Epilogue
The next hour was a blur. Jeff helped Wendy up the hill back to the clearing. He put her down near the fire pit, and then he used some water and a rag to wash the gore off of her hands.
Matt—whom Riggs had forced to stay behind the fighting—wrapped her feet and put dressings on her shoulder and face and arms, after removing the bark embedded in her skin.
“Anything else?” he asked in his soft voice.
“No,” Wendy said.
“Are you sure?” His blue eyes searched hers.
“I'm sure.”
Matt didn't usually let silence settle, but this time he took her at her word. Wendy was grateful. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before he moved off to help someone else.
It took her mind a long time to completely come back into reality. When she did, she found herself sitting with her legs to her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. Everything hurt, both physically and emotionally.
Riggs had captured two of Pelton's men. They were tied up by the tree where the Skinnies had been kept. Three people lay on stretchers to her right. Two were dead, the other was Arie. Her arm was in a sling, and she looked like she was asleep.
A small hope had burned in Wendy that one of Riggs' men would get Pelton, but as far as she could tell, it hadn’t happened.
Footsteps rustled the leaves on the ground, and Wendy watched Kev's boots approach, Cal right behind him. She kept her eyes down.
“So do you think if you ignore us that we'll just go away?” Kev asked.
“Because you know that won't happen,” Cal said.
Wendy didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.
As usual, Kev took the situation into his own hands. He turned and sat down next to her while Cal did the same on her other side.
Kev broke the silence first. “You look horrible, by the way.”
This was not the reaction Wendy had been expecting. She raised her head and looked at him. Half of his mouth was swollen so much his lips looked like sausages, and one eye was completely shut. He was also cradling one arm with the other. She snorted. “Have you looked at yourself lately?”
Cal laughed. Not just a chuckle, but an outburst of laughter that turned everyone's head toward them.
“What?” Kev frowned.
“Wendy just made fun of you,” Cal said. “I think that's the first joke she's ever made.”
Kev’s lips twitched. “You know, I think you're right.
“Shut up,” Wendy said, lowering her head back to her knees.
"On the bright side," Kev said, "Doc said that it's going to take Dennis at least a week to recover from the beating you gave him."
"And he might never quite be the same," Cal said.
Wendy swallowed, not sure how to feel about that.
Riggs and Jeff made their way toward Wendy. Kev and Cal stopped talking, and Wendy steeled herself.
Whatever Riggs decided to do with her, she deserved it.
When he arrived, she raised her head to meet his eyes. Instead of the anger she expected, his expression held concern, and a little bit of apology.
“Pelton got away,” Wendy said. It wasn’t a question.
“I'm sorry,” Riggs said. “These guys told me he's the one who let the Skinnies into your compound.”
Wendy nodded.
“But you got half of the map,” Riggs said. He pulled the ripped and folded paper out of his pocket and held it out for them to see. “Do you know how to read it?”
“Some of it.”
“What's on there?” Kev asked.
Riggs squatted down and lowered his voice. “Among other things, all of the military installations like ours in the area.”
“Whoa,” Cal said.
“How did you get it?” Kev asked Wendy.
“My dad had it. I'm not sure where he found it.”
Riggs held her gaze. “Why is Pelton after it?”
Wendy's eyes didn't leave his. “Why are you after it?”
“Supplies and technology,” he said.
Wendy sighed. “He didn't tell me why he wanted it, but I suspect it is for the same reason.”
“Who is he?” Riggs asked. His voice was gentle, not accusing.
“He's the man who taught me everything I know about fighting.” The words still felt heavy rolling off of Wendy's lips.
No one spoke. She went on.
“He'd been with us since I was eight years old. He would go scavenge for us and bring stuff back. My dad trusted him. I trusted him.” A lump formed in her throat.
“Did he say why he betrayed you?” Riggs asked.
“He's following someone called the Primate.”
Riggs’ normally impassive or mildly irritated expression twisted into one of anger. The only other time Wendy had seen him so upset was the first time they'd met.
