rush and grinned. “I can’t believe you’re here. Start talking.”
It took Rush over an hour to tell the tale of the last three months, most of that time focusing on the past few weeks.
Rush didn’t leave out much, which didn’t surprise Braylon. Rush was obviously good friends with Stuart and trusted the man.
Stuart’s expression changed as the saga went on, but in the end, he was smiling. “I still can’t believe it. Everyone is so excited about your return. Since you told Maya there were five of you, the council is arranging an apartment with three rooms. We weren’t sure what your relationship to each other might be, so…”
Rush nodded. “That’s perfect. These four have been in a relationship with each other for six months. They’re an established family unit. They’ve never been able to relax and be themselves together though, so they’re going to need some alone time.”
“Rush…” Braylon warned from behind him.
Rush shrugged. “Just stating the facts. The rest of the chips can fall where they might later.”
Stuart glanced at Rush several times, clearly trying to read his friend, brow furrowed, mouth tipped in a partial grin.
That’s right, Braylon thought. He’s one of us. He’s just as much a part of this family as any of us. He’s just stubborn.
They rode in silence for a while. A few times, he and Riggs lifted the seat to check on Haley. She was sleeping peacefully, thank God.
Stuart caught Rush up on everything that had happened at the compound over the course of the day. It seemed that the most shocking thing was the woman, Maya, whom Rush had contacted by walkie-talkie, had been safely nursed back to health from a severe cut to her leg and was now in a relationship with the three doctors Rush had worked with before joining The Wanderers.
Rush seemed beyond pleased with this news and rather shocked. “Maya? You sure we’re talking about the same Maya I know?” he joked.
Stuart laughed. “The one and only. She’s in love I tell you, and I’m so fucking happy for her.”
It took several more hours to get to the compound. They passed other vehicles occasionally, luckily without incident. Stuart stopped once to empty a gas can into the tank, but other than those few interruptions, they kept moving.
“We’re here,” Rush suddenly said over his shoulder.
Braylon glanced around. Seriously? He saw nothing.
Stuart chuckled as he pulled the van off into a thick copse of trees and stopped the engine. “Home sweet home.” He jumped down from the driver’s seat as Braylon opened the sliding door.
Haley blinked up at them when they popped the seat. She looked groggy, but he was pretty sure she’d slept most of the way.
Storm reached in to help her out, holding her against his chest for a few moments before lowering her to her feet. “You steady enough to walk, princess?”
She nodded and looked around. “Where are we?”
“Main compound,” Stuart informed her, pointing toward a clearing.
Rush grinned. “There’s a reason it hasn’t been detected.”
“I see that.” Braylon was pleasantly surprised when Stuart stopped walking, leaned over, and brushed a pile of dirt off a hatch.
He gave it a pull and opened it before motioning for them all to descend.
Braylon climbed down the steps first and found himself in a small space faced with another door that had a keypad. He turned to help Haley down and then waited for the others, stepping out of the way when Stuart headed for the keypad.
The place was certainly secure. If anyone happened to find the hatch, they wouldn’t make it any farther than this small space.
Stuart held the door open to let everyone pass, and Rush went through first. A blond woman with huge green eyes was on the other side, and she threw her arms around Rush and hugged him close. “My God. I couldn’t believe it when I heard your voice. I’ve been pinching myself all this time.”
Rush chuckled as he turned back toward the others. “This is Maya.”
Maya smiled at all of them. “Welcome. I won’t ask your names right now. I’ll just forget, and I’m sure you’re exhausted. You must have walked all night.”
“We did,” Rush responded. “We’re dead on our feet.”
Maya stood to one side. “I’ll let you get through intake and get showers, food, and sleep. We’ll talk more later.”
Braylon was filled with gratitude, but there was no denying he’d never been more tired in his life. He was simply going through the motions at this point.
As they headed down the gray corridor, a door opened and an older man stepped out. He pulled Rush into a hug too. “Thank God you’re all right.” He motioned for everyone to follow him into the room he’d stepped from, and then led them through that room and into the next. The room wasn’t large, but it had a conference table and plenty of chairs.
Braylon pulled one out for Haley and pushed her in before sitting next to her and grabbing her hand while everyone else claimed a chair too.
The older gentleman introduced himself. “I’m Barak Winther, one of the council members here. Welcome.”
“Thank you for having us,” Braylon said, realizing how damn important this was. These people didn’t have to take them in. They had an established community. Taking in strangers would be a risk.
Barak turned to Rush. “I’m going to assume you’ve vetted these people or you wouldn’t be here and skip the pleasantries so you all can get some rest. We’ll reconvene when you’re able to keep your eyes open. You can come to the library in a few days and learn everything you’ll need to know about our community and the rules we live by.”
Braylon nodded. “Thank you.”
Rush nodded also. “These are good people, and you’ll be pleased with some of the skills they bring us.”
Barak lifted a brow and smiled. “Can’t wait to hear all about it, but it can wait.” He stood. “I don’t want to keep you. Maya said you had to have walked for days without sleep.” He motioned for them to head back out of the office. “Lowri should be in the hallway. She’ll show you to your living quarters. Please ask anyone if you need anything. We’re a very kind and helpful community.”
Emotions overwhelmed Braylon as he and his friends stepped back into the hallway and followed another woman down the corridor. He was shocked when they stepped into a large community room filled with couches on one side and a cafeteria with tables on the other side.
Lowri rushed over to a man at the end of a buffet line and took a large bag from him. She held it up. “The kitchen put together some food for you so you can go straight to your apartment. You can come out later and do some exploring after you’re rested.”
Gratitude. So much gratitude. It overflowed from Braylon’s chest as he glanced at his friends. They never imagined in their lives a place like this existed, a place where they would find safety and community. A place where everyone was equal and free.
Lowri led them down another hallway—one of several that extended off the large center room like spider legs. There were doors on both sides with numbers on them. Apartments, Braylon realized.
Finally, she stopped at one, entered a code into the keypad, and opened the door to let them pass. She handed the bag of food to Rush. “Please, let us know if you need anything. And again, welcome.”
Braylon stepped into the apartment, his gaze wide with disbelief.
Haley slid in behind him. “Seriously? We can spend the night here?”
Rush let the door shut behind them and chuckled. “You can spend your entire lives here.”
“No way,” Storm stated as he looked around.
Bray was dumbfounded. There were three bedrooms, a community space, and a bathroom.
Rush shrugged. “It’s not like the estate you were raised in, but everyone in the compound lives in these apartments. We don’t have kitchens in every living quarter so we eat most of our meals in the main dining area, but other than that, it’s like a small apartment.”
“It’s perfect.” Riggs grabbed Braylon’s arm and smiled. “We did it.”
Braylon hugged his friends. “Yes, we did.”