“Yes,” I said, feeling parched.
Grinning, Adam jerked his chin toward the back of the garage and gestured for me to follow him. I did, although purposely stayed several long strides behind him. We passed Eagle, his large shoulders still hunched, his head still bowed close to Tony’s.
But as I walked by, Eagle’s eyes flicked up and followed my steps the entire length of the garage, past the vehicles waiting to be fixed and the others waiting to be broken down for scrap metal and parts. Something was always happening here; no matter what time of the day Eagle and I arrived or left, there was always something being built or being scrapped. A part of me liked that the garage didn’t sleep, that it never rested or lowered its guard.
In the far back by the wash station, Adam grabbed the large plastic pitcher always filled with clean water. Only today it had what looked like green leaves floating inside.
“Girl knows just how I like it,” he said as he poured a glass, a slow smile curving his generous lips. “Gonna have to thank her properly later.”
I could only assume he was referring to the young woman who’d stopped by earlier to try to tidy up the constant mess inside the garage. She hadn’t spoken to anyone other than Tony, but had gone out of her way to hover near Adam and me, her eyes always on him.
Pouring another glass, Adam handed it to me and I took a tentative sip. Flavor, minty fresh and sweet, exploded over my tongue, deliciously cooling on my throat as I swallowed.
“Next best thing to ice,” Adam said, grinning.
Forgetting myself, I smiled around the glass, and a little of the cool water dripped down my chin and onto my shirt, cooling my overheated skin. As if on cue, a heavy breeze blew through the garage, dragging the loose-fitted tarpaulin door high up into the air as it swept over us all. The tools and chains hanging from the walls rattled, clanging together as the cool wind circled the space.
The sound of metal scraping against concrete was reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, and worse, reminded me of the biter that had been leashed. And of Liv.
Suddenly not so thirsty anymore, I set my cup down on the table. Adam didn’t seem to notice my unease; instead he stood against the back wall, his smile lazy and his eyes half closed, simply enjoying the fresh air. As he drank greedily, water spilled from the corners of his mouth and dribbled into his chin, giving him a sort of wet-dog appearance that caused me to momentarily forget my fears.
Finally, the chains stopped clanging and the familiar quiet fell upon us once more, relaxing me further. Until Adam swallowed noisily—like comically loudly—and I snorted in response.
Adam’s brows shot up. “Oh, so little mama can laugh after all.”
“Thank you for the water,” I said, suddenly remembering my manners. It was the little things I had to constantly remind myself of, how to act around others, how to react, how to be normal again. Manners, my father had always said, were important, and to never forget them. I’d forgotten them for a long time, but then again, there’d been no one around to remind me.
“No problem.” Adam grinned. “I’ll have Theresa bring more tomorrow just for you, okay?”
At a loss for words, I nodded. Even though thoughts were constantly running through my head, I hadn’t yet been able to translate the majority of them into actual speech. And as far as making small talk went, I was terrible at it.
“You don’t talk much.” Adam cocked his head to one side, observing while rubbing a long scar that ran across his neck, a faint silvery line of what was probably a knife wound.
When he realized what I was staring at, he said, “Sometimes it’s like I can still feel it.” Sucking his bottom lip into his mouth, he made his chin twitch. “Like I’m being sliced to shit all over again.” He held my gaze while he spoke, his easygoing smile still in place as if we weren’t discussing him being slashed with a blade.
His smile finally fell, and he looked away. “I’ve never told anybody that.”
I frowned at the loss of his smile. It was the first time I had seen Adam without it, and it felt strange. Worse, behind the frown I could see his pain lying just beneath the surface, exposed and raw. What had happened to him? Had it happened before the biters came or after? And more importantly, had it happened here in Purgatory?
Because, sweet thing, this is exactly what’s going to happen to you.
I swallowed hard. No one was safe here; not me, not anyone. Kill or be killed, just like the world beyond their gates. Only in here it was worse—in here they were trapped.
“Hey?” A hand came down gently on my shoulder, and I blinked up at Adam, my eyes blurry with tears. “You okay?”
I shook my head, unable to speak, unable to voice how not okay I really was, how not okay he was, or any of us. How very not okay this place was.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I jumped at the sound of Eagle’s voice, and Adam snatched his hand away from my shoulder. Eagle’s shadow fell over us as his dark glare pinged between Adam and me. I shivered from the loss of sunlight, from the way I couldn’t seem to catch my breath, and from the look on Eagle’s face.
“Nothing, boss,” Adam said, smiling again. “Just getting some water.”
Eagle stared at him a moment longer, his lips pulling back in a snarl before he turned to me. “Did he touch you?”
“No, man, hell no!” Beside me, Adam straightened, squaring his shoulders. “That’s your woman. I get it.”
Eagle refused to acknowledge him; his eyes were only for me. “Did he touch you?” he repeated, slowly punctuating every word with deadly intent.
