Tina and Tarra exchanged another look with each other and then looked around their camp. They were unfazed. They had what they needed right here, obviously.
Tarra shrugged. “We’ve got plenty of food and water, too. We actually eat pretty well between the small game and the vegetation out here. We can get bigger game if we need it. I got that rabbit today, but yesterday Tina trapped two squirrels and we had squirrels and gravy for dinner. We’re not going hungry. But a bath would be nice.”
Tina laughed at her friend and then nodded. “Agree. A bit more company would be cool too—and we’d both love to meet Gabby. How about you draw us a map, and we’ll talk about it between ourselves. Maybe we’ll head that way. Maybe we won’t. But we really do appreciate the offer.”
Jake nodded, relieved. “Sounds good. It’s no more than an hour’s walk. I’ll write it down if you have some paper.”
Tina crawled into the lean-to and grabbed a huge backpack, and conveniently pulled out a pen and notebook.
Of course she did.
Jake took a few moments to map it out and then shook both of their hands, promising to give their regards to Gabby, if they didn’t show up themselves to say hello. He wished them well and hurried back to his ATV, in a hurry to get to Grayson’s—as well as to get out of the woods alone with two pretty women… just in case his wife should happen that way all of a sudden.
Crazy times and all that…
He noisily forced his way back through the woods, feeling like a bull in a China shop. When he saw the road, he expected to see his 4-wheeler. Somehow, he must’ve got turned around.
It wasn’t there.
He turned in a circle. Behind him, he could just barely see the women deeper in the woods. He was in the right place…
Stepping out of the woods into the road, he looked first one way, and then the other, just in time to see his—actually, not his—4-wheeler hauling ass and kicking up dirt behind it as the thief high-tailed it out of there. Tucker wasn’t going to be happy with him.
“Damn it!” he yelled, taking Gabby’s hat off and slapping his leg. He couldn’t care less about the 4-wheeler, but he and Gabby’s wedding picture was in his bag. And they took that, too.
Tina and Tarra jogged out to find Jake stalking up and down the road, swarping and swearing at his loss. They gave him his space and talked quietly until he noticed them.
Jake faced them with a red face, still spitting mad. “Took my damn bag. My stuff. My water. My gun. And me and Gabby’s wedding picture for fucks sake!”
“You didn’t have your gun on you?” Tina asked in amazement.
“No! I hate guns. Damn thing isn’t even loaded.”
He stomped off and paced back and forth another minute and then turned back to the women and took in a deep breath. He held it for a moment and then apologized. “I’m sorry about my language, ladies. I’ll be heading out now.”
He turned to walk away.
The women whispered to each other, and Tarra spoke up. “Wait. Give us time to break up camp. We’ll walk with you.”
“You’re coming with me?” Jake asked, confused.
Tina shrugged. “Not much choice now. You showed that thief where our camp was. He’ll be back for more, probably sneaking in tonight after it gets dark. We don’t plan to be here when he does. And you… well, someone needs to watch your six.”
27
MEI WATCHED AS GABBY, Olivia and Emma all lined up for training by Elmer. He was teaching them how to shoot a shotgun, while she sat on the porch step watching them closely. He insisted the girls take the gun with them, just in case. They were going to finish shooting, and then get on the road, hoping to be home by nightfall.
More walking…
She couldn’t take it anymore though. They wouldn’t all be leaving here.
She’d let them have their peaceful breakfast, and she’d eaten her fill and then some. Why not? She was hungry. But the repeated blast of the shotgun had her nerves jumping. She sat with her hand and her stump over her ears, flinching each time the gun roared.
Gabby and Olivia had handled the shotgun without a hitch, both shooting toward the stack of hay that Elmer had attached a huge target to. The target was now scraps of paper, blowing in the wind and the hay had a large hole blasted in it. It was Olivia’s turn. Mei almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
It was clear that Olivia’s twin sister, Gabby, was head and shoulders above her twin in nearly every way. She was stronger, braver, smarter, not as whiney, and knew how to survive in the woods without a man—or at least she did okay as long as she had the bug-out bag, as Gabby ridiculously kept calling it. And her husband had packed that. However, she had to give full credit to Gabby for getting her out of the clutches of the motorcycle gang and getting them this far.
But had Gabby really done her a favor? Maybe she would have been better off trading her body for food and water and at least having someone take care of her. After hearing the girls talking earlier, she knew she wouldn’t have a home with them. She couldn’t fight the demons inside of her. These women would eventually throw her away, just as everyone else in her life had done.
It wasn’t fair. Why should they all be blessed, and not her? She wasn’t always like this. She could be either one of them. A mother. A wife. A sister.
But she wasn’t.
Not anymore.
She’d always drawn the short straw in life.
It’s time to even up the straws.
She watched as Gabby stood shoulder to shoulder with Emma, encouraging Olivia to just give it a try. She had her hip cocked out, thinking she was all that. The pistol she hoarded and lorded over them stuck out from the waistband of her shapely pants. A real Annie Oakley there, she thought. Gabby acted as though it didn’t bother her at all it was back there.
Maybe it should’ve.
“Come on, now girl. You can do this,” Elmer grunted. He was getting irritated. “Your sisters did it. They’re still alive and kicking.”
Olivia stuck her hands in her pockets and smiled shyly. “We already have a gun, Elmer. And Gabby knows how to shoot it. We don’t need another one. I don’t need to shoot,” she insisted.
Elmer snorted. “Can’t depend on your sister to get you out of every scrap. What if someone takes her gun? Come on up here. You’re stronger than you think you are.”
Gabby took Olivia’s hand and dragged her forward a few steps. “He’s right, Olivia. Anything could happen out there. Emma and I will trade off carrying the shotty,” she winked at Elmer, having adopted his nickname for the gun. “You only need to know how to shoot it in case of an emergency.”
Mei rolled her eyes at Gabby. Clearly, Olivia didn’t want to. Why was it okay to force her sister to do something she didn’t want to do?
Olivia adamantly refused. Good for her.
Elmer caught Mei’s eye. “How ‘bout you? Want to learn to shoot it?”
“No,” Mei answered.
Elmer gave her a stern look. “Why not? Step up here, I’ll show you how.”
Gabby ran a hand over her face and turned her back to Mei, and said something. It was clear she didn’t want Mei to hear what she was saying, but Mei wasn’t stupid. Either Gabby didn’t trust her, or she thought she couldn’t shoot with one hand.