“Yeah, you ain’t jokin’,” Marla said, her arm linked with mine.
I looked over at my best friend and admired the weight she tacked on. I’d only been with everyone for maybe a week, but this man who doted on her, Ranger, was good at getting her to eat three square meals. He loaded them down with calories, and every once in a while, I’d pass the kitchen with Doc giving soft orders.
“A little more butter won’t hurt her.”
“I’d ditch the extra veg for another piece of bread.”
“Oh yeah. She can handle two sodas.”
“A little more seasoning. Not like it’s got calories, might as well make sure she eats all of it.”
“Get her a dollop of ice cream, too.”
“Wow,” Marla whispered as we came to a stop at one of the hallway windows. “Look at this view, Lizzie.”
I stood with her, my arm linked with hers, just staring at her.
“What?” she asked, looking over at me.
I smiled and rested my head on her shoulder. “You just look so lovely. That’s all.”
She giggled and squeezed me close against her. “It’s not so bad here, I suppose. Lots of walking.”
“Hey,” I said as we slowly moved away from the window and continued our walk. “More reasons to eat.”
“Man, Brutus can throw down in a kitchen, can’t he? That chicken alfredo the other night was amazing.”
“Is that who’s cooking? The big guy who never smiles?”
“Brutus smiles!”
“Since when?”
Marla scrunched her nose up like she always did whenever she was thinking, and I giggled as I slid my arm from hers. I wrapped her up in a hug, holding her there for a moment, and just relished the fact that she was there.
Alive.
Breathing.
“I’m okay, Liz,” she whispered as she tightened her arms around me.
“I know, Em,” I whispered back. “Just give me a moment.”
“Take all the moments you need.”
The last week was such a whirlwind that I wasn’t able to process much. Doc checked on me every single day to make sure I was healing and eating. The guys rushed us around, taking us in the dead of night by cab, of all things, to the estate so that we could get settled. It was a bunch of unofficial sneaking around while they brought in a whole other crew not just to keep an eye on us, but to fill up the compound where we were. I guess to make it look like we hadn’t left. Or maybe to make it look like they beefed up support for us.
When we weren’t even there.
To be honest, it was a pretty clever idea. Though, I wondered how long it would be before they found us. If my time in the Navy taught me anything, it was that no plan was foolproof, nomatter how many times it was run down and no matter how many generals touched it to refine it.
Fucking hell, I had to find a way to get in contact with my boss.
“You’re thinking too much again,” Marla said.
I felt her fingers thread with mine as we turned down another hallway in Doc’s mansion estate. “Sorry. Just in my head.”
“Hey, you’re fine. I was in my head a lot after?—”
