Dogs of War: The Extinction Series, #5

By Miranda Nading

Hope is worth fighting for.

A year after the Collapse, C.O.R.E., with Bishop at its help, is finally ready to move forward with the evacuation of their elite and the resetting of Earth's clock.

On the eve of war, Melanie Edwards prepares to save as many refugees as possible. With a fleet of miners and engineers turned soldier and two busted spaceships, she draws the line. She thinks she's ready to accept the consequences...until a voice drifts out of the dark and the nuclear missiles start flying.

Only halfway to Wyoming, Eve Edwards and her new family struggle to survive Earth's last great extinction event.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miranda Nading
• Release date: Jan 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386898870

Miranda Nading

Miranda Nading is a multi-genre novelist and lives in Arkansas with her husband, father, and her two Pomchis. When she's not writing, she can be found reading one of her favorite authors, taking care of her orchids, and spending time with her family.

Book preview

1

The Canadian sun baked the nape of Oren Ruby’s neck as he crossed the compound and he was struck, not for the first time, by the difference between the Governor’s small city and the villages where he spent most of his time. It wasn’t just the militia attitude of the citizens, but the quiet. Children lived here. He’d seen them. But there laughter never welcomed them or followed them out of camp.

His best friend pressed against his leg, a deep growl felt more as a vibration against his calf than heard, rumbled through the old border collie. You quit on it now, Wayne. He usually lets us be so a visit now and then ain’t too much to tolerate.

The rumbling in Wayne’s chest subsided as they climbed the steps to the home of the de facto Governor. His tail dropped and tucked itself between his hindquarters as they approached the day guard. The pooch didn’t like it, but he understood putting up with Gray was a necessary evil when the whole world had gone to batshit.

Morning, Ruby, the guard drew on his cigarette and blew the smoke in Ruby’s face. Boss expecting you?

Now, you know he is Fred, Ruby ignored the smoke, and Wayne as the old boy began his pathetic mulling. Fred wasn’t the worst of the bunch, but he was bad enough. He should have called Wayne off, but the man was asking for it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.

You don’t like us much do you?

Wayne, between them now, dropped down to his belly, rolled over onto his back and whined. Oh, don’t feel bad Fred. I can’t really say I like anybody.

Except this pathetic excuse for a dog, Fred sneered. What in hell good is having a dog that’s afraid of his own shadow?

He’s good comp’ny. Ruby snapped his fingers and Wayne rolled over, still whining, and pissed all over Fred’s boots. Judging by the flood that followed, he must have been holding his bladder for a while. Maybe for a special occasion like this one.

Damnit to hell!

By the time Fred realized what was happening and kicked out at Wayne, the dog was already out of reach and Ruby had the door open. Wayne shot through to the dim interior and Ruby slammed his hand into the door jamb to block Fred from following.

That sonofbitched pissed on me!

Then you shouldn’t have scared him. Ruby smiled, but let his eyes go cold. You ever kick my dog, Fred, and you and I are gonna have a problem. Is that something you want?

You think I’m afraid of some stupid old cowboy—

I think you’re too damned stupid to be afraid, Ruby took his hand of off the doorframe and turned, his eyes only a few inches from Fred’s. You don’t know ‘nothing about me. Why don’t you ask the Governor why he keeps me around? Why don’t you ask him what my job is? You do that, and you might just smart’n up a bit.

Screw you, old man.

Fred tried to look tough as he took a step back away from Ruby, but a new uncertainty had begun to brighten the younger man’s eyes.

Ruby eased the door shut and took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the gloom. When he could make out the unusual calico markings of his dog, he made his way through the front rooms, towards the Governer’s office. There was no reason for the blackout at the front of the house. There was still enough electricity flowing for the whole of the compound, and there was no way to store it up for later use. Ruby was almost sure the Governor did just to look humble to the little folks. He wanted them to think he would take care of them. He’d put them first and sacrifice his own comfort.

It was all bullshit.

A great big pile of it.

Unlike most of these yahoos, Ruby had been with the Governor long enough to know better. The only thing he thought that old SOB would sacrifice was the people themselves, if it really came down to it. And, of course, Ruby knew sooner or later it would. The Governor himself kept things close to the vest, telling his followers only what he thought they’d find out anyway.

