To her shock, Sam reached over and patted her forearm. It was a quick movement, his hand landing for just a second, but he’d actually touched her voluntarily. Her eyes burned, and she blinked hard to wrestle the threat of tears into submission.
“Okay,” she said, a little too loudly. “Enough talking about our real past. Let’s make up a fake one. Where should we tell people we’re from?”
“California,” Ty suggested, making Jules snort.
“Only if you can control that drawl of yours.”
“Drawl?” Ty protested. “I don’t have a drawl!”
Even Sam laughed at that.
“We could be from Texas,” Dez suggested. “From a ranch with horses.”
Tio vetoed Texas. “The accent is wrong. Georgia would be a better match.”
That made Jules shift uncomfortably in her seat. “Georgia feels too close. What’s the most Northern state with a Southern accent?”
“Arkansas?” Ty suggested doubtfully, just as Tio said, “West Virginia.”
Either one was fine with Jules. “Let’s vote. Who wants to be from West Virginia?” Tio was the only yes. “Arkansas?” Ty, Sam, and Dez all gave their enthusiastic approval.
“Arkansas?” Tio repeated disdainfully. “Really? Y’all want Arkansas to be our homeland?”
“I think it’s good,” Jules said. “I could be wrong, but I think fewer people would be familiar with Arkansas than West Virginia, which means less chance of someone catching a mistake if we make one.”
Tio gave a deep, long-suffering sigh. “Fine. Can you hand me the atlas?” The Pathfinder they’d gotten for the Camry came equipped with an actual paper atlas. Until this trip, Jules hadn’t used a paper map in years.
Pulling it from under his seat, Sam handed over the atlas.
“What are you doing, T?” Dez asked, leaning toward him so she could see the atlas, too.
“Research. There’s not much I can do without access to the Internet or books, but at least I can learn some Arkansas geography.”
“Good idea. Why don’t you check out our new hometown while you’re at it?”
There were a few moments of silence before Tio asked, “Where are we going?”
Jules snorted. “It took y’all long enough to ask.”
“It was enough that we were leaving,” Ty said, and the others made sounds of agreement. “So? Where does this bus make its last stop?”
Excitement fought with nerves as she thought about the place they were going to make their new start. “Monroe, Colorado.”
Chapter 7
Present Day
“What in the holy fuck did you do to Don’s dog?”
Uneasy silence followed Blessard’s words, broken only by Schwartz’s low snicker. Theo focused on the ugly green tweed couch, clenching and releasing his right fist as he tried to contain his anger. It would be bad to hit Schwartz, and probably even worse to take a swing at the lieutenant.
His gaze slid to the gap between the couch and the wall where Viggy had wedged himself as soon as Theo had released him with a command to search. No part of the dog was visible from Theo’s position. Guilt and frustration coiled in his belly. Viggy had been the best explosives-detection K-9 when he’d been partnered with Don. With Theo, Viggy wouldn’t even search a room.
“I didn’t do anything,” he gritted, his churning emotions morphing into a rage that coated his words despite his efforts to control it. “Don did that.”
Blessard made a scoffing sound. “What are you talking about? That dog was an explosives-seeking missile when Don was his partner. There wasn’t anything wrong with him before.”
“Exactly.” Staring at the couch was not helping the fury that wanted to erupt like lava, burning everything in its path. Theo met the lieutenant’s critical gaze. “There wasn’t anything wrong with the dog until his asshole partner ate his own gun and left Viggy alone.”
Blessard flinched, his head jerking back like Theo really had punched him. After his initial shocked look faded, a brick-red flush darkened the lieutenant’s face. He opened his mouth but then closed it again after shooting a glance at a fascinated Schwartz.
“Later,” Blessard muttered, and Theo answered with a nod that was more of a shrug. After all, what could the lieutenant do to him? Write a letter of reprimand? Take away Viggy? Theo never really had him anyway. Suspend him? At this point, he didn’t know if he’d care if he lost his job. There was really no way Blessard could punish him. Theo had already lost everything that mattered.
Turning his back on his glowering lieutenant, Theo walked to the world’s ugliest couch. Since he knew calling Viggy wouldn’t work, he crouched down next to the sofa. Viggy, who’d mashed his too-thin body into the space between the back of the couch and the wall, panted nervously.