Layla had to fight hard not to laugh.
Tarin’s eyes widened. “She’s nineteen.”
“Yeah, and you’re what? Twenty-seven?”
“So?” Tarin smirked. “Chill, dude. I didn’t say I slept with her. We’ve just had lunch together a few times. She’s sweet and fun.” He glanced at Layla. “Sorry. She’s your sister. I mean no disrespect.”
“You should keep it that way,” Stuart muttered as he opened the door.
Tarin glanced at Layla, brows risen, grinning.
Interesting. Very interesting.
Stuart went into full bodyguard mode the moment they stepped out into the sunlight.
Layla tipped her head back and soaked in the sun, loving the way it felt on her face and arms. She wished she could stand there all day, but obviously, that wasn’t going to happen.
Jeremy cupped her elbow. “Let’s go,” he encouraged. “I know it’s weird the first time you come out after a long time below.”
She followed them a few hundred yards until they literally stepped off the field above the bunker and into the tree line. A few yards after that, they came to the van, hidden and camouflaged.
Stuart climbed into the driver’s seat while Jeremy opened the sliding door and popped the hidden seat to tip it forward. “Sorry about this, but I don’t like to take chances.”
“I understand. I don’t either,” Layla said as she climbed into the compartment and tried to get comfortable. It wouldn’t be a pleasant ride, but it was better than when she’d had to share the space with Ariel the first time.
As soon as the seat locked into place, Jeremy and Tarin sat above her, and the van took off.
She knew the first leg of the trip would be about an hour, so she needed to close her eyes and try to relax or she’d end up in a panic from the claustrophobia. Julie had given her some tips on how to relax in the confined space. Even people who were not ordinarily bothered by tight spaces sometimes had problems with the various hiding spots women in the new world crammed themselves into.
Twice during the trip, the van slowed to a near stop and Stuart greeted someone in a passing vehicle. She thought maybe he knew them. They might have been with The Wanderers.
Layla was beyond relieved when they finally reached their destination and opened that damn seat.
It took both Jeremy and Tarin to help her out. Her legs were wobbly and she was slightly dizzy. After a few deep breaths, she nodded. “I think I’m good.” She followed the men toward a large field that was planted with several different types of produce. Rows and rows of beans, wheat, and corn. Behind her was another field of lettuce and spinach.
Stuart opened a door in the ground that was much like the one at their compound, and the four of them descended under the earth. Everything looked similar. Keypad entry into a drab gray hallway.
“How many people live here?” she asked Jeremy as they followed Stuart and Tarin.
“A few hundred. Not as many as the main compound. Enough to farm this land and exist as a community.”
“How on earth do you keep this farmland from being seen from above?”
“We’re too far away from any large city for helicopters to bother surveying this area. If they did, they would just assume some other enemy group was living out here.”
“Do people realize there’s a large community of people hiding all over this area?”
“For the most part no. Some people suspect or they’ve heard rumors, but they can’t be sure. We’re very stealthy. We vet our newcomers carefully and guard our secrets tight.” Jeremy pointed at a set of doors at the end of the long hallway. “That’s where we’re headed. Our central hub for everything agricultural.”
Layla was excited to see all the working structures in person. She knew nearly a dozen people worked in this faction of the agriculture department. At the main compound, there were just four of them. Layla, the two men she was with, and another woman.
When Stuart opened the double doors, Layla gasped. The space was larger than she’d expected. Computers humming on desks, blueprints spread out on long tables, and several monitoring stations with views of fields.
“Impressive, huh?” Jeremy asked as Layla eased into the room.
“Very.”
“Come on. I’ll show you around.”