Unlike the rest of them, Ruby traveled. He spent a great deal of time going from one small cassock to the next, gaining information and taking care of anyone the boss deemed trouble. The small villages also paid Ruby to take care of problem matters for them. Only once did it involve one of the Governor’s men. A friend of the kid Fred, in fact. Ruby didn’t bat an eye or lose a minute of sleep as he’d lured the young man out of the compound with promises of a pretty young village girl. The kind of girl the punk kid apparently liked to prey on.

They still haven’t found his body.

The way Oren Ruby saw it, the whole setup was a win win.

He also saw it wasn’t going to last. Especially after the rumors he’d heard in Pinkerton’s cassock. Rumors of that woman Melanie Edwards raising hate and discontent amongst the refugees. It had to have the Governor fit to be tied.

Then there were the rumors of old Maxwell Dumerick, surfacing after all these years. Surfacing, but untouchable because he was way hell down south and there was no such thing as planes and trains anymore. They’d all gone the way of the dinosaur.

Maybe we should have to, Ruby hadn’t realized he’d spoke aloud until Wayne stopped, looked back, and cocked his head. Should have gone the way of the dodo bird, I mean.

Wayne’s response was to cock his head in the other direction.

Ne’re you mind. I’m just talking to myself.

The damned dog cocked his head to the other side and continued to stare. Almost as if he were trying to weigh his old friend’s sanity. And was struggling.

Shut up, Ruby snapped, then opened the door at the end of the back hall.

Here, the light glowed bright and the décor was pre-war art deco. Great swirls of fragrant tabacco smoke filled the air over the mammoth desk on the other side of the room.

No sacrificing here, Ruby thought. No sign of the martyre.

Did you forget to knock? Anderson Grey asked with no real irritation.

At least none that Ruby could detect.

I’m pretty sure you have to intend to do something before you can forget.

As he spoke, Wayne pressed himself back to his legs and tucked his tail.

And how is old Whimpy Wayne this fine afternoon? Grey asked, one eye closed against the sting of a stray puff of smoke.

A little arthritic, but still doing good.

It amazes me he hasn’t been eaten by a bear or something yet with as much time as you two spend in the woods.

Wolverine almost got him once, Ruby beamed with pride and rubbed his buddy’s head. But usually he’s smart enough to know when to go the other way.

Grey chuckled and shook his head as he sat his cigar in the ashtray on his desk. You’re a strange duck, Ruby.

Makes life simpler, boss. Ruby took a seat in an overstuffed recliner and liberated a handkerchief from his back pocket. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he jumped right to the chase. The runner said you had a special job for me.

Cut to straight to it, Grey grinned and leaned back. That’s what I like about you, Ruby. What have you heard about the situation with Melanie Edwards and her daughter, Eve?

Last whisper I got was that Melanie Edwards died in a fight with one of C.O.R.E.s battleships and her rugrat was down around Memphis. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the whole truth and noth’n but, either.

We’re heard the same thing, Grey leaned forward his chair again and crossed his arms on his desk. The laughter Ruby had seen in his eyes was gone and he was down to business. We’ve also heard that your old friend, Maxwell Dumerick, is with Melanie’s brat.

Ah, Ruby thought. Now he saw the big picture. Petty revenge. It couldn’t really be that simple, could it?

The word we caught was that the good people of Memphis were going to sell them out to Bishop to save their own hides.

How’d they figure that?

There’s a list, Ruby. An America’s Most Wanted signed by Bishop himself. Grey smiled around his cigar as he relit it. Guess who else is on it?

Surely not me.

Yes, Sir. Grey took his cigar out of his mouth to laugh and used it to point to Ruby. I just can’t fathom how they could leave that damned dog of yours off.

Poor taste, if you ask me. Ruby smiled to himself. He’d had a run in or two with that bastard Bishop. Must have left an impression. So the Memphians want to make a trade.

I can’t see Max letting that happen, can you?

No, Sir. Can’t say as I can. Even as a pup he had a way of getting out of tight places, even if he left a little skin behind.

My thought exactly. I want him. Here.

So yes, yes it really was going to be that simple and that petty. With all due respect, Mr. Grey, you understand that there’s talk of a nuclear war? Do you really think Max is worth our time right now?

He’s got things to answer for, Oren. Or don’t you remember the fiasco in Washington? He killed his own partners and stole the Genesis Project. That little black box could have changed everything. Grey’s eyes narrowed as he called Ruby by his first name. And he might have information on what’s coming if he’s with that brat.

