Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,326

a huff as I tied the ends of each strip of the fabric together. Once it was ready, I went to Mia and eased her into a sitting position. It took us a moment. Mia struck me as the type to handle pain easily, so each grunt and whimper had me on high alert.

“Regroup?” she scoffed through gritted teeth as I tied the fabric together. I could feel eyes on my naked back, but I didn’t care. “You need to go.”

I smiled. She sounded like I did when I first figured out the code was to the safe. But Kemper's calming presence and this feeling useful had me thinking clearly.

“We’ll leave in the morning, don’t you worry,” I answered her with a small smile. Mia’s determination and grit was admirable. She was all the things I wished I was. “Until then, why don’t you let me take care of you for a moment, huh?”

“How is it that you have my woman out of her clothes?” a gruff voice asked from behind me, and I warmed when I recognized who it was. Huxley. Turning around, I bit back a grin as he reached behind his head to remove his shirt. Each dip and groove in his skin had both Mia and me appreciating the sight before us. He handed it to me with a smirk, knowing full well the effect he had on us.

“I’m suddenly feeling better,” Mia coughed. And I quickly shoved the tan shirt that smelled like Huxley on before easing her back to lie down.

“Hey now,” I joked. “He’s mine now, Mia.” I didn’t feel jealous in the slightest, but this hint of normalcy—joking with a friend—was like a drug to me. I ate it up and enjoyed the buzz of feeling carefree, if just for a moment.

“I know, I know. I’ve got my own man now to worry about. If he’s still alive,” she said in a dark tone before shaking away whatever thoughts were plaguing her. I remembered Aarav.

“What happened to him?” I asked in a soft voice.

Mia looked on the verge of tears, and I wondered if I shouldn’t press her. “He escaped when Lenny captured me. Told me he’d come to rescue me but never showed up. It’s the not knowing that kills me.”

I placed my hand on hers and squeezed, feeling myself well up with tears at her confession. I knew all too well how it felt not to know. I lived that hell for months while Jacob, Maverick, and Cyler were gone.

A shrill voice echoed from the entrance, and I turned around to see Jules bounding through the door. “Where is she?” Jules asked, drawing my attention there. She was stomping forward, covered in dust while scowling at anyone who dared to look at her the wrong way. A brooding Tallis was following close behind, but I didn’t see any sign of Bowden and Thurst. I didn’t blame them for not wanting to come back to the place that captured Hope.

Jules practically shoved me aside and collapsed on the floor at Mia’s feet. “You crazy woman! How many times are you going to nearly die?” she asked while I stroked Mia’s hair. I watched as Tallis bent over to kiss his adopted sister on the forehead before straightening to look at me.

“Is she okay?” he asked.

“She can talk, you know,” Mia grunted as Jules placed a hand over her ribs that I had bandaged. “I’m fine. Starved to death and bruised to all hell.”

I noted how she specifically didn’t mention the bruises on her inner thighs and the way she panicked when she realized she was naked. “And dehydrated,” Maverick added while walking up. He was carrying more water and gently handed it to Mia before turning to address Tallis. “Glad to see you’re back. You’re needed in the temporary prison quarters. Cyler and her capturer are there,” my loving doctor said in a dark tone while eyeing Mia with sympathy.

“You gonna kill the rat bastard?” Mia asked as Tallis flexed his muscles.

“Yes,” Maverick replied instantly. I sensed Huxley tensing beside me, could hear the hiss of breath escaping his lips at Maverick’s answer. We all knew it had to be severe in order for my compassionate man to accept death like it was nothing.

“Good,” Mia whispered. We all watched as she gazed off in the distance; the only sign that she was distressed was in the way her body trembled ever so slightly. “Tallis?” she asked before taking a sip of