She flings her arms around me, pulling me in a tight, desperate hug. She sobs in my ear and I rub her back. She’d carried that guilt for months. “We make our own rules now,” I tell her, knowing it’s not always a good thing. “Finn loves you very much. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”
She extracts herself. “You can?”
“Oh yeah, I’d give up my favorite hatchet to have a man stare at me like that.” It’s a joke. Please. I wouldn’t give up my hatchet
for anything.
Mary Ellen wipes her nose and gives me a funny look. “Mr. Wyatt already looks at you like that, you know that don’t you?”
I think of sweet, innocent Finn and the way he dotes on Mary Ellen’s every need. “We may have a different perspective on that,” I say, grabbing my socks and standing. “You’ll leave in the morning for Catlettsburg. I think you and Finn will like it. It will be a good place for a fresh start.”
“Thanks for being so kind,” she says. “It’s been a long time since I had another female to talk to.”
I snort. “Yeah, tell me about it. Things can get a little testosterone-y in my life, too.”
I leave the room feeling like I’ve accomplished something—even just making another person feel better is a bonus for the day. Tomorrow they’ll head back to town and Wyatt and I will start looking for the Hybrids. Although the rest has been welcomed, it feels good to have a mission planned.
I should have known better, because in the apocalypse, nothing ever goes according to plan.
Chapter 22
Jane and I are together in the living room, tightening the wrap on my ankle when we hear the sound of boots on the porch. I reach for my hatchet and Jane stands, pulling a small pistol from her waistband.
Mary Ellen walks in from the kitchen, holding a can. She looks up and sees the weapons. “What’s happening?” she whispers.
I nod at the door and wave her out of the room. One of use needs to be hidden and Mary Ellen has two good ankles. That’s more than Green, who is lying behind me on the sofa, and I have combined.
Unless I’m mistaken, I hear several sets of feet. They could just be Wyatt and Jude, but the way the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, I fear the worst.
The door opens slowly and a figure steps inside, hands raised in a position of surrender. My eyes move to his face but Jane has already exclaimed, “Avi!” lowering her gun.
He smiles and exhales. “You mind getting this attack dog to stand down?”
Wyatt appears in the doorway. His grip on Avi is unmistakable. One false move and Wyatt is prepared to snap his neck.
“It’s okay,” Jane says, approaching the men. “This is Avi, my friend from Catlettsburg.”
Wyatt releases him with a shove and I’m about to ask why he’s being such a dick about it but I see the shiner next to his eye. Avi decked him. No wonder he’s pissed.
“Are you alone?” I ask Avi.
“Yes. I came by myself. There’s no one else out there.”
Wyatt doesn’t look convinced.
“He has no reason to lie,” I say. “He’s a friend. Relax. Where’s Jude?”
He glares at me, letting me know that Jude doesn’t trust Avi either. “Outside. I’ll be with him.”
The door slams and Avi looks behind him, then glances back at me. “Nice guy. He’s that friend of yours, right?”
“He’s just cautious.” I point to my face. “Plus it looks like you snuck up on him. Impressive, but not the best foot to start off on.”
“He jumped me from behind—he’s the one that’s sneaky as hell. I managed to get an elbow in before he shot me in the face.”
“Ignore him,” Jane says, reaching for his hand. “What are you doing here? How did you find us?”
“I was on my way to Franklin when I passed Walker and her team on the road. They told me how to find you.” Avi’s voice sounds strained. Worried. The light in the room is dark but when I look at him closer I see that he looks like he hasn’t slept in days.