no reason that the two had to be enemies.
When her testimony was challenged by Senator Phillips, who insisted that no dormant omega could enter the Boundarylands and survive unchanged, Ms. Price stood her ground. "I don't doubt that someone with your voting record on women's rights finds it hard to believe that anyone would value my autonomy, but that's just one of the many aspects of Boundarylands life that I found to be superior."
Asked by Sen. Phillips if that meant she was planning to return to the Boundarylands despite the border closure, Ms. Price answered, "Once I finish my work here, there isn't a force on Earth that could keep me away."
The hearing is expected to continue through Friday.
Astounded, Knox checked the date at the top of the page. The paper had been printed a week ago. Two more days of testimony, a day to return to her apartment and pack, five to make the hike across the eastern border—it added up to exactly one week.
Knox let the paper fall from his hands. "You've got to go, Gray. Now."
He elbowed past the brother and into the kitchen to put the kettle on, then returned to the bedroom to find some clean clothes.
Gray was still standing in the doorway with a bemused expression. "Does this mean you're done with your temper tantrum?"
"It means I need to hurry up and take a damned bath," Knox said. Probably a shave too.
On second thought, maybe he'd let Josie decide whether or not he should keep the beard.
Chapter Seventeen
The sun was setting on the fifth day of Josie's arduous trek, spreading an orange glow across the sky just above the tree line and lighting up the snow-covered meadow in the distance as if it was dusted with pure gold. If she hadn't already made the trip once before, when Mica had led her to safety six weeks earlier, Josie wouldn't have believed she could do it.
Nothing in her old life had prepared her for wilderness backpacking. Sure, she'd carried signs and supplies in countless protests, but that was nothing like carrying a heavy pack up steep inclines and across icy valleys. She'd eaten her share of crap food in jail, but she'd take that over freeze-dried meals rehydrated with melted snow any day. And even sleeping on the floor of a random city hall beat huddling in a tent while the temperatures plummeted close to zero.
Josie never would have guessed she'd willingly keep company with criminals, either, but after walking alongside Mica and six other bootleggers for the last few days, she'd gladly take them over any of the government bureaucrats responsible for the war on alphas. In fact, when she'd said goodbye to them several miles back, it was with a measure of respect.
After all, they didn't have to let her accompany them on this trip. They'd only drawn the line at leaving the known, safe route through the Boundarylands. They knew crossing onto an alpha's land could get them killed, and there was no way in hell they wanted to risk it.
Only Mica was young and bold—and in his peers' estimation, stupid—enough to risk coming onto Knox's property to get Josie six weeks earlier. But this time, without an explicit invitation, he continued on toward Olivia and Gray's land with the others.
Of course, Josie could have gone with them and asked Olivia to give her a ride—but she was far too impatient. It had been six long weeks, and she desperately wanted to go home.
Mica had given her detailed directions and a compass. Still, Josie was just beginning to think she'd gotten lost when she finally spotted the red bandana he had tied around a broken branch on their way out to mark Knox's property line.
Tattered and dirty, the simple strip of fabric looked like it had taken a hell of a beating in the last round of winter storms, but to Josie, it was a beautiful sight. But it wasn't the end of her challenges.
She still needed to retrace her steps another mile to his cabin.
And then she had to face him.
Josie had no idea what Knox's reaction to seeing her would be. She could only hope that he'd missed her as much as she'd missed him. That he was just as miserable without her, as distracted by longing that he could barely concentrate.
With five days to think about it, Josie fantasized that the moment Knox laid eyes on her, he'd swoop her up into the air, hold her tight, kiss her