Elijah. There are hundreds more like that. We all know them.”
“You’re right.” Those clouds whisked away. “You’re absolutely right. I’m so glad you’re here.”
A shoulder, she realized, good sense. And thank all the gods, sensibility.
“Oh, we’ve got so much to do. I think I can work with what I learned from some of the rescues who were moved around to locate other containment centers. And you and Mallick are right, we need to relocate the POWs. We need to talk about how to do all of that. How and when to—”
He pulled her to him, kissed her quiet. “We’ll do all of that, but we’re going to take a couple hours. We’ll take that shower and find out what it’s like to have sex when we’re not bloody and banged up.”
“That’s one plan.”
“It’s a good one. We can grab something to eat.”
“Eat.” She pressed a hand to her belly. “I’m starving.”
“See, good plan.” He pulled her to her feet. “Then I can take you to the islands Mallick and I have in mind. We’ll work out the rest.”
He paused, let himself take her in. Long, lean, naked. “Jesus, I was in kind of a rush. You’ve filled out really well since the last time I saw you naked.”
“You weren’t impressed at the time.”
“I lied.”
She smiled, and with his hand in hers, walked toward the bath. “I know.”
* * *
Late morning, energized—again—fed, she met with Colin in his HQ to explain the basics of the plan for POWs.
“Islands.” He pushed away from his computer. For reasons that annoyed her, he had an easy skill with technology she lacked. “Tropical islands with resources, shelters or the means to build them.”
“They’d still be supervised. We wouldn’t put guards on the islands, but there are ways for us to watch them, to maintain control.”
“I get that.” He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets. “Some of them don’t deserve any kind of freedom.”
“We’ll determine that. We can’t keep them all locked up indefinitely. Not only because it’s just not who we are, but we can’t spare the men or the supplies. I have to see the locations first, so Duncan’s going to take me. But it seems like a good solution.”
“Not Hargrove or Carter.” He sent her one fierce look. “Not those two. I’m laying down a line there.”
“You don’t need to. They’ll live out their lives in prison. I’m going to look, then when we all meet in New Hope, Duncan and I will present the plan to all the commanders. We need to look ahead, Colin. Not just to the next battle, but to the world we want at the end of it.”
“You worry about the world. I’ll worry about the next battle.” He shrugged, paced.
Moved like a solider, she thought, looked like one with the tough build, the straight back, the warrior’s braid. The soldier had always been in there, in the annoying and beloved brother who collected odd treasures and loved basketball.
She started to say just that when he glanced back at her over his shoulder.
“So, you and Duncan.”
“He’s already been to the islands, and Mallick’s on R and R so he’ll give me the tour, and we’ll see.”
“Yeah, yeah, I mean you and Duncan finally did the deed. Got, you know, down to it.”
“What?” Shock came first, then the bone-deep embarrassment only a sister can feel when faced with a grinning brother. “How do you know?”
“Shit, Fallon, everybody knows. It was like the freaking sun exploded. And did you look out here?” He jerked a thumb to the window. “That tree behind the memorial stone.”
“What do you mean everybody knows? What does a tree have to do with—” She looked now. “A tree of life,” she murmured.
It bloomed, like the one at Mallick’s cottage, full of flower and fruit.
“I’d’ve been cool with it anyway. He’s a good guy. But it’s hard to argue with shit like that. Dad now.”
“Let’s not go there. I need to see the islands and get back to New Hope. Don’t let Travis take on too much. It’s harder on him. He feels … everything.”
“I’ve got him.” He added a smug smile. “He’d have felt it when I short-sheeted his bed last night, and that’ll have him working out how to pay me back.”
Brothers, she thought. They were what they were.
“Safe trip and all that,” Colin added. “Oh, wait.”
He went back to his desk, opened a drawer. He took out her knife and the sheath Travis had made for her thirteenth birthday. “Kid said