Sue ran a hand over the stubble on his headbefore speaking again. “One of his songs was,A Boy Named Sue.”
“Oh,” I said. “I’m not sure I know thatone.”
“The father leaves, but before going, hegives his son the name Sue to make him tougher,” Sue explained. “Myfather was killed in a plane crash before I was born.”
“I’m sorry.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Yearsago.”
“I do remember that song a little.” I smiledat him, happy to have a human talking to me again. “So your mombelieved the name Sue would make you tougher?”
“She did, and like I said, she loved JohnnyCash.”
“Why didn’t she name you Johnny then?”
He released a snort of laughter. “I’ve askedmyself that same fucking question many times over the course of mylife.”
“I guess I can see her reasoning on it if shebelieved the name would make you stronger.”
“Can you?” he inquired. “Because I can’t.Most people call me Hawk, because of my last name, but having thename Sue was a lot of fun in grade school.”
I bit on my lip to keep from laughing andleaned against the door of the truck. My gaze fell on Kobal’s whiteknuckled grip on the steering wheel as he stared between the two ofus. He looked almost comical, crammed inside the vehicle. His headwas bent to avoid hitting the roof, and if he’d had horns, theyprobably would have dented the roof if not pierced through it. Hisknees brushed against the bottom of the steering wheel.
“Where are you from?” I asked Sue.
“Falmouth.”
“Really?” I perked up when he said the nameof the town next to the one I’d grown up in. Not only was hetalking to me, but he would also remember our home and the ocean.My fingers slid over the shells on my necklace as memories of thebriny scent of the ocean water teased me. “I’m from Bourne.”
He broke into a wide smile. “Neighbors. Weused to kill you guys at baseball in middle school.”
“Before my time,” I said. “After thebombings, I took care of my family, so I didn’t get a chance to goto school again for long, much less play sports.”
“That’s the whole reason I volunteered when Icould, so my mom and little sisters would be taken care of. Mystepfather died of cancer when I was fourteen. How old areyou?”
“Twenty-two, you?”
“Twenty-five.”
We fell into a conversation about home andwhat we missed the most. We talked of what things were like beforethe war and how awful those months after had been when uncertaintyand chaos ruled. I couldn’t believe how good it felt to talk tosomeone who understood what it was like to leave home, to behere.
Kobal didn’t speak or look at either of us,but I knew he listened to every word as his body became more rigidand his grip tightened on the wheel.
***
Kobal
Sue had been unmoving, barely blinking orbreathing since River’s head fell onto his shoulder an hour ago. Helooked like he might try and burst through the windshield to getout of here as he struggled to decide what to do with her andme.
I would have found his dilemma and theexpression on his face almost amusing, if the idea of her touchinghim didn’t have me so on edge. Instead of laughing, I was tryingnot to shove him through the back window so I could have her headonmyshoulder.
He seemed to understand the jeopardy he wasin. I could hear his heart jackhammering in his chest, sweat beadedhis forehead, and the pungent aroma of fear wafted from him. Hehadn’t moved an inch the entire time she slept propped against him,too afraid to touch her in order to push her away.
I could clearly recall how it felt when she’drested her head against me in the past. The warmth and supplenessof her body, the smell of lemons and fresh rain that drifted fromher silken skin had all become a part of me. Scents had always beensomething I was acutely attuned to, and in all my years, I’d neversmelled or experienced anything as magnificent as River. Her bodymoving beneath and over the top of mine had been the most exquisitesensation I’d ever felt in my fifteen hundred and sixty-two yearsof existence.
Having her hand over my heart and her lyingbeside me trustingly had been humbling. She was the only woman I’dever slept beside for the night, the only woman I ever would. Beinginside of her and claiming her had changed something within me, andthen I’d lost her.
Fuck!