Ruby couldn’t have cared less about either reason. They knew what was coming. They knew it was going to get bad. But his job was not to judge. His job was to do.

Alright, Ruby stood to leave. Any idea which way they’re headed?

They’re coming this way, Grey answered and the grin was back. They’re coming right to us. Or just about. Heart Mountain, if my intel is to be believed.

The old Japanese internment camp?

The very one. Some kind of monument now, I guess and God only knows why except this part of the country is used to long winters. Anyway, that ought to make your job a little easier.

A lot, actually. Ruby tipped his hat and headed for the door. I’ll leave tonight.

I’ve had Erma put together some supplies for you. Grab’em on your way out.

Ruby nodded and opened the door. Wayne was out like a shot, into the cool gloom of the houses interior. Ruby followed, he mind churning over what Grey had said. That little box may not of changed everything, but it had certainly changed the kid he’d sent after it.

He’d go after Max, if only to see the man the boy had become.

But he wasn’t headed for Memphis. If they were headed to Heart Mountain, there had to be a reason. He’d start there, then head south. His chances of picking up his old protégé ought to increase drastically. Besides, he wanted to know why they were headed there to begin with. There had to be more to it than Grey’s explanation. A lot more. You didn’t head toward the Pacific Rim before a nuke firefight if it was nothing but the land being used to wintering.

He opened the door to the blazing northern sun and as was his usual, Wayne darted through it. Ruby registered the danger a moment too late, as a boot shot out of nowhere. Thankfully, Wayne was faster. The boot caught the edge of his hip and Wayne let out a yelp as he rolled with it. The laughter coming from porch turned into a scream of pain as Ruby brought his own boot down on the man’s leg, trapping it between the boot and the porch, hitting it hard enough to dislocated the knee.

Before Fred could fall, Ruby grabbed his arm, twisting and straightening it to lock the elbow, and brought his own down on it, the joint let out a crack like a gunshot and the arm went loose from the elbow down. He let go of the boys arm and grabbed his throat, pinning him to the side of the house and cutting of that infernal bellowing.

I told you, Fred, Ruby said between clinched teeth, do not kick my dog. Didn’t I tell you?

Instead of answering, Fred’s eyes rolled back into his skull until only whites were visible. As the kid passed out from both the pain and lack of air, Ruby let him drop to the porch in a heap. Ruby went to the edge of the porch and sat down, looking at his old collie The idea that the bastard had done damage, that he would have to leave Wayne in Kowaska Village while he left for Heart Mountain and points beyond, most likely for good, broke his heart.

He wouldn’t go. That’s all there was to it. He’d hold up at one of his cabins and take care of his best friend until he was well enough to travel. If that meant Max was off the hook, if that meant his own curiosity would never be sated, so be it. Wayne had saved his hide more times that he could count and he wasn’t going to turn his back on the good old boy.

Can you stand, boy? Ruby’s voice cracked. He felt the hot tears rolling down his weathered cheeks and didn’t care. Come’n. Come see me.

Wayne got to his feet with shakey legs and the hip that had been kicked let go once before holding strong. As he made his way to Ruby, there was a noticeable limp coming from that hindquarter. Jeezies creepies, boy. I should have been paying attention.

Wayne made his way over and huddled up between Ruby’s knees, giving Ruby a chance to hold him and check out his leg all at the same time. Using one hand to pet him, he used the other to feel along the bone of his leg, test the joints and feel the muscles. Wayne didn’t flinch until Ruby got up near the hip. Even though the dog had seen it coming at the last second and rolled, there was still a pretty good knot coming up.

On the plus side, there didn’t seem to be any real damage to the joint and the bones in his legs were intact. We’re going to have to call this one, boy. What do you say? Ready to go home?

Wayne slipped from between his knees and walked, limping hard, around the yard in front of the house. Although it seemed to Ruby the limp wasn’t as bad as before, he still didn’t care for the dog pushing it. They’d head toward the closest cabin, rest up, then head deeper into the woods to one of the cabins Grey and his men didn’t know about.

Ruby stood, taking his hat off to wipe his brow, and smacked his hat against his leg. Hup, boy. Let’s go home.

Rather than heading down the trail that would take them back into the woods, Wayne limped several paces in the other direction. Towards Erma’s store house.

No, boy, come on.

