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“Sounds like a big cat, probably a jaguar or a cougar,” Oz says calmly.
“Of course it is. You know, at this point we could get hit by a tornado, and I wouldn’t be surprised. I feel like the universe is conspiring against me.”
“I’m sure it feels that way, but you’re forgetting something important.”
“And what’s that?”
“That no matter what the universe threw at you, you survived.”
“So far. I think that’s the thing to keep in mind. I can heal you guys, but I can’t heal myself, and there are a million things out there designed to kill me.”
“Lucky for you, you have two men here who know a million ways to keep you safe.”
“A million? Really?” I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Okay, maybe not a million, but a lot. Come on, I was trying to sound dramatic and shit,” Oz admits, pouting, making me laugh.
Zig looks down at me and smiles. “Maybe we should get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll have a plan in place, but for now, we could do with a little time to just breathe.”
Again, with the breathing. I swear, if someone tells me to breathe, I’ll scream. I don’t say any of that, though, because I know he’s only trying to be nice.
“Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea. So, um, how is this going to work?”
“I have one mosquito net. I can put that up over the mattress to offer you a little protection.”
“What about you guys?” I ask, worried about them, but I also wonder if there is anything here that doesn’t want to hurt me. Sure, I don’t usually get sick, but you can guarantee, given my luck, that if I do catch something, it will be something good, like malaria.
“We’ll watch over you. We can take the chairs.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t sleep in those.”
“Trust me, Salem, we’ve slept in worse,” Zig tells me, but I’m already shaking my head.
“There is plenty of space on here for all of us,” I say, pointing at the mattress. The thought of being pinned between them makes me feel a little light-headed.
“Your words say one thing, but your face says another. We have no intention of making you feel uncomfortable.”
“Newsflash, Zig, this whole thing is making me uncomfortable. But that’s my issue, not yours.” I pause for a minute and look at them both so they can read the truth on my face. “I won’t sleep if I’m worried about you.”
They look at each other, and I have the sense that they are talking without words. I have no idea if it’s a twin thing or a brother thing, but it’s a little unnerving.
“If you’re sure,” Zig says eventually. “We’ll give you a few minutes before we hang the net.”
I look up as they stand, puzzled by his words, until they turn their backs on me. I look down at the package in my hands and feel my face flush. Looking around at what’s left of the plane, it dawns on me that privacy is now going to be a thing of the past. Not that I had much of that in a cell before. I shake my head and put it out of my mind. It’s something I have no control over. Worrying about it won’t change the outcome.
I rip open the package of panties and grab the first pair before I stand and shimmy out of the borrowed boxer shorts. I keep my eyes on the guys as I get myself sorted, their backs to me the entire time. Next, I grab a clean T-shirt and tug it over my head, happy to get rid of the bloody one.
“Okay, I’m good,” I tell them, moving the things off the mattress and placing them out of the way.
They move, and I watch as they hang the white netting, using the damaged parts of the plane to attach the ties. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than what we had.
“Do you need anything before bed?” Oz asks, kicking off his boots as Zig grips the hem of his tank and pulls it up over his head.
Holy shit.
“Photoshopped,” I murmur. He has to be. Bodies like that only appear on men’s health magazine covers.
“Huh?” Zig looks at me confused, but I can see Oz smirking out of the corner of my eye.
