“Us, plus Cydney and Ingrid,” G8 reminded him.
“Right.”
“Sooo, what does mean for us? That they’ll continue to hunt us and pick us off one by one?” Another thought struck him. “Also, why did they send just two guys this time? One guy said they were there for the babies, but they had to have known we outnumbered them.”
“Ah, but you aren’t armed, and that’s probably why they thought they had a chance. Or here’s another possibility. The people who sent them did it to test your strength. See how you fought back.” The man chuckled. “They weren’t expecting us, or else, as you said, things could have gone differently.”
“Sheriff, is there any chance we can arm ourselves? I mean, we can’t legally own a gun, can we?”
“Legally? No. You people are non-entities. You have no background, no history, no family, nothing. But, G8, stuff like that hasn’t stopped others from obtaining guns,” the man cryptically replied. “Listen, I got another call I gotta answer. I’ll let you know of any updates. Is everyone okay there?”
“Yeah. We’re fine. A little shook up, but we’re good.”
“Good. That’s good to hear.” The man chuckled again. “This department’s seen more action in the past couple of weeks than in all the years I’ve been here. I don’t know whether to be happy because of all the excitement and drama, or terrified that it isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
“That’s what I think. Things could be worse than that, Sheriff,” G8 predicted.
“Oh? How do you figure?”
“This could be some kind of government-run covert operation that no one can stop, and we have targets painted on our backs.”
Biggs grunted. “You may not be too far off the mark with that, son,” he commented and hung up without a goodbye, leaving G8 to feel a cold sense of dread creeping through him.
12INITI8
G8 hungup the receiver and leaned his butt against the edge of the desk, his head bowed as he digested what the sheriff had told him. He was aware of Ingrid walking over to him and laying a hand on his shoulder.
“Bad news?” she softly inquired.
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.”
He wasn’t expecting her to put her arms around him and place her head on his shoulder. His reaction was automatic, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her against him so he could bury his face in the curve of her neck.
She was warm. Vibrant. This moment felt miraculous and right. And the best part was that she had initiated it. Her hand slid down his back, and he heard her sigh. “Tell me what’s on your mind,” he murmured.
“After I read your files, all of your files, I had nightmares for nearly a week. All that shit they put you through. Years and years?—”
“Shh.” He cut her off. “Stop thinking about it.” He felt her shake her head.
“I can’t.”
“At least you know now why we’re happy to be here, regardless of how much work needs to be done. Regardless of the place’s sad state. Regardless of the fact that, if it weren’t for the townspeople rallying to help support us, we’d probably be dead right now. Or, worst case scenario, we’d still be back in those fucking labs.”
“When we were hiding inside that pantry, K8 and F8 filled me in on how you got here. How Cydney saved you, and how she and F8 got shot.” A shudder went through her.
He drew her more tightly against him. She moved willingly, not tensing up but leaning into his embrace. “Yes, it was bad. There will still be days it might be worse. But we’ll do whatever it takes to stay here.” G8 chuckled. “There were a couple of days we had nothing to eat but canned beans. Then a neighbor down the road brought us a dozen eggs, and we felt like we’d hit the jackpot. We each got two eggs.”
He felt Ingrid pull back and reluctantly let her go. She stopped to stare at him. The sunlight coming through the only window in the room highlighted one side of her face and cast her pale hair in a golden glow.
“I’m glad I’m here, in spite of the danger and problems,” she confessed. “And, to be honest, I hope I can stay as long as you need me.”
The words escaped him before he was aware of it. “As long asIneed you? Or all of us?”
“All of you. Especially you.” She managed a wavering smile. “I feel safe being here…with you.You.”
He didn’t lean toward her to kiss her. Or maybe he did, and she met him halfway. It wasn’t important. What mattered was that her lips were firm and soft at the same time. The same as her skin. The same as her body. He was drowning in her, and he could die happily being with her like this.
Someone cleared their throat. G8 broke away as a hot flush rose up his neck and over his face. N8 stood in the doorway.