Wayne stopped, looked back over his shoulder at Ruby, then continued on towards Erma’s. The limp did seem better, but... Come on, now Wayne. This way.

The dog stopped once more and turned to look at his partner. He huffed once, then continued on his way.

Dadgummit! Ruby slapped his hat back onto his head and headed after him. You never listen, do you? Just do whatever it is that you want to do, never mind how I feel.

He heard another huff from Wayne, his pooch’s own particular brand of laughter, he reckoned, and knew he’d be going on that trip. He’d just have to doctor it whenever they stopped to rest.

2

Melanie Edwards settled into the groaning Captain’s chair on Victory and waited. They’d managed to seal off most of the decks and reroute enough power to the displays behind her to make it look as if they were actually working and not just flashing pretty lights. One stiff kick to the control panel would make the entire ruse fall to pieces.

Ready, Admiral? Kaito asked over the coms routed from the Washington.

She wanted to laugh at the title, the way she had when Melbourne had first stuck her with it. Staring down the barrel of war made that impossible. As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.

"This is Melanie Maitland Edwards, Admiral of the rebel alliance, Lifeline. We have commandeered two ships, the Victory and the Madafie, and are preparing to evacuate refugees from Earth. If you heard my message before, by now you have made it to the compounds in Indian Springs, Kake, Anambas Natuna, Shuang Cheng Tzu, Woomera, Al Anbar, Sohar, San Marco Range, Svobodny and Baikonur. If you haven’t, get there as soon as you can. Go to the south side of your respective compound. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. We’ll be there as soon as we are able. We’ll save as many as possible."

She took a deep breath and prepared to either make peace or bait the dragon. "Bishop. Stop this. If you leave everyone down there to die, you’ll be sacrificing everything that makes us human. At the very least, don’t get in our way. Let us help them. Let us save as many as possible. It doesn’t have to be this way. Talk to me. We can find another way."

Clear. Kaito’s sigh filled the line. Do you think he’ll see reason?

I think if you try to raise the white flag with a pissed off tiger, he’ll use it to wipe his mouth after he eats you, Reeves broke in from his place beneath Victory’s com console.

I gotta agree with Reeves on this one. She shrugged and got out of the chair before it could fall over with her in it. "I think he’ll die trying to wipe out anything that doesn’t fit into his lunatic plan.

As opposed to our lunatic plan? Kaito may have been on the other ship, but his opinion came through loud and clear.

Mel smiled. Crazy, not lunatic. There’s a difference.

If you say so.

Come on, Reeves. She gave the console a gentle nudge with her boot. Sparks sizzled and snapped, chasing Reeves out from under it. "Let’s get back to the Washington. I still need to talk to the Captain of the Madafie before we get ready."

He’s still pretending not to be the captain, Reeves responded, dusting the ash and debris from his uniform. You really think you’ll get him to play ball?

Don’t know ’til I try. She hit the com badge on her chest. Doc? We’re bugging out. Got everything you need?

Yes, I’m heading back to the Potomac now. Thank you for letting me tag along.

Purely selfish, Doc, Reeves grinned as he pulled the plug powering the flashing lights on the control panel behind the Captain’s chair. More sparks cooked the air, filling the room with the smell of burning plastic and ozone. This place is a death trap. We needed someone who could put us back together if it decided to snap.

This from a guy who went bungee jumping off the back of a space ship during a firefight. Mel shook her head as she took the lead, crawling through the maintenance tube that would take them back to the flight deck. And all this time I thought you were my hero.

"That was not by choice. And I should still be your hero, because I’m the only one crazy enough to fly with you."

Yuri would fly with me.

That’s because he’s as crazy as you are. Besides, he probably knows you’ll shoot him again if he says no.

The man has got a point, Kaito snickered. Going off com. See you when you get back.

Like I need this kind of grief from the peanut gallery. Mel stepped out of the shaft and started counting heads Thanks for the help, Kaito.

It was hard to believe this old tug had been state of the art before being blown to Hell and gone by the Madafie. Once they got it moving, the vibrations might tear it apart. She wasn’t about to leave anyone behind to find out. Where’s Doc?

Right behind you. Doctor Kowalski laughed when she jumped.

You get to ride on top of the shuttle on the way home. Mel turned and whistled. That’s it, everybody on the bus.

