He grumbled something to himself as he started down the hallway toward us.
“How’s she doing?” I asked when he brushed past me.
“Fine,” he muttered.
He shot Brutus a look that I’d never seen on his face before.
“The fuck?” I asked when I clocked the look. “Why the hell are you looking at him like that?”
“He knows,” was all my brother said.
He continued on down the hallway toward one of the empty bedrooms with that woman cradled in his arms.
I stood there in the hallway for a second longer than I should have. Through the cracked door at the end of the hall, I could hear her crying had finally gone quiet. Just the soft, even sound of my brother’s voice, low and steady, saying something I couldn’t make out. I didn’t need to. I knew that voice. It was the same one he used on me when I was seven and convinced the world was ending. I pressed my back against the wall and let out a slow breath. I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know what she’d been through, not really, not the details. But she had my brother’s voice in her ear right now, and that was something.
That was more than nothing.
“The hell’s his problem?” I murmured as I looked up at Brutus, only to find him still staring after my brother.
“Hey,” I said.
His gaze snapped back down to mine. “What?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You good?”
He just nodded before turning back to the window.
“Change of plans,” Cap said as he turned the corner, walking the same path that my brother carrying that woman just was, “we’re staying the night here to give King’s crew a break. Anna?”
I already knew what he was going to ask. “I’m fine. I’ll stay.”
Cap nodded as he brushed past us. “Brutus.”
“Yep?”
“Did you hear me?”
He nodded. “Yes, Boss.”
Cap paused. “Bee.”
That got the man’s attention, and he turned his gaze toward Cap. “What’s up?”
Cap clapped the man’s mountainous shoulder. “You did good saving her. I’m just pissed that saving her required us to leave a trail. We’re staying here until we’re certain nothing backfires on us or the girls, and then we continue on with the plan. Can you patrol that much?”
He just nodded. “You know I can.”
“Good,” Cap said as he continued down the hallway. “Did King come down he?—?”
I pointed. “Last door on the left. The bathroom in there is the best one. I think he convinced her to clean up a bit.”
That made Cap pause. “Maybe I should wait then.”
“Maybe,” Brutus said as he returned to staring out the window.
I’d never seen him so contemplative.
“We’ll patrol here in an hour, once everyone is settled,” I said to Cap.
