“I’m right here,” I told him.
“Yes, you are,” he said, his expression brightening again.
“Why don’t you ring up the Assholes and let ‘em know we’re coming?” I said.
Kitten plucked up the Humvee’s CB radio, “Assholes, you there?”
“Kitten, is that you?” Artemis responded almost immediately, sounding positively elated. Hers was the voice of an old friend, someone I could rely on and tell my secrets to.
“Yes, me and Cipher too,” Kitten said.
“That’s fucking incredible,” Macon broke in. There was feedback on the line, everyone trying to talk over one another. In the meantime, memories flooded me as I took in the familiar surroundings–fruit trees we’d harvested, houses we’d scavenged from, hauling pallets and fencing and whatever else we could find to build that beautiful, twelve-foot fence, cutting my fingers on all of that razor wire, watching it slowly rise up all around us. How I’d cried when it was finished. Privately, of course, but still.
“We built that,” I said, almost in awe, to Kitten.
“Yes, that right there is your pride and joy.”
“Well look who it is,” called Macon from the watchtower once we were idling outside the gate with the windows down. Another beautiful sight–the tower, that is.
“We’re back, bitches,” Kitten shouted, giving Macon the double dueces gesture while leaning out the passenger-side window. Macon responded with his own whoop of excitement.
“You’re letting Cipher drive now?” Macon teased and I recalled being on the receiving end of his good-natured ribbing.
“Yeah, he’s not too terrible at it.” Kitten shot me a wink.
“Is he… feeling better?” Macon asked, sounding unsure.
“One hundred percent better.”
“Fuck, that’s fantastic, Kitten. You fucking did it.”
“Want to open the gate for us?” Kitten asked.
“On it.”
A slender kid with dark, messy hair, wearing mismatched glasses appeared at the gate–Wylie, Gizmo’s other half. Within minutes the gate was open and we were rolling slowly through it. A half dozen rangy teenagers came out to the cul-de-sac to greet us. The Assholes, our family, and the B-holes too, one of which was Kitten’s older brother. I put the Humvee in park and shut off the engine.
“You ready for this?” Kitten asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I stepped slowly out of the vehicle and was immediately caught up in a strong hug by Artemis. She wiped at one eye and punched me in my good arm. That definitely felt familiar.
“I thought you were a goner, you asshole. Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said.
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
Teresa was next, smaller than the rest of us and doll-like in her appearance. She launched herself into my arms and I gave her a spin, something I’d done countless times before. I set her down just in time to be squeezed within an inch of my life by Macon. “Thank God you’re back. You looked like shit the last time I saw you.”
I believed it. I’d seen the footage. Hard to believe that was only a month ago. Gizmo offered me a handshake and Ansel pulled me into an enthusiastic hug. I recalled watching this handsome fucker flirt with my boyfriend on the monitors in Gizmo and Wylie’s workshop, not to mention the blowjob incident in Atlanta. I’d be keeping an eye on him.
Kitten opened the back of the Humvee and showed off our new livestock to our crew. The goats practically leapt out of the vehicle, even the nanny whose udder was full and in need of milking. The buck raised up on its hind legs and lifted his horns as if to charge, and we all took a few steps back to give them space. They were tied to each other by a rope, and Kitten heldthe loose end of it, but the buck could do some damage if he felt threatened.
“Kitten, more good news,” Macon said. “We found a drake.”
“That’s fantastic. Can I see him?” Kitten turned to me. “Will you be okay here?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I told him with a wave.
