Reese exhaled in a rush, and she was running almost before she shut the bedroom door behind her. Sloan undoubtedly heard her rapidly retreating footsteps, and she could almost hear him sigh heavily in her ear.
Sweetheart, he’d say, this changes nothing. I’m still the sword at your back. You have a mess, I’m there to clean it up. Plan your attacks. Inspire your people. Let the rest of us work out the details.
She ran harder, hoping the physical effort would drive out his voice and ease her tension. Scott was up doing chores when she ran past the farm. She raised an arm in greeting but didn’t pause. Despite the cool winter morning, sweat began to drip down the sides of her face as she pushed forward toward a cluster of trees and a torn-up cement trail that snaked for miles around the more wooded and scenic areas at the outskirts of town.
Even as her feet ate up the miles and her shirt became soaked with perspiration, none of the tension abated. By the sixth mile, she wasn’t even sure what she was worked up about, only that she was.
But why? The outpost attacks had been successful. Between her and Connor, there was only one station left in the southwest. There’d been no word of casualties or defeat from the other camp leaders, and in this case, no word was a good sign. Enforcers had already come and gone twice, which meant that Foxworth wouldn’t be due for another visit anytime soon. The town was safer than ever.
So what if she’d slept with Rylan and Sloan? Any woman would jump to be the center of that man-sandwich. So what if Bethany had a baby and Reese couldn’t? Having a baby in the free land with Enforcers sniffing around was dangerous and stupid—neither trait anyone would associate with Reese.
But the itch in the middle of her back wouldn’t go away. The headache in her temples pounded in time with her feet. With each stride, she should have been shedding her stress and anxiety, but Reese had a feeling she could run all the way to the coast and still not get rid of her unease.
It was that remaining outpost, she decided. And the fact that there were still Foxworth soldiers lent out to Brynn and Mick. She wanted all her people back behind the gates. And she wanted the Global Council destroyed.
What she needed was to take down the remaining outpost. It’d be stocked with only a few men. Ten at the very most. She’d taken out three men by herself the other night. Sure, she’d gotten winged, but she’d be more careful next time. And she’d have Sloan.
Once the final outpost was gone, the next step would be to aim for the council.
Yes. Her footsteps grew slower, but firmer. That was what she needed to do—a full and complete destruction of the watchtowers. Enforcers touring the colony wouldn’t have those stations to refuel, and the lack of backup would either force them to make deals with Reese again or it would tire them out and make them sloppy.
Reese finally gave up on her run. Any other morning, the crisp air and the burn in her lungs, the monotony of her feet slapping at the dirt, would have left her energized and ready to face the day. But no amount of sweat was going to fix what was ailing her today.
She had an idea of what would, though. Her internal check system wasn’t allowing her to relax and enjoy herself because the job wasn’t done.
It had nothing to do with Rylan or Sloan or the intimacy that had been stirred up in her bedroom.
Nope, nothing to do with that.
*
Back at Foxworth, the town was starting to wake up. She hoped the men were up and gone, because she really needed to shower but wasn’t in the mood to have a post-sex talk with either one of them.
She was halfway inside her doorway when she heard a soft voice say her name.
“Reese.”
Christine ambled up, and she seemed . . . different. Her shoulders were back and her head wasn’t bowed like it usually was. She still looked as sweet and shy as ever, but there was a new confidence about her that made Reese hide a wry smile. Yeah, getting your period would do that to a girl. Obviously Christine had overcome her embarrassment and decided she was a woman.
“How are you feeling?” Reese asked the teenager.
Christine scuffed a toe in the dirt. “Better. I wanted to apologize for being such a baby the other day.”
“You weren’t. First time I got my period, I cried my eyes out. I couldn’t figure out why my body suddenly decided to torture me.”
Christine giggled, and the two of them shared a look of understanding that filled Reese with a confusing amount of warmth.
She quickly tried to shake it off by asking, “Why are you up so early?”
“I want to see Bethany and the baby. Wanna come with me?”
Dread churned in her stomach, but Christine looked so excited that Reese didn’t have the heart to make up an excuse. The girl was even holding out her hand, when in the past she’d always avoided physical contact.
Drawing a breath, she took the girl’s hand and allowed Christine to drag her toward Bethany’s.
Inside the house, the new mother was sitting up by the front windows.