AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So…” Boxcar makes a wide hand gesture. It’s obviously meant to grab my attention, but I keep my eyes down. “How long have you guys been out here?”
“About a year now,” Fox answers him. “We’ve been at this camp for about six months. Before that, it was a year in Iraq.”
“Damn. You, too?”
I shift my hands up onto my hips, feeling his eyes on me. There’s a temptation in me to meet his gaze but I force it aside. I’ll admit, there’s something interesting about him but he can’t be trusted — that much is obvious.
“Yeah,” I say.
“Wow. I’ve only been here a few days and I already can’t stand it.”
“What are you even doing out here?” Fox asks him.
I finally let my eyes fall on him.
“Just… stuff.”
Bingo. He won’t even answer the question. He doesn’t even have a rehearsed lie to answer with instead. He’s changing the subject and Fox the Trusting is falling for it. Whatever this Boxcar is doing out here, it’s not good.
I study his face. Youthful but wise — he’d be almost charming if he knew how to use it right.
Boxcar cranes his neck to look up at me and I almost flinch. “Looks like we’re both outsiders out here.”
“Excuse me.” I turn around and exit the tent again, feeling his trained eyes on me the entire time.
If I’m going to figure out what he’s really up to, then I’m going to have up my game here. It pains me to even think it, but my gender might be the most helpful thing in this scenario. I saw the way he looked at me and I can use that to my advantage.
Win him over. Gain his trust.
Figure out what he’s up to before he gets us all killed.
“Caleb.”
I glance up from my hiding spot behind the crates stacked up near the jeeps. Nothing but desert as far as the eye can see. It’s about the only calming sight one can find out here and it’s exactly what I need right now.
“Fox,” I greet him as he bridges the short distance between us.
“You want to talk about it?” he asks, smiling wide.
“Not really, no.”
“Come on. It’s not that bad.”
“That’s easy for you to say…” I cross my arms. “You’re not the one that has to play bodyguard to some annoying tag-a-long.”
He chuckles. “You have to admit, it could be worse.”
“This isn’t funny, Fox.”
“Boxcar doesn’t seem so bad.”
I sigh. “Except for the part where he could easily be up to no good. You saw how he dodged your questions. What the hell is he even doing out here?”
“We’ll figure that out. In the meantime, we might as well make the best of it.”
I breathe a laugh. “You and that optimism, Fox. I don’t know how you do it out here.”
He gives a half shrug. “I’ve already lost the most important thing in the world to me. Whatever this place can throw at me… it won’t be nearly as bad as that.”
