Page 57 of Exit Strategy
“Kurt,” the man intoned with a nod when we turned.
“Hey, Kurt.” The woman curled her fingers in a wave, her voice bright, confident, and plucky.
“Captain.” Kurt nodded at the man. “Sadie.” He inclined his head in the direction of the woman.
Footsteps came from behind them, and another man appeared. Not quite as tall as the captain, his frame slighter, wirier, and his hair dark. He looked over Sadie’s head and frowned.
“Visitors?” he asked. “We never have visitors.”
“Kyle.” Sadie drew out his name in a warning tone. “Be nice.”
The man smirked down at the back of her head.
“I’m always nice,” he said, and he lifted his chin in Kurt’s direction.
Kurt inclined his head back and the second man, Kyle, turned and went back into the house.
“Well, don’t stand out there all night. Good God, man! Come inside!” the captain declared.
Kurt guided me forward with a hand on my shoulder, closer to my neck, almost the mirror for how the captain held Sadie. I stumbled slightly at first, before finding my coordination and we moved forward.
I was sweating lightly by the time we reached the top of the steps, and I couldn’t tell you why. I swallowed hard, my heart racing, my tongue feeling stuck to the roof of my mouth, my teeth gritted. I barely dared to breathe. I could feel the rising color in my chest and face, and I hated it.
I was close to a full-blown panic attack, and I didn’t know why other than I didn’t know these people and they weren’t Kurt.
“Easy, Callie,” Kurt murmured into my hair near my ear. “You can trust them, I promise.” He stroked the back of my neck with his thumb, back and forth, back and forth, a reassuring little touch and I realized, I didn’t trustanyone. Icouldn’t. New Eden had absolutely obliterated that ability for me.
It was painfully tragic when you stopped to think about it, but I couldn’t. Not right now. Not with this giant imposing bear of a man standing in front of me, and this woman shorter than even myself, standing there smiling at me, something behind her brown eyes that I couldn’t quite place.
“Hi, I’m Sadie,” she said, and her lips curved into a smile.
“Callie,” I managed, and her smile grew a bit more. It finally hit me what that look in her eyes was all about –understanding.
“And I’m Roan,” the man introduced himself. I looked up into a kind face despite his imposing frame, the golden red shadow of stubble along his jaw and hair nearly as red as my own.
“Calanthe,” I said. “But please call me Callie.” I wouldnotbe some shrinking violet. I wouldnotlet New Eden win. I stood a little straighter and Kurt gave the back of my neck a little squeeze.
“Come on in,” Sadie said cheerily. “I’ll show you to a room and let you decompress for a little bit. I know I can always use a few minutes to recalibrate after a long road trip.”
She and Roan turned sideways to let me and Kurt pass.
“Thanks for this, Captain,” Kurt said gratefully.
“It’s no trouble, mate. And stop with all this captain nonsense,” Roan said, closing the door behind all of us.
“Aye, sir,” Kurt said out of what was clear habit.
“You good to go with Sadie, Love?” he asked me, and with more bravery and aplomb than I knew I possessed, I nodded.
“Be along soon,” he said and kissed my temple and let me go.
“Okay,” I murmured.
Sadie smiled at me and padded barefoot across the foyer’s white marble floor. I followed suit in my cheap tennis shoes, feeling utterly self-conscious in my thrift-store clothing among all the opulent wealth.
My how far you’ve fallen. The derisive voice in the back of my mind made an appearance. I forced a smile back at Sadie as I trailed her deeper into the mansion and thought to myself how utterly alright I was with that, given the alternative reality that was living under New Eden’s thumb.
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