She eased the door open and knocked at the same time.
“Reno?”
He stood beside his bed, a bag sitting on top of it. She pushed the door the rest of the way open before walking inside. Then Maya noticed another man standing on the other side of the room.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. We haven’t met yet. I’m John. You must be Maya.”
Maya shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, John.” Then she turned her attention to Reno. “What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?”
She took a step back and took a breath. “You’re leaving?”
“I am.” Reno zipped up the bag and tossed it over his shoulder.
John turned his eyes toward the door. “Speaking of which, I should probably step out and let you two talk.”
“It’s fine, John,” Reno said. “We need to get going anyway.”
“Tonight?” Maya shook her head and looked at her wrist, where a watch might have been at one time. “You can’t leave now. It’s too dangerous out there at night.”
“No more dangerous than it is in here. This base is on borrowed time. Gerald can pretend like we’re safe here, but we’re not. They’ll destroy this place just like Nashville.” Reno shook his head. “I know you want to keep your family together with their father. I understand that. But remember all the shit he put you through, and now you’re going to put your life and your children’s lives in his hands? I don’t know, Maya. I thought you were over him.”
“I am.” Maya felt her face flush. “I’m not obligated to anyone.”
“Clearly.”
Maya went to Reno and grabbed his arm. “Please don’t do this. Stay a little longer and think about it.”
Reno glanced down at Maya’s hand on his arm. Then he looked up into her eyes.
“I’ve made my decision. I’m sorry.”
Maya thought back to the last time she’d seen Reno in Nashville, the way he had held her and kissed her before selflessly telling her to go and find her kids. She found herself squeezing his arm harder now, as if that would keep him safe. Reno put his hand over hers.
“You don’t need to stay, either. The aliens are coming. It’s not if, but when.”
She couldn’t go with him, though. The aliens could attack the base, but they almost certainly would attack on the roads. Gerald or no Gerald, she had gone through hell to find a sanctuary, and she wasn’t about to give that up yet.
“Reno, you can’t—”
“All right, buddy, you’re all set.” The male voice had come from the hallway, drawing Maya’s attention to the door.
Gerald walked in, his eyes darting between Reno and Maya. He looked at Maya holding onto Reno’s arm, and Maya let go. In one hand, Gerald held a portable spotlight, and in the other a set of keys looped through one of his fingers. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“What is this?” Maya asked.
“I have to use the restroom.” John moved past Gerald and stepped out of the room.
Maya glared at Gerald. “You’re pushing him out the door, giving him a car, and basically telling him to get out?”
Gerald sighed, running his hand over his face and not replying. Maya turned a scowl on Reno.
“This was my decision. I asked him if he could get me and John a vehicle so we could leave.”
“What about all the stuff we talked about during dinner earlier?” Maya asked. “I thought we were all in this together.”
“That was a decision you all made.” Reno made sure his bag was zippered for the third time.
“Maya, if he wants to go, you can’t stop him.”
Maya turned her attention to Gerald. He rolled his eyes once her eyes met his. She walked over and stood in front of her ex-husband.
“I want you to tell me something. What makes you think this place is so safe?”
“What do you mean?” Gerald folded his arms across his chest.
“What are the people here doing to keep us safe? What is keeping those things in the sky from blowing us to hell?”
Gerald rubbed his forehead with his right hand before letting out a steady, slow sigh. “If you think it’s safer out there than it is in here, then you’re wrong. I tried to explain that exact thing to Reno, but he’s making his own choice. This is the goddamn United States Army we’re talking about. If anyone is going to keep you and the kids safe, it’s them. You understand?”
Maya stared at him, then glanced back at Reno, the guy who had been there for her from the beginning. He’d fought next to her inside the dome, helping her find her children while putting his own life in danger to do so.
But Gerald was the father of her children. And no matter how much they had disagreed, Maya knew his kids meant the world to him. He would never do anything to endanger them and would always keep their best interests in mind. It was why he had gotten them from her mother’s house and brought them to the base to begin with.
With silence seeping into the room, Reno readjusted the shoulder strap on his bag and stepped toward the door. In that moment, without even thinking about it, Maya grabbed onto his arm as he walked by.
“Me and the kids. We’re coming with you.”
Gerald shook his head. “Huh? You are?”
“I am. Now get out of my way.”
“Don’t do this. It’s a huge mistake.”
“I’m sorry.” Maya said the words and she truly meant them. “But this is the best thing for me and our kids.”
Gerald stood in front of the door, blocking it. “I won’t let you take them.”
“You don’t have a choice. I have custody.”
“Bullshit. None of that matters now and you know it. I’m not going to let you leave here with them.”
Maya slapped Gerald across the face, grabbed him by his shirt, and pushed him to her left. His back hit the wall and Maya glared at him, daring him to get in her way again.
“I’m warning you, Maya. Don’t make me stop you.”
Maya looked to Reno. “Come on.”
Maya and Reno left the room and headed down the hallway to find John, get the kids, and leave.
35
“What about Dad?”
Maya ignored Aiden and Laura’s questions as she threw garments into bags. She didn’t care what belonged to who, tossing a mix of their clothes into each. When she filled a bag, she zipped it up and turned around to hand it to Aiden.
“Are you at least going to tell us what’s going on?”
“Take the bag. We’re leaving. That’s all you need to know.” Maya turned back to the bed and continued filling the other bag. She moved past her kids, pulling stuff out of the chest of drawers on the other side of the small room.
“We deserve to know.” Laura stepped in front of Maya. “We aren’t six years old anymore. This is bullshit.”
“It is.” Aiden chimed in. “Total horseshit.”
Maya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled as she opened her eyes and turned to face her kids.
“Look. I promise that I will explain it to you guys, but not now. The fact is, we aren’t safe staying here.”
“How can it be safer out there?” Laura asked.
It was a good question, and Maya had been wondering the same thing, but she believed Reno. The aliens would eventually seek out and destroy any fortified settlements, and they knew about Fort Campbell.
“I know you guys are scared, and I know that you want to stay here with your father. But you have to trust me. I’m making the best decision for all of us.” Maya glanced back and forth between them. “Do you trust me?”
Laura looked at the ground and Aiden glanced at the wall, both of them hesitating. Maya’s son was the first one to look back up and nod. Maya smiled, and squeezed his hand, then focused on her daughter.