“He needs space, don’t take it personally,” Roméo says.
So Cole stands up and walks over to me. When his eyes lock onto mine, my heart tumbles. They’re full of love, anger, and desperation. He pulls me in for a tight hug and then releases me. His head turns away, but not before I see the tears.
Don’t fall apart on me yet.
Roméo lies down, keeping his backpack of files close to his side. He cries, pants, and looks dehydrated. I quickly fish out water from my sack and give him some, passing it around until finally, Zeus finishes it off with loud slurps. I rub his side, then sit on the ground pressing my back against the wall of a tin shack.
Everyone’s physically and emotionally tapped. My trembling hands inspect my leg where the bullet grazed me. I pour water on it, washing away the blood and dirt, and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize it’s just a superficial skin wound.
Cole kneels beside me. “I’m so sorry. For everything … I never meant to hurt you,” he says.
I nod.
He leans down and kisses me with such desperation we cry between our kisses. “God, I love you.” He chews on his top lip, his eyes so full of love and grief.
“I don’t doubt that. I know you still love me, and of course, I still love you. Because if there’s one thing I learned today, it’s how precious life is,” I say. He wipes the tears from my cheeks. “I don’t know what I’d do if … if I lost you.” My voice breaks.
His shoulders slump, and he leans into me, pressing his forehead to mine.
“Hey, you’re not going to lose me,” he says, holding my face between his hands. I close my eyes for a second and take a cleansing breath.
I place my hands over his and say, “I need you to understand, I’m trying my hardest to move past what happened, but my father meant everything to me, and right now … I’m in all kinds of pain.”
He exhales before he clears his throat. “And it tears me apart that I’m part of that,” he says.
When I glance up, Sinners have surrounded us. My stomach drops.
Immediately, I reach for my gun.
“Stay back,” I say, pointing it at the gathering crowd. I back up to Cole, who’s already aiming his gun in their direction. Beside me is Bill, his gun raised. Inside the triangle formed by the three of us is Bruno, holding onto Grace, Zeus, and Roméo. “Don’t move an inch, or I’ll shoot.”
But they encircle us, eyes locking onto our faces. Some of them squint, while others lick their lips. Very few smile or nod in acknowledgement. It’s like a pack of wolves, testing their prey for weaknesses. They’re probably so hungry, they’d eat Zeus at this point.
“Here we are starving, and she’s got a pack full of food,” a female voice says.
“Gimme the water,” a man says while stepping toward me. I point my gun at him.
“I said don’t move,” I repeat.
“I’m going to die either way, girl, so you’ll just expedite the process.”
“Come on, guys … look at them … they’re not guards, you idiots.” A girl pulls back on the man’s shoulders. He stops and gives her a nasty look. He cracks his knuckles and raises a hand to hit her when someone yells.
“Hold on a minute!” Everyone turns to look at the person, and he points at me. “I recognize you.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Yeah, I recognize her too, from my dreams last night,” another mane chimes in. “You’re that girl. The one Wilson’s offering the reward for. Lexi, isn’t it?”
Cole steps forward a little, aiming right at the man with the smart mouth.
I don’t like the direction this conversation’s going. My muscles tense, ready for a fight if need be. Next to me, Zeus growls and inches toward them. Only then do some of them backpedal.
“Now hold up, let’s all calm down here,” a man with a black brand says. He steps forward. I flick my eyes to his, and he raises his hands up, palms facing me. “I’ve got a proposition to make here.”
“You’re joking, right?” Cole asks.
“I’m afraid not; we need each other, plain and simple. So let’s say if you help us, we’ll help you.”
My shoulders relax some, but I don’t lower my gun. “And why would we do that?” I ask.
“Look, girl, we’re not interested in your reward.”
“We’re not that trusting,” Cole says.
“And you can’t possibly care about us,” I say.
“Actually, you’re wrong,” a lady says. “There’s not a single person standing in front of you that is happy with the way things are.”
“All we want is to get the hell out of here,” the man finishes. “We’re well aware Wilson’s a liar.”
“Okay. So, say we believe you. How can you help us?” Cole asks. He has his sights trained on them still, sweat gliding down his face and arms.
The man with scraggly hair and the black brand exhales. “Now that part’s simple. We’ll assault the main gate while you get your people out.”