Waning moon, p.18
Waning Moon, page 18
I dropped my pack in preparation for settling in for the night. I wasn’t tired and closing my eyes and reliving the assault that still had my nerves strung tight seemed like a bad idea. I sank down into a pile of hay and emptied the food from my pack. Will lit a solar lantern that he’d found hanging at the door on the way in. It radiated a warm yellow glow—enough to see his face and the wariness there.
“You can stop worrying about me, Will. I’m fine...really.” I set the food out and we ate bread and cheese and dried pork, and didn’t talk, because if I did, it would mean that I would have to lie again. I didn’t want Will to know how scared I was or how glad I was that he was here with me. And I definitely didn’t want him to know that there were a thousand other reasons why having him back beside me felt like the most amazing gift of my life. “We should try to get some sleep.” I rolled onto my side facing away from Will and wrapped my arms tight around myself.
“Should I turn out the light?” he asked, softly.
“I think I’ll leave it on for a while,” I said. Because the other part of the truth was that I could still feel Eli’s hands on me and lying in darkness wouldn’t make that go away.
A restless night of tossing and turning left me grumpy at morning light. We ducked out of the loft just before the stable hand arrived. The sun blazed through the trees, coming up over the horizon like a torch setting the sky on fire with pink and orange clouds and filling the air with an oppressive steaminess. The diner was just opening as Will and I turned onto Main Street.
I wasn’t worried about being seen here. I knew many of the townspeople from the times I’d passed through with the caravans, and I’d even helped deliver the diner owner’s baby the year before. I was somewhat of a celebrity since the midwife had made it clear to everyone that the man’s wife would surely have died if it hadn’t been for me. She wasn’t sure what I’d actually done, but she’d seen the woman near death, and I’d brought her back just by laying my hands on her. After that, whenever I came to town, the diner owner made sure I ate for free. His eyes lit up when I walked in.
“Hi Lily, I didn’t know you were in town.” He put hot water on and hit the switch on the coffee pot behind the counter. “Have a seat. You’re my first customer of the day,” he grinned, his brown eyes warm with welcome. Will and I slid into a booth.
“I’m just meeting the caravan as it comes through town later. How are your wife and little Katelyn?”
“They’re great, thanks to you,” he winked. “What can I get you two? Have anything you like.” He pointed to a board on the wall that had a small but hearty menu.
My face flushed. “Just some herbal tea and toast for me,” I said.
“I’ll have the same...only a coffee would be better.” The warmth in Will’s eyes when he smiled at me made my cheeks grow warmer and made me feel giddy inside. I needed to get a grip on these feelings. My heart sank. I wanted to let Will come home with me, but I could only imagine Sam’s response when he found out that Will had been working for the Industry and that he had lured me into a trap. There wouldn’t be time enough to explain the details before Sam would bust a vein trying to tear Will’s head off.
Phil brought us our breakfast, adding a bowl of fresh strawberries between us and smiling as he dismissed himself to the kitchen to prepare for the caravan’s arrival. I nibbled on my toast.
“You haven’t said much since last night.” Will stirred milk and sugar into his coffee.
“What’s there to say?” I sipped my tea and avoided eye contact.
He stared at me patiently. “What happened last night should never have happened.”
I bristled, “So you’re saying it’s my fault?”
“No. I’m saying I should never have let you go off by yourself.”
I stabbed a strawberry with my fork. “It’s not like I gave you a choice.”
He reached across the table and rested his hand over mine. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“But you were.” I set the fork down and met his gaze squarely. “If it hadn’t been for you...and the wolves...I don’t want to think about what would have happened.” Bringing up this subject again made my stomach sour. “I’d like to know how the wolves found you, and how you knew to follow them.”
“Just a feeling I guess. They have a special connection to you. They kept running circles around me until I changed course. I ran nearly the whole way after them on the way to find you.”
I slid my hand out from under his, not sure I was ready for close contact, even from a friend. “Well, thank you again. I guess this makes us even.”
Will gave me a furtive smile. “I don’t know. You’ve saved my butt more than a few times. I think I still owe you.”
I swallowed hard, the toast having left my mouth dry. As much as I hated saying it, it needed to be said. “Look, Will, I know you’re trying to make up for...what you did. But if you really want to pay me back, you’ll leave me to go on with the caravan alone once it gets here.”
