Page 103 of Us Defiant Few

“You don’t have to worry, Khalani dear.” Winnie patted her on the shoulder. “Winnie’s twirled and danced in the sheets with several men.”

“Oh, no. Please, Winnie. I can’t hear this.”

“But what’s important,” Winnie kept going, raising a finger, “is that you love each other, right?”

Khalani didn’t need to speak. The truth lived in her eyes.

She could be furious with Takeshi. Want to dump him off a cliff.

But she loved him.

And no matter what happened, she always would.

Winnie gently clasped her palm and wrapped both her hands around it, clutching it to her chest as they continued down the road. “Love is the mightiest force. It should overwhelm you. Inspire awe. Bring calm to all your raging clouds. But even the calmest sky can turn into a hurricane. So you must be careful.”

Khalani had no idea what a hurricane was, but she asked, “For what?”

“To not lose yourself in nature’s fury. The devotion in his eyes rivals the earth itself, and that same intensity lives in you. When those two pressures collide, wonderful things happen. But in a single breath, they can also destroy the world.” Winnie’s voice dropped in warning. “It’s up to you to decide which path they’ll take.”

“I don’t understand, Winnie.” Khalani shook her head. “We’re just two people. We don’t have a say in what happens to the world.”

“We’re on the precipice of change, Khalani. Can’t you feel it?” Winnie emphasized, her eyes widening as she glanced at the rising sun. “That pressure in the air? The ache in your gut telling you to brace, because things will soon never be the same?”

Her mouth shut, Winnie’s voice taking root in her stomach. She’d been feeling that way for months but had been unable to put it into words.

“Don’t think because you are only one person, it means that you are powerless,” Winnie said. “On the surface, anything is possible. And at some point, you might be the one having to make the choice.”

“What choice?”

Winnie leaned closer. “Who should remain in the dark.”

“We’re here.”

Khalani’s head whipped up at Derek’s voice, so focused on the conversation with Winnie that she hadn’t realized they’d stopped right in front of the biggest house in Desert Spring.

She’d never noticed it before because it was tucked near the back of the wall.

In contrast with the other vintage-style homes, the Chief’s house had a modern feel, painted black with sleek, tinted windows stretching across the entire second floor.

They approached the front door, anxiously looking for anyone walking by, but the street was completely empty.

Derek tried the handle, but it was locked.

“Is there an entrance around the back?” Khalani kept her voice low.

Derek gnawed on his bottom lip. “I don’t know.”

“Break a window?”

“We might set off an alarm.”

“What do we do?” Winnie whispered.

“We should go back.” Derek peered around frantically. “We’re gonna get caught if we keep standing here—”

Snap.

The front door burst open, courtesy of Takeshi kicking the knob clean off while they were arguing.