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Suddenly all my senses return to me at once. A heart-stopping, skin-chilling relief kicking in when Troj races out of the store, carrying Kele in his arms.
Tayen runs toward them, grabbing Kele from him and clutching her little boy to her chest. She falls on to her knees, thanking Troj as tears of relief fall into her son's hair, and I watch Troj nod back at her like saving her child's life was no big deal. He leans forward and rests his hands on his knees, catching his breath, and when he looks back up and his line of vision falls on me again, his lips pull up into that strong confident smile I’d seen him give the girl back at the bar, before he rushes back off to help the others.
More men arrive, firemen, who bring huge vehicles, and it takes some time, but the fires eventually become defeated.
Five buildings have been ruined beyond repair, including my uncle’s cabin and both of his neighbor's homes. The animal shelter and the food store are gone too.
Smoke still simmers from the ashes and bleakness fills the air. There’s a charcoal-coated taste on the back of my throat as the sun rises and uncovers the devastation surrounding us.
The outlaws have helped us, they came to our rescue, just like I believed they would.
The firemen eventually leave, and my people sit gathered together, comforting one another while the outlaws form a circle and talk among themselves.
I can’t hear what they say, but it seems like a heated discussion. There are at least eight of them here now, and I watch all their heads bob in agreement before Troj leads them over to where we all sit.
“We don’t need to tell you who was behind this,” he addresses the tired devastated faces of my people.
“They took him.” My aunt stands onto her feet, she looks broken and defeated. Her wounds need attention, and will probably scar but she still fought as hard as the men did to stop the fire from taking everything from us.
“We will help you find him,” Troj promises, and I breathe a long sigh of relief. “All of you are welcome back to the compound with us. We can offer you shelter, food, and protection.”
“And who will protect our village?” Tawk stands up, crossing his arms over his chest, and Troj simply shrugs back at him. “There are outbuildings at the club where you can tether your animals. Your women and children will be safe, while we find a way to work together and stop these people.”
“How do we know this? Do you really expect us to trust you with our women and children?” Tawk continues, and the mean-looking guy, Brax, steps up beside Troj with a scowl on his face that's all for Tawk.
“We don’t fuck with women and kids,” he growls back at Tawk's insult.
“Cool it, Brax. They know that, don’t ya?” Troj tips his head at Tawk in a friendly warning.
“I trust them,” Tayen stands up. “This man saved my boy, they came when we needed them. They could have let our village burn to ashes.” She takes my hand in hers.
“My wife is right, I trust these men.” Calian raises to his feet and lifts his son onto his hip, and Troj nods at the pair like he’s grateful for that, while Tawk starts to look overpowered.
“Prez will be back tomorrow, we will discuss how to bring your leader back to you. In the meantime, those who want to accept our hospitality are welcome to pack up some shit and follow us.” Troj speaks to my people like a leader, and pride swells in my chest when people begin bustling around and gathering their things.
“Your uncle isn’t going to like this, Shaniya,” Dyanni whispers as she steps around me toward our cabin to get some things.
“My uncle isn’t here, and we need help,” I remind her, looking at our village and the damage that will undoubtedly take months of hard work to repair.
“Everything will be okay,” a low voice tells me, and a tingle spreads up my arm when warm fingers slide between mine. Troj stands beside me, his eyes taking in the same scene that I am, and I see the sadness in them too.
“Thank you.” I squeeze his hand. It feels like it belongs in mine, and that’s a small comfort to the heartbreak of the past few hours.
“Let’s get you back to the club, clean you up, and then we can figure how we’re gonna fix this,” he tells me.
I like the way he said we. He’s prepared to involve me in saving our village and bringing home my uncle. I’ve got the urge to launch my body at him and hug him. This isn’t the first time I’ve imagined how those arms would feel holding me. But when I look over my shoulder, I see the chill in Tawk’s stare, and so I leave Troj in the center of our village to go pack some things.
Maddy, Grace, and Marilyn are waiting at the clubhouse ready to help settle our visitors in. Luckily, the club is more than equipped to deal with large numbers. Years ago, before we took the place over, it had been a popular vacation spot. The huge dining hall and industrial kitchen upstairs rarely get used to their full potential, but they are perfect for lockdowns, and times like this.
I’ve tried calling Jessie and Prez countless times since leaving the reserve, but they ain’t picking up. So I focus on making sure everyone has what they need.
Brax and Nyx help me unload all the spare bedding from the storeroom. It’s old and scratchy, but it’s clean and warm, so it will do.
I send Storm into town with Marilyn, hoping they can pick up some supplies from the 24-hour store. We’ll have to come up with a better plan to keep all these people fed. Their food store has been completely destroyed, and who knows how long it will be before it’s safe for them to return to their village.
“I don’t know how Prez is gonna feel about this.” Brax looks doubtful as he weighs down my arms with more heavy blankets.
“We couldn’t just leave them there,” I point out. Yeah, I’ve made a call tonight, one that maybe Prez won’t be all that happy about, but someone had to take some leadership over the situation. I guarantee if Jessie had been here, he would have done exactly the same as I have.