Sitting in the pilot’s seat, Mel ran her hands over the console. The argument against her piloting anything had been heated to say the least. In the end, they just didn’t have enough experienced pilots to go around. Not for what they hoped to pull off. That was fine by her. It had been too long. Granted, flying in space – at least in these cargo shuttles, the feeling of Gs pushing and pulling on you, twisting you, as it went through maneuvers – was almost non-existent. But it sure felt fine to be at the helm again.

You gonna make love to it or fly it? Reeves landed unceremoniously in the co-pilots seat and arched an eyebrow at her.

Maybe both, she grinned, but started the ignition sequence. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

Well, do me a favor and keep it on the slow and steady. We’ve got a ton of supplies in the back that won’t tolerate barrel rolls and loopty-loops, even in this thing.

I’m really not fond of the new mature and responsible Reeves, she scowled, but worked her way carefully over and under the other vessels preparing to leave. What happened to the good old days?

"The good old days tried to get me killed. He tried to feign a look of offense and failed. I haven’t even played a practical joke on Kaito in a whole week."

That’s what this is really about. You’re pouting because we’ve been too busy for you to get up to mischief with Kaito.

Uh, no...

Uh, yes... Before she could give him crap for it, there was a knock on the cabin door.

Reeves hit the switch on the console and let the doctor in.

I need to talk to Mel.

Shoot, Reeves waved him in without looking and turned away from Mel as if he was done talking to her anyway.

Alone.

Mel met Reeves’ curious gaze with a shrug of her shoulders. Reeves? Why don’t you go check on our passengers and cargo?

I’m sorry, Mel, Doc said as he crawled into Reeves’ seat.

Her stomach sank. She was really getting tired of people opening the door to bad news with an apology. Just give it to me straight, Doc. We’ve got a lot to get done and only a little time to do it in.

When I powered up the systems to retrieve what I needed from Victory, I found a message in the buffer. It was from an old colleague of mine... in Indian Springs. He’s got...well, he’s got two patients that are carrying the Lotus virus.

Wait...what? You have someone on the inside at Indian Springs? Spill it. And I’ve never heard of any virus called Lotus. What is it? And what does this have to do with us?

You’re not going to believe me, but you must overcome any disbelief you experience – this is important. In 1942, during World War II, the Chinese developed a biological weapon they nicknamed Lotus.

If history serves, China was on our side then.

Don’t interrupt.

Sorry.

They were going to use it on Japan, but first, they tested it on a small community of Tibetans. The results were devastating. It didn’t take long to realize they wouldn’t be able to contain it once it was released. They ended up burning out the village and about 12,000 of their soldiers to eradicate the virus.

Jesus.

You’re not kidding. It’s actually a retrovirus, designed to attack its victims on a cellular level. Death, unfortunately, was not immediate. The victims suffered for weeks before they’re bodies finally shut down.

How do two modern patients end up with a hundred year old virus?

Dr. Müller believes they were in the test village when it was administered.

Mel stared at him, wondering if he realized how close he was to a vacation in a padded cell.

He must have seen her skepticism, I trust Adalard’s findings implicitly. There was something else in their blood, nanites that pre-date C.O.R.E. These nanites have been working nonstop to hold back the damage in these two patients. He recognized the nanites from experiments his grandfather conducted in Germany, when they were trying to find a way to make Lotus viable. They’ve had the unanticipated side effect of being like a sip from the fountain of youth. After all these years, though, they’re failing. The woman must have been sick for a while, and getting worse, without access to another supply.

If she could have stopped the shuttle and told him to get out and walk home, she would have. And now Bishop has them.

No. Not really. At least, not yet. Adalard is keeping their conditions hidden for now, but I don’t know how long he’ll be able to do so. He swears, and I believe him, that if they are close to being discovered, he’ll incinerate both Mittie Kate and Ling, as well as all of the evidence.

Mel contacted the Washington for permission to dock. When she was done, she turned back to Doc Kowalski. Do they have any help that might be able to get them out of there? Any at all?

I don’t know. When I get back to my office, I can try to find out. Are you going to help them?

"If we can. It was never one problem at a time. Just once, she wished they had time to put out one fire before moving on to the next. Find out everything you can. For now, get Reeves back up here, we’re almost home."

Thank you, Mel.

Don’t thank me yet. They might still end up crispy.

Reeves eyed her as he reclaimed his seat. Problem?

Do we ever get anything else?

What did I tell you? Sucks the fun right out of things when we can’t find time for a little mayhem and mischief.