Will stiffened and stared at me for a long minute, his scrutiny causing goose bumps to rise on my arms. “I won’t leave you alone with Josh Johnson...not after what happened...not the way he looks at you.”
“You can’t come home with me. Sam is going to have enough to deal with when I tell him what happened in Albany. He’ll never understand.”
“I’ll make him understand. Let me deal with Sam.” He searched my face intently. I looked at him hard across the table, struggling to keep my voice from cracking. My emotions bubbled up inside at the thought of him facing Sam. I actually began to admire Will’s insistence on taking responsibility for his actions and his willingness to accept the consequences if Sam sought some kind of retribution. Then I realized he wasn’t the only one who would have to answer to my uncle. Sam would be beyond angry and disappointed with me for allowing Will back into our lives after such a betrayal. To Sam, loyalty was a commodity not to be traded. Second chances were a luxury he’d said we couldn’t afford.
“Rudy and the wolves will look out for me. You have to let me go.” I felt my eyes fill and a tear spill over before I could stop it.
“Please don’t cry, Lily.” Will reached out to touch my hand again but I snatched it back, making him recoil. “I’m sorry...I won’t touch you...I just can’t...leave you like this.” His eyes softened and he had a tortured look on his face that I wished I could erase.
I wiped my cheeks briskly. “This is just silly. I’m going to be fine. You and I barely know each other. It’s not like we’ve been friends a long time. You have to go on and search for your dad, and I have to get back to Stanton. You can’t come with me. Do you understand?” My voice escalated and Phil glanced over, his brow furrowed.
I lowered my voice. “Please. I don’t need another complication in my life right now. I have responsibilities at home, and I don’t want to upset Sam.”
“Complicated or not, I will leave as soon as I see you safely to Sam’s door.” He ground the words out through gritted teeth, his eyes an intense shade of grey that stopped me cold. I wasn’t sure I liked Will’s insistent and forceful side, but his determination made it hard to argue.
“I don’t need you, Will. And I don’t want you...”
Will’s expression went from hurt to stony so fast; I thought for sure I’d finally gotten through to him. Then I followed his gaze and looked over my shoulder. Josh and Luke Johnson stood in the doorway of the diner, a look of smug satisfaction on their faces that made my stomach drop.
Chapter 33
“We wondered what happened to you two,” Josh said. He stood over me at our table and alternately glared at Will and stared at my chest. So much for pleasantries.
“We just got ahead of you, that’s all.” I folded my arms and glared back.
“We ran across a couple of bodies a few miles out of town.”
Luke chimed in, “The turkey vultures were circling something awful. You should have seen them pecking away at those bodies.”
My stomach curled in on itself, and I turned my gaze toward the window. The caravan trucks and vans were filling the parking spaces along Main Street. The restaurant became a sudden hive of activity.
Josh eyed me and Will for another few seconds. “You two know anything about that?”
Will came to my rescue. “We saw them, too. It looks like they tangled with some wild animals—could have been anything around that State Forest.” Will drank his coffee, keeping his eyes level with mine.
“Might have even been those wolves you brought with you. They disappeared from the caravan yesterday. Where are they?” He gave me that half smirk that grated on my nerves.
“Can’t say when we last saw them.” Will winked over the top of his cup.
Before Josh could question us further, Rudy came through the door and headed straight for us. I was either in deep trouble, or...
“Miss Lily, thank the Lord you all right.” He didn’t stop to catch his breath. “You near gave me heart palpitations. All I could wonder was what I was going to tell your uncle.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. If he only knew what I’d been through in the last few days...To take the heat of everyone’s eyes off me, I added, “Unlike you, who are in desperate need of a bath house.” I crinkled my nose at Josh and Luke who were standing much too close to the table to ignore the stench of body odor and cannabis. Rudy wasn’t much better off with his dirty hands and sweaty clothes.
Rudy laughed, “I can’t argue with you there. I wanted to see you for myself. Now I know you’re okay, I’ll be about my business.” He glared disapprovingly at Will. “I thought you two parted ways.”
Will’s shoulders stiffened, “I made a promise to Sam that I would make sure Lily gets home safely.” He stared steadily into my eyes as the warmth crept into my cheeks.
Josh snickered and glanced at his brother. “I think we got it from here. No need for you to tag along any further.”
Will set his cup down and leaned back. “I don’t think that’s up to you.”
The energy in the room rose substantially. Suddenly, Will’s hand shot to his forehead as if he were in pain.