“Do you know who that is?” Wendy asked.
“I've heard of him,” Riggs said in a low, growling voice. “A religious fanatic of some sort. There are only whispers of rumors.” He looked at the boys. “You heard him mention the Primate?”
“Yeah, he seemed to revere the guy,” Cal said. Kev nodded his support.
“What does it mean?” Jeff asked.
Riggs sighed and rose. “It means we're going to have to be very careful from now on. You kids take it easy until the transport arrives.”
Wendy reached out and touched Riggs' arm. He stopped.
“Is Arie going to be okay?”
His eyes swiveled to where the injured girl lay. “Matt's not worried. He's got her sedated. Besides, if Doc can bring you back from the brink of death, he can surely keep Arie alive after an arm break and a few bruises.”
Wendy gave Riggs a weak but grateful smile before he moved away.
Jeff stayed. “Matt is worried about you. Can I tell him you're with us?”
Wendy still felt disconnected, but she nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” He squeezed her knee, then rose and followed Riggs.
Cal let out a big breath. “Sheesh, you're making things really stressful.”
“I knew you were trouble, from the first minute I saw you,” Kev said.
“Whatever,” Wendy said.
Kev slipped his good arm around Wendy's shoulders. “Well, since you got me all beat up, I think you owe me some fighting lessons.”
Cal's arm went around her waist. “And you owe me a new shirt.”
“What?” Kev asked.
Cal pointed at the tattered remains of his shirt. “This one was my favorite.”
“You two are dumb,” Wendy said.
“Get used to it, shrimp.” Kev mussed her hair. “You're stuck with us for a while.”
“Pretty much.”
A Note from Jo
If you enjoyed reading about Wendy and the rest of the crew, and you want to stay in the loop about my latest releases, contests, giveaways and updates sign up for my newsletter HERE
You can also stalk me on my website
joannschneider.com
One of the best parts of being an author is knowing that my story captured your imagination. If you have a minute, please leave a review on the page from which you purchased this ebook or Goodreads. A few lines about your overall reading experience would be appreciated. Word-of-mouth is still the best way to spread the word about a book, and reviews are a way to do that on a large scale.
Also By Jo Schneider:
New Sight
Babes in Spyland
Acknowledgements
First I must acknowledge my subconscious for the dream that inspired this story. Probably resulting from a combination of a Jakes-Over-The-Top shake and watching science fiction way too late at night.
A big thanks goes out to all of my beta readers. We'll do lunch. I should specifically mention: Shandra, for pointing out I'd made a promise that I didn't keep, PD, for looking at me over the bloodied copy of my manuscript and saying, "But I really liked this one." and Aulorah who was like, "What's up with this
character? She's boring."
My adorkable husband deserves a shout out. I used his hyper-thinking brain to expand this story from a clunky one-shot novel to a rich, full world that is now waiting to be explored.
Kudos also to the folks at DDD for the awesome cover. The rest of you need to thank Jen Hendricks for her mad editing skills. Dennis suffered more because of her.
My favorite moment in this journey was hearing that Marilee and Kara got into a fight over dinner as they were answering the questions I had given them for the beta read. I wish I had been there. Dinner and a show!
About the Author
Jo Schneider grew up in Utah and Colorado, and finds mountains helpful in telling which direction she is going. One of Jo's goals is to travel to all seven continents—five down and two to go.
Another goal was to become a Jedi Knight, but when that didn't work out, Jo started studying Shaolin Kempo. She now has a black belt, and she keeps going back for more. An intervention may be in order.
Being a geek at heart, Jo has always been drawn to science fiction and fantasy. She writes both and hopes to introduce readers to worlds that wow them and characters they can cheer for.
Jo lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her adorkable husband, Jon, who is very useful for science and computer information as well as getting items off of top shelves.
Table of Content
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
A Note from Jo
Acknowledgements
About the Author
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