“It’s okay,” he murmured, brushing my cheek with his callused fingertips. “I’ll keep watch. No one will hurt you.”
I leaned my forehead against his chest. Even when I had every reason to doubt my safety, I believed him. A deep sigh escaped me, and he rubbed the base of my neck, soothing me.
“Just close your eyes,” John whispered, and I did. Tension left my body; I had nothing left to give, and he knew it. So quietly I almost didn’t hear it, he continued: “Morning will come, sweetheart.”
Chapter 42
John
At first light, we left to get the horses from the stable outside the Post. We made a loop around the abandoned city through the forest to avoiding run-ins with gangs or the Order. I made sure Claire was hidden in the hollow of a tree before I went to scope out the Post. If the Order was still there, it wouldn’t be safe for her.
Luckily, the stable was still standing, and the horses were still there. Corny told me that the ‘small Asian lady’ had traded with him to keep them overnight. I could only assume he meant Kimmy, so I went back to the Post to find her.
It didn’t take long; she was busy treating the wounded in the street. The main strip was devastated. Stalls and caravans were overturned, and there were bodies everywhere. I was grateful that most of them seemed to be cultists, but I spotted a few familiar faces in the wreckage. No one I’d known well, but people I’d seen in passing. It hurt to see people grieving in the street around their dead loved ones.
Kimmy had dark shadows under her eyes. She’d been up all night, giving medical care to those who needed it. That was who my sisterwas, and Asha had never deserved her for even one second. I had to tell her the truth now, and I felt sick.
“How’re they holding up here?” I asked Kimmy after she’d finished with her last patient.
“As best they can,” Kimmy answered. “We drove back the Order, though they abducted a few of the children. All things considered, though, it could’ve been worse. Not much comfort to the families, though.”
“Yeah,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Kim. You shouldn’t have had to handle this alone. Are you ready to head home?”
She frowned. “What about Asha? We have to find her.”
The worry in her voice hurt. I was going to break her heart.
I sighed. “I already did. We need to talk.”
We sat on the crumbling curb, and I told her everything about the day before. It was somehow worse the second time. When I explained Asha’s plan, Kimmy didn’t believe it.
“There has to be a mistake,” she said, an edge to her voice. “She was…troubled, but she wouldn’t do that. Not to us. To me.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry.”
“You never liked her,” she said, shooting to her feet, her arms crossed. “Why would you—I mean, she—”
We locked eyes.
“Have I ever lied to you, Kimmy?” I asked gently.
All at once, her denial suddenly crumbled. She let out a wild sob and dropped to her knees. I wrapped my arms around her and took a steadying breath. I’d only seen Kimmy cry a handful of times as an adult, and it tore my guts out.
“I should’ve seen it coming,” she said into my shoulder, choking back another sob. “I could’ve stopped her.”
“You didn’t know,” I replied, squeezing her.
“How could I be so stupid?” she whispered.
“You weren’t,” I murmured. “You were kind.”
“Same difference,” she said, and I couldn’t help but chuckle in spite of myself.
“You trusted the wrong person. But believing someone can get better isn’t a crime. It’s why you have such a talent for healing people.”
She moved back, swiping at her eyes. She gulped down deep breaths, and after another minute, she seemed better.
“I want to go home,” she said, and I nodded. “Where’s Claire?”