I glared at Josh, who had his laser focus aimed at Will. I put my hand on Will’s arm and felt his pain recede.
Josh narrowed his eyes at me. “Go ahead, Lily. Tell your boyfriend he’s not welcomed in Stanton. You know he’ll bring nothing but trouble.”
I didn’t want to believe that was true. Will had proven himself sincere when he went above and beyond to recover Sam’s medicine. But even more importantly, he’d been there when I needed him. He’d rescued me from those horrible thugs and seemed determined to keep me safe. For whatever reason, I wasn’t ready to let that gift go unnoticed, or to let Josh think he’d won.
I set my tea cup on the table and met Josh’s gaze with a hard stare, coming to a decision that I knew went against everything that Sam had taught me. “Will’s coming home with me.” I glanced at Will to watch his reaction, but his face remained neutral. The words surprised even me. I knew I wasn’t ready to say goodbye again so soon. Even if riding along together for the day was all we had, I wanted more time with Will. I wasn’t sure what awaited us in Stanton, but having Will by my side gave me a sense of comfort I wasn’t ready to give up. I would deal with Sam later.
Josh’s eyes widened. He grunted as he turned on his heels and pushed his way out of the diner, his brother tagging along behind asking about breakfast.
Rudy and I exchanged a chuckle while Will remained perfectly still. The big-chested butcher gazed through the window as the brothers crossed the street. “Those two have been nothing but pains in my ass since the trip started. Questioning anything I say, acting all superior and full of buckshot. It gives me a dang headache.” Rudy rubbed his forehead as he turned to go. He called back over his shoulder. “We’re leaving in an hour. I expect you to be waiting for me at the truck. And if you see those dogs of yours around, I suggest you tell them to keep running and hiding. Josh has got it in his head that they killed those fellas on the road and ought to be put down.”
An hour later, with the sun a glowing ball of heat above the trees, I was sandwiched between Rudy and Will in the cab of the old Chevy, happy for the air conditioning and equally as happy that Rudy had taken time to bathe. The static of an old citizen’s band radio crackled on the dashboard, a leftover from before the turn of the century. It was primitive, but it worked to communicate between vehicles.
We crept down the road at a crawl with all of the supplies loaded corner-to-corner on the trailer and filling the back of the truck. Even the freezer car was stocked full. There would have been no room to ride in the back, and with the windows tinted to block out the sun, the protection was worth the bumpy ride.
The wolves would find their own way home, hopefully steering clear of Josh. If he was serious about blaming Bo and Pappy for the deaths of those two strangers, it would be one more excuse for him to act like he was the law just because his father was a constable. I wondered again about his ability, my nerves firing in response. I didn’t think I’d imagined the dark energy that rolled off him when he was standing next to our table seething with anger. Will’s response and Rudy’s comment about the boy “giving him a headache” made me realize that Josh had some ability to put pressure on a person’s brain—how much pressure, I didn’t want to think about. I tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling that settled in my gut.
Rudy handed over a bag. I jingled the heavy leather pouch next to my ear. He had done a phenomenal job of trading our supplies and had procured everything on our lists. “What’s this?”
“I collected the money for your brother’s flutes and wood crafts. People were buying them up faster than shovels in December. I didn’t know what Zeph might want in return for them, so I only took coins.” Rudy smiled broadly, his large white teeth beaming. “I even found him one of those wrist comps you said he wanted.” He pulled the compact wrist unit out of his shirt pocket and handed it to me.
“Zeph is going to love this.” I tucked the gadget into my pack along with the coins. The thought of home made my chest ache. I felt like I’d been away for weeks rather than days. So much had happened. I missed Sam and Zeph, but still had so many unanswered questions about what to do next. We certainly couldn’t stay in Stanton with the Industry closing in. We’d have to move fast and who knew whether this new medicine would even help Sam. We might need to use Zeph’s coins for starting over someplace else. My stomach took another drop with a bump in the road as I thought about Sam’s disappointment.
There were two canisters of Syntoxin in my pack. The possible cure for Sam’s cancer was now happily in my hands. I had to be happy about that. I tried to relax and focus on the good. I had saved Will from certain death, and then in return, he had saved me. I had made it out of the city in one piece and was on the homestretch to reaching my family. But the pervasive sense of doom that crowded my mind pushed every other thought away.
Chapter 34
When we arrived in Stanton it was late morning. Townspeople came out of their businesses to greet the caravan, unloading supplies at