Page 126 of Us Defiant Few

When the truck suddenly swerved again and came to an abrupt stop, her head nearly smacked into one of the metal bins. But Takeshi lurched across the space with unfathomable speed, blocking the hit.

His other arm wrapped around Winnie’s waist, fastening them both to him as the truck settled, dust lifting into the air behind them.

She lost sense of where she was or what Winnie and her were talking about. All she could focus on was the tension in Takeshi’s jaw when he didn’t immediately shift away. Their chests were a few inches apart, both breathing heavily, waiting for the other person to make a move.

“Goodness, Takeshi. Thank heavens for your speed!” Winnie exclaimed. “Winnie might have flown clear out of the truck if you hadn’t grabbed her with those large muscles of yours. Very handy. Makes you want to grab on and never let go. Don’t you agree, Khalani?” Winnie waggled her eyebrows.

The truck doors slammed shut as the others exited from the front. Khalani remembered herself and scrambled to her feet, awkwardly dismounting the vehicle. Something unreadable flared in Takeshi’s eyes. He slowly rose to his feet, jumping over the edge of the truck like he owned it.

“Why’d we stop?” she asked.

They’d only been on the road for a few hours. She looked around for a sign that said Prometheus, but all that lay before them was a torn-down sign that read Edwards AFB—50 miles.

“Adan thought he saw something—Adan?” Derek projected, but Adan was already running.

They glanced at each other, confused, before following Adan as he dashed across the sand. He stopped several feet away, and they froze at the object in front of him.

A large metal contraption jutted from the sand. It was silver with a black head, and the rest was buried into the earth. The metal object was nearly as tall as Takeshi.

Khalani’s blood chilled, her instincts screaming for them to return to the vehicle and drive off as quickly as possible.

“What is it?” Serene tepidly asked.

Adan’s eyes were wide as he took in the device, his face paling.

“It’s a bomb.”

They immediately took a step back. But Takeshi shifted closer, or maybe that was her imagination running wild again.

“It’s okay!” Adan held out his hand, but even he slowly shuffled backward in the sand. “It’s still intact, but it must’ve been a dud.”

“Why would they send a bomb all the way out here? We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Derek asked.

He was right. They were in the middle of a desert.

“They might have been aiming for a military base nearby.” Winnie quaked, her eyes filling with horror.

“We should go.” Takeshi spoke for the first time, his deep, commanding voice cutting through their bone-chilling trance.

No one argued.

Brock stayed close to Serene’s side. Takeshi prowled behind Khalani as they got back in the truck and sped off, leaving the weapon of mass destruction behind them.

* * *

The quiet was insufferable as they continued down the road, her mind locked on the harrowing object they’d stumbled upon, with Winnie mumbling to herself about the fools who’d built it. Takeshi stared off into the distance, his thoughts forever a closed door to her.

Tension was thick in the air, something Khalani had grown used to.

They had to have been close to Prometheus, but after a couple hours of prolonged silence, Winnie straightened, a renewed spark in her eyes.

“I have an idea.”

“What?”

“Since Takeshi doesn’t remember you, this is the perfect opportunity for him to get to know you better. A question challenge. But don’t worry, Khalani, you’ll get to ask him stuff too. Winnie believes in equality.” Winnie placed a fist over her heart, bowing her head solemnly.

The knot in Khalani’s throat grew tenfold as she avoided eye contact with Takeshi.