Viper, Grizz, and I also hold daily meetings, and today, Viper raises a new concern.
“She should know how to handle a firearm,” he says with no preamble.
Grizz looks up from the map that’s spread between us, one of his eyebrows shooting up.
“What to do. What not to do,” Viper adds.
I shake my head. “Not while she’s pregnant. Lead exposure rules that out, not to mention recoil.”
Viper doesn’t argue the facts, but he persists. “I'm just talking handling. She shouldn’t be seeing one for the first timeif everything goes wrong.”
I’m typically all for people being informed and educated, but I don’t intend for her to ever need to defend herself. “It puts responsibility on her,” I tell Viper. “I don’t want her to have the idea her survival depends on what she can do in a worst-case scenario.”
He lifts his chin. “Fear comes from the unknown. Knowledge gives her options.” Quieter, more to himself, he adds, “People shouldn’t be left helpless.”
A low pull settles behind my sternum, drawing my attention. The air changes in the room, and I look up and find her in the doorway. It’s becoming a problem, the way my body reacts first, while my mind runs a second or two behind.
“Kira. Need something?”
Her hair is piled loosely on her head with several strands hanging free. Her long pale blue sweater hugs the slope of her chest and the round curve of her belly, which is becoming more noticeable by the day. One of her hands is resting on her stomach, and the other supports her as she leans against the doorframe.
“Information,” she says.
It’s a reasonable request to make of three armed men tracking motion sensors and radio chatter.
Grizz swivels his chair in her direction. “Careful, Kira. When someone asks the old man for information, he starts building a PowerPoint presentation.”
Viper’s eyebrows lift, and he’s right. She’s got skin in the game.
Kira would usually laugh, but her expression doesn’t budge. “I appreciate the information you’ve given me, but I want to understand more about what you’re doing. I need to know what I should do if …” Her voice pitches higher. “If he finds me.”
I don’t look away, because the worst thing you can do with fear is pretend it doesn’t exist. “Okay. Come in.”
As she approaches, I curse myself for noticing more of her curves. The bow of her lips, the roundness of her hips, the sweet fragrance that breezes in with her.
I stand and pull a chair out for her, and she settles into it, her back straight and her chin held high.
Something in the way she carries herself reminds me of Sarah, and I hate that my mind makes the comparison before I can stop it.
I take my seat, clear my throat, and force my attention back to the monitors. “All right. Let’s go over the perimeter layout.”
I pull up the terrain map with the property line and inner fencing marked, and orient Kira to our location. Then I point out where she’s likely been, and show her the parts of the compound she may not have seen yet.
Viper cuts in to overlay information about motion sensor positions and camera angle coverage.
Kira listens and follows along, then says, “I’m surprised you don’t have a gate at the end of the main drive.”
“We don't want to advertise the compound,” I explain.
“A gate indicates secrecy,” Viper says, “and secrecy invites curiosity.”
“Makes sense,” she says. “What happens if someone comes up the drive?”
“Sensors are triggered,” Viper says. “I’ll either be watching it happen, or we’ll be alerted.”
“If they’re dumb enough to keep driving, they’ll meet me,” Grizz says.
We go over plans and backup plans until she’s satisfied, then her focus turns. “I’ve been thinking that if Preston can’t find me quietly, he may try another route. He can’t admit what he did … or what he’s involved in, so he’ll frame the narrative. Make me unstable. Emotional. Pregnant and hysterical.”
