Sitting around, waiting, was getting to him.
Deke flicked the lighter closed with a snap and rose to his feet. “Pack up.”
I frowned, looking up at him. “Pack up? Why? We don’t know where we’re going yet to meet Walker.”
“No, but I’ve got somewhere to be.” Those cold, muddy brown eyes stared out at the forest for a moment before swinging back to us. “Don’t ask questions. Let’s go.”
“How far are we going?” Lana asked, disregarding Deke’s command. She got up.
Deke’s dark brows dipped into a frown, but he answered her. “A couple hours. We’ll be there before your pilot friend calls back.” He withdrew his pistol from his pocket. “Now I mean it. No more questions. Pack up.”
Lana’s eyes cut to me.
I held her gaze for a moment and gave her a small nod, answering her unanswered question of whether we should comply. We didn’t have a choice. Not until we had reinforcements.
Pushing to my feet, I turned to Deke. “Everything? Or are we coming back here?”
“Everything.”
Grabbing my crutch, I used it to point at the tent as I addressed Lana. “Can you start there? I’ll pack up the gear out here.”
As she moved away, I scanned the area and took stock. Food, some of our first aid supplies, and the rope Lana found sat near the fire, beside the larger boulders we’d been using as seats.
Lana shoved the first sleeping bag and bed roll out of the tent, all packaged up and ready to go, five minutes after she went inside.
Deke snorted. “That’s all you’ve done?”
She poked her head out and speared Deke with a look. “This would go faster if you helped.”
He rolled his eyes and went back to scanning the landscape while we worked.
With a huff, she went back into the tent.
He didn’t make another comment, though, while we packed. Just stood there and waited, flipping his lighter open and closed.
Twenty minutes later, we had everything squared away and ready to go.
Lana hefted my pack onto a rock. “Can you carry this?”
Probably not well, but I didn’t have a choice. Deke wasn’t likely to take it, and I didn’t want him to, anyway. It was bad enough he had my phone and my rifle. “I’ll be fine. Help me put it on.”
“Why don’t you take mine? It’s lighter. Or give me some of your gear.”
“No. There’s no reason to make both of us unstable on our feet.”
She frowned but didn’t argue.
After helping me get the straps over my shoulders, she swung her smaller bag onto her back and buckled the straps.
“You two finally ready?”
I looked up from fastening the waist strap on my bag to glare at the man. “Just lead the way.”
Uttering a soft grunt, Deke pushed away from the cave wall. “Go that way.” He pointed northeast through the trees.
Eyeing the bush and the leaden gray sky that looked ready to dump more snow, I set my crutch into the dirt and pushed off.
Thankfully, Deke seemed content to let me lead and set a pace I could hold. Not slow, but not quick either. I refused to give him the satisfaction of watching me hobble more than necessary, so I didn’t push too hard. I kept my eyes down, setting the stickbefore my weight followed, so I didn’t slip. My ankle didn’t love any of it, but like me, it didn’t have a choice.
