She gave him a watery sort of grin that tugged at his heart. “All little boys grow up and leave home, but for a mother, nothing changes. You’ll always be my Doodlebug.”
He squeezed her hand and looked down at her fingers. Was it his imagination, or were they trembling harder than before? He was about to brush it off as nerves when she blotted her cheeks again. That was the second time she’d grown sweaty, but the kitchen didn’t feel hot. If anything, he could use a sweater.
“Are you all right?” he asked while inspecting her complexion. Her color seemed fine, the same shade as his with a rosy undertone in her cheeks. “You look jittery.”
She flapped a dismissive hand. “We finally got a ration of coffee this morning. I haven’t had any since the war began. There’s too much giddyup in my blood. That’s all.”
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
Before she could answer, someone knocked on the kitchen window. He glanced at the back porch, where a young Booter waved at him through the glass. Kane didn’t recognize the soldier at first, but then the boy pulled off his hat, revealing an enormous pair of ears that lifted when he smiled.
“Badger!” Kane called.
He crossed to the back door and greeted his friend with a one-armed hug that was more of a mutual slapping of backs. The guy’s real name was Norton, but even in his stately military uniform, he was the same goofy kid who used to ditch class and flush sonic bombs down the toilets in the boys’ room.
“You’re a Booter?” Kane asked. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
Badger brushed the dust from his sleeves. “Hey, the ladies love a guy in uniform. Plus I get first dibs on rations.” He tipped his hat at Kane’s mom. “Isn’t that right, ma’am?”
“It’s true,” she said. “Thanks again for the coffee.” The affection in her eyes indicated Badger was a regular here. Kane made a mental note to thank his friend for checking in on her.
“Hey,” Badger said to him. “Is there someplace quiet we can talk?”
The farmer was obviously eavesdropping, because he’d been washing the same potato for five minutes. He wiped both hands on his pants and thumbed at the kitchen table. “You two can stay here. Rena and I have to tend to the hatchlings.”
Kane frowned. He didn’t like the farmer calling his mom by her first name, and he especially didn’t like the man settling a hand on her lower back when they walked into the backyard. Leaning out the open doorway, he squinted at them until they disappeared inside the barn. Something was up with those two.
“Is it just me,” Kane asked, “or is he putting the moves on her?”
“Sorry, man. I’m not here to discuss your mom’s love life.”
The abrupt change in Badger’s tone prompted Kane to turn around. The smile had left his friend’s face, and in its place was a sober expression that didn’t fit with the wide ears protruding through his boyish mop of hair. There was a sternness in Badger’s eyes that aged him beyond his years. It seemed he’d grown up, and he hadn’t come over to relive old times.
“Then why are you here?”
Badger sank into a chair at the table and indicated the seat beside him. “My squad leader sent me to talk to you. But the original order came from the junior commander.”
Kane thought back to the high-ranking Booter at the security station. “That twentysomething asshole with the broken nose?”
Badger shook his head, leaning back and crossing his long legs at the ankles. “No, that’s General Jordan. I meant my other commander.” He lifted one sleeve to reveal the inside of his wrist. He clenched his fist tightly, and a faint tattoo came into view—a red rectangle with an X marked through the center.
Kane recognized that symbol. He’d seen it all over the city. “You’re part of the rebellion I keep hearing about.” He lifted a brow at his friend. “I’m surprised you told me.”
“I don’t think you’ll turn me in. You wouldn’t believe how many members we have…some of them right in this backyard.”
“The farmer?” Kane asked, then sat bolt upright when he realized Badger had said them. “My mom?”
“Can you blame her? The monarchy blackballed her when you ran off, and then they left the rest of us to fend for ourselves after the war started. Now anyone with a house still standing shares it with five families. Everyone else squats in a tent, if they’re lucky.”
“But Cassia’s in charge now,” Kane said. He’d heard stories of how she’d dismantled Marius’s missiles and brought in food and supplies from his kingdom. “Look at what she’s already done.”