He doesn’t answer my question, which is a shame. Someone in this room needs to keep a clear head.
Shoving the lock picks and the stolen tie back into my backpack, I push the question aside for now and join Rowan in the kitchen.
12
Notes:
Sorry this chapter is late. I went to visit Yellowstone during the “bison rut” and got caught in a “bison jam.” Let’s just say I’m lucky I made it out alive.
Rowan
I wake up in the dark, alone. Something feels off. I’d like to believe it’s because I’m in a strange place, and not that Milo isn’t next to me.
Each time I’ve fallen asleep in this damn cabin he’s been right beside me. Only to be gone by the time I wake. There’s an anxious racing in under my sternum, and a familiar pang of abandonment knotting my stomach.
My hands are sliding around, feeling the cool sheets for any trace of him, even as I tell myself there’s no point. I can sense the emptiness of the room.
I know it’s only sex between us, but why does he keep leaving? I mean…he’s supposed to be protecting me. Doesn’t he need to be near me for that?
Since I haven’t slept in a bed with someone else since I was a kid, that shouldn’t matter at all. It shouldn’t matter that when we fell asleep, Milo and I were nose to nose as if we were something more to each other than a deal.
And if my skin feels all tingly when I remember the things he did to me earlier, well, that’s probably because it was a novel experience and everything. New experiences are exciting, especially when they’re fun.
That’s what it was. Fun.
I’ve never had that kind of sex before. Surely, one day, I’ll have it with someone else.
Hmm.
A shadowy silhouette in the doorway freezes me in place. My racing heart races faster. I’m trying to decide if it’s better to stay put or move when I realize it’s Milo.
“Are you awake?” he whispers.
“I am now.” Hopefully, my attitude covers the fact that I woke up wondering why he’d left me.
“Good.” Something lands in my lap. My duffel bag. “Take this. We have to go.”
“Go?” We just got here. “Where?”
“Out the front door. Someone’s here. They’re trying to get in through the back.”
“Oh. Shit.” I scramble out of bed, groping for my sleep pants and pulling them on. “I have to get Iggy.”
“This is not the time to get your lizard child.” His harsh whisper gives me the shivers. “We can come back for him, but we have to get out of here.”
Fuck no. I’ve seen that documentary about all the pets that got left after the Chernobyl disaster. “I’m not leaving him.”
Milo mutters something under his breath. “Hurry, or I’m using you as a shield.”
“Fine. Dick.” I pull on a hoodie to ward against the chilly night and silently apologize to a sleepy Iggy as I pull him out of his tank and snuggle him under my shirt. I’ve got him cradled in one hand and my duffel slung over one shoulder, awkwardly trying to shove my feet into my shoes as I walk. I could swear I hear a scraping sound at the back door. It takes everything in me not to turn around as Milo ushers me out the front.
Cold seeps into my skin when we get outside, despite my layers. I’m colder still when Milo presses something metal into my hand. “Here. Just in case.”
“I don’t know how to shoot.” The gun feels heavy and awkward. My palm’s all sweaty in spite of the cold.
The sight of it in my hand makes me queasy. What do I even do with this?
“Hopefully, you won’t need to. But, Rowan, I need to go back in there. We don’t know how many there are. I’m not leaving you out here unprotected. Here.” He positions my hand, showing me the right way to hold the gun. “Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you’re actually planning to shoot.”
