If looks could kill, Kaia would be dead. He didn’t like that she’d mentioned anything to Aimee but what the hell was she supposed to do when Aimee asked why he wasn’t there to pick her up?
“But…”
“He’s right Aimee. This is between Rafe and me. We’ll either figure it out or we won’t. Let’s get you settled. I’m sure you’re ready to rest in your own room again. Oh, hey Micah. This is Aimee. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to grab you before we headed into Duskcairn to pick her up, but she just got released from the Void Syndicate for a drunken brawl last year and I had to get her before she got into any trouble. I promise we’ll go into town in a few days so you can get that new wrench you need. Aimee, this is Micah, he joined us a couple of months ago from Drago compound.”
“It’s not a problem Kaia. I was apprised of the situation. It’s nice to meet you Aimee,” Micah said.
“You too Micah.” They shook hands and then Micah was on his way to where he’d been headed.
“He’s kinda cute.”
“Aimee.”
“What? I’m just saying.” Kaia noticed that Aimee’s gaze went to where Tuck was taking care of the rover. With Tuck being forty seven and Aimee being only twenty, there was a twenty seven year age difference between them. That should bother Kaia but for some reason it didn’t. She trusted Tuck with her life. If there was anyone she trusted to take care of the girl she thought of as her daughter it was Tuck. She could still remember the day she’d found Aimee fifteen years ago just like it was yesterday.
After spending four days in Shadowburn gathering supplies, they were finally ready to head back to the compound. They tried to get most things they needed from Duskcairn, the town closest to them, but sometimes they had to take the two-day trek to Shadowburn for things. “All right boys and girls, time to lock and load. We’ve got a long way to go so let’s get the hell out of here.” She flashed Baz, one of her lovers, a cheeky grin and slid behind the wheel of the lead rover. Rafe, her other lover, was back at the compound keeping things running smoothly. Yeah, she had two lovers. She was one lucky bitch.
“You’re crazy, you know that?” Baz said as he got into the passenger seat.
“Yep, and you love me just the way I am,” she replied.
“Damn right I do.”
They roared out of Shadowburn and headed across the desert toward home, the sun beating down on them. The first day was uneventful, and when they stopped to make camp that night Kaia set up the watch and went to bed.
The next morning they were on their way before the sun rose. “My gran said the sunrise used to be really pretty, when the planet was covered in green,” she said thoughtfully. “It was all pinks, reds, and oranges. Now it’s just glaring yellows.”
“I’ve seen old, faded photographs. They looked beautiful,” Tala said from the backseat.
They crested a sand dune and Kaia snarled. Ahead of them was a pack of reavers surrounding what appeared to be a small caravan. “Fuck! We can’t just leave them. Radio the others, let them know we’re about to run into a fight,” she told Baz as she revved the engine.
“You got it boss,” he said with a wink. “Like I said, crazy,” he added with a chuckle.
She was pulling a pistol out before she even had the rover stopped and firing at the reavers before she climbed out the driver’s side door. She trusted the men and women with her, she knew they were deadly with both guns and blades, and the reavers would be dead in no time.
By the time the fighting was over, there was carnage everywhere. “Search for any survivors. And anything of value we can take with us,” Kaia said. She started searching through the wreckage of a wagon-like rover when she heard whimpering. “Easy now, it’s okay. You’re safe now. I’m not going to hurt you,” she said gently. From underneath the single bed a small head topped with unruly blonde curls peaked out. A pair of luminous blue eyes stared at her, tears glistening in them. “Shh. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. I won’t let those bad men ever hurt you. You’re safe,” she hushed. When the child finally crawled out from under the bed, Kaia picked her up and cradled her in her arms. She hugged her close and pressed her face against her neck. “Close your eyes, sweet pea,” she said gently. The little girl didn’t need to see the carnage around them. She knew that somewhere amid all that death was the little girl’s parents. She would be this child’s mother now.
“What have you got there?” Baz asked.
“I found this sweet little thing hiding in there,” Kaia said, motioning to where she’d found the girl. “We’re taking her with us, and she’s ours. Do you hear me? I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
Baz studied her a moment then nodded. “Whatever you want, beautiful. Why don’t you take her back to the rover and give her some water, let me and the others finish up here,” he said gently.
“Yeah, sounds good.” Kaia carried her to the rover and slid into the passenger seat with her. She’d let Baz drive the rest of the way to the compound. “Hi there, sweet pea. I’m Kaia. What's your name?”
The little girl lifted her head and stared at her for so long Kaia wasn’t sure she was going to answer before she finally said, “Aimee.”
Kaia gave her head a little shake, letting go of the past.
“You okay?” Aimee asked.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about the day I found you.”
“I barely remember that day.”
“Well, you were only five and it was a traumatic day. You wrapped yourself around my heart that very day though. You’re the daughter I always wanted but never got to have.” She’d been pregnant twice over the years but lost the child both times. The doc could never explain why. “Let’s get you settled,” she said as she and Aimee headed to the family quarters. Aimee might have been an adult but she was still housed with Kaia and Rafe. By choice.
“I really am sorry if I made things worse between you and Rafe. I didn’t mean to,” Aimee said once they were in her room.