Yeah. The dream of the cosmos she’d shared with Yuri after the battle with the Madafie was still vibrant and now it played with her, toyed with her, as she considered the connections that seemed to run between everyone and everything. It felt too much like preordained destiny to her. The question was, were they destined to succeed, or fail?

No, she didn’t buy that. For all of his talk of his Mother’s God and a great plan, she still believed free will had a starring role in this show. They needed to make their own destiny, their own future. The plan she’d hammered out with the others was too complex, already had them stretched too thin, but they had to try. Get on the com, tell Lorraine to meet me and Doc when we land.

3

Mingus cried out in his sleep and Adam reached out to soothe him without thinking about it. His eyes roved over the eerily dark countryside, searching for some flicker of light to help him believe theirs wasn’t the last group of survivors left on Earth. When they’d taken the kid and deserted the Capital Complex in Tallahassee, nearly getting taken out by the shockwave from the explosions, they’d headed north, into Alabama. It hadn’t taken long to start running into small groups of survivors. It took even less time to convince those survivors to head to Indian Springs with them.

What’s got you scowling? Jeremy asked as he eased the cargo truck around a missing section of road.

Just thinking about how far we’ve come. It was a half-truth. Jeremy deserved better than that after saving him from Maitland and Bishop, but getting into any conversation too deep was out of bounds. It was something Jeremy had learned and accepted.

Most of the time.

As far as the college campus they nabbed you from? Jeremy glanced over, an expectancy in his eyes which Adam had no intention of fulfilling. Or as far as that little girl who kissed you in Tallahassee?

Either way. Adam tried to skate by with a non-committal shrug and realized Jeremy probably hadn’t seen it. He wasn’t going to have this discussion. Ever. He couldn’t decide which was worse, talking about his mentor, his friend, being tortured by C.O.R.E. before they put the screws to Adam for two freaking years, or the fact that he’d been so shitty to Eve after everything she’d been through. He’d spent those two years in captivity blaming Eve’s father, hating him, and he’d taken it out on her. And still, she’d kissed him.

Jeremy glanced back at Adam; a sure sign he was willing to wait him out.

Since Birmingham, it had been quiet, almost desolate. They hadn’t made any effort to hide themselves, but marched, and sometimes drove, down the middle of whatever roads were still intact, welcoming anyone left behind to join them. As they put what was left of the city of Birmingham behind them though, the devastation caused by fire and weather became a constant and horrible companion. People – the living, anyway – became more and more scarce.

Adam hoped the families who’d once lived in the abandoned towns and communities they’d passed through had found somewhere safer to be. He hoped they had somehow heard Melanie Edwards’ broadcast and were already well ahead of them, on their way to Indian Springs.

He hoped, but the hope felt hollow. They had seen things, things he couldn’t protect Mingus from, which told him not everyone left in this twisted world lived in abject misery, but caused it. For that reason, Adam would be forever grateful that Jeremy decided to circumvent Las Vegas instead of trying to drive through it. Lord only knew what kind of freaks had taken Sin City for their own after the world fell.

When Jeremy brought up the idea of raiding the McAlester Army Ammunitions base in Oklahoma, they’d hoped for ammunition, supplies... they’d never imagined the constant rattle and clank of a tank keeping them company as they pushed across the Texas panhandle. For a while, finding passage for the big beast, not to mention fuel, had been a challenge. What bridges and roads nature hadn’t taken out, the refuse of humanity had. Each time they found the latter, it felt as if they were trailing some massive gang of deviants across the country, yet never saw their fires at night or their faces in the daylight.

As far as he was concerned, that was okay by him. It was bad enough Adam felt responsible for breaking the cocky, arrogant little brat sleeping with his head in his lap and his thumb in his mouth. If anything happened to him...

Mingus cried out in his sleep again and Adam turned his attention to rubbing the kid’s brow, until he settled back into an easier sleep. Maybe I was thinking about how far we’ve come since you got me out of that damned cell in Tallahassee.

Is that all? Jeremy snorted. And here I thought you were sitting over there, feeling sorry for yourself – not patting yourself on the back.

What have I got to pat myself on the back for? Adam could feel himself rising to the bait and tried to relax, turning his eyes back to the velvet, unbroken darkness beyond his window.

Oh, I don’t know. Jeremy maneuvered around another massive chunk missing in the road and slowed down to keep an eye on the rest of