shop inside her mind.
Unsure what to do but needing to do something, she scooted beside him and placed one hand on the broad expanse between his shoulder blades, and rubbed large circles on his back. She could feel the warmth of his skin and the ridges of his scars through the thin fabric of his shirt, and it gave her an odd sense of connection. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew what to say to take your pain away.”
He grunted, his eyes locked in a thousand-yard stare. “I’ll feel better when that fucker’s dead.”
“Do you honestly think that’ll make you feel better?”
“I don’t know. Probably not. It won’t bring Carmen back. But she deserves some measure of justice, and the world will be better without him.” He rubbed one hand along the back of his neck. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said all that.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Sometimes it helps to let it all out.”
“That’s what the shrink said. Doesn’t work. Pills don’t do shit either.” He made a low, rough noise that she’d come to interpret as frustration. “It’s not right for me to lay this shit on you. It’s bad enough I dragged you into this.”
“It’s…well, it’s not really okay.” Her hand stilled. “But now I understand why you did what you did, and that makes it seem a bit better. Thank you for sharing that with me. That had to be hard.”
He turned his head toward her, and she felt his gaze as if it were a tangible thing. “You have no idea.”
They sat together in the darkness for the longest time, her hand on his back and her thigh touching his, each lost in their thoughts. All around them, the night was alive with the sounds of insects, frogs, and God knew what else. It was kind of peaceful but also kind of unnerving, because she couldn’t see any of the critters and hoped they weren’t close enough to crawl on her.
“You should sleep.” The rumble of his voice broke the quiet between them. “It’s late. You must be exhausted.”
“I am, but it’s hard, even with someone standing guard.” She rubbed her arms even though the night air wasn’t cold. As a child, she’d camped with her Girl Scout troop, but this was a whole other matter. “Last time I was out here, after I escaped the compound, I didn’t sleep for days. I was too afraid that Aranza’s men would catch me if I let my guard down. Or worse, a critter with big teeth and claws would attack me. One night, when I finally gave in and fell asleep, I woke up and found a huge spider crawling on me. It was all I could do not to scream.”
His head twisted slightly toward her. “You’re afraid of spiders?”
“Normally, no. Okay, maybe a little. This one was bigger than the one in your bathroom, like the size of a freaking dinner plate, and it was crawling over my legs. I think it might have been dragging something along with it.” Just thinking about it made her shudder. “I think that’s what woke me up.”
Even in the dark, she could tell he was trying not to laugh. “What did you do?”
“Not a damn thing until it moved off me. Then I got the hell out of there just in case Shelob had any buddies nearby.”
This time he did laugh, a low, deep chuckle that carried a note of warmth. It was the first time she’d ever heard him laugh; she liked it, and it triggered emotions inside her that she couldn’t find the words to describe.
“If it makes you feel better,” he said, “I’ll keep watch while you sleep.”
Eyes heavy, she stifled a yawn. “But that’s not fair. You need sleep too.”
He only paused a moment, as if he’d anticipated her objection. “In that case, how about I wake you in three hours and you can take the next shift.”
“Two and you’ve got a deal.”
“Works for me. Get some sleep, Bones; we’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
Chapter 11
“Are you sure this is the right way?” Wade asked as they hiked up a steep muddy path so narrow they had to travel single file.
Hope tossed an annoyed glance over her shoulder. Sweat beaded her brow, while errant strands of blonde hair were tucked behind her ears. “Of course I’m sure. Can’t you hear it?”
“Hear what?” He stopped to listen, but didn’t notice anything aside from the usual sounds.
She didn’t respond. Instead, she turned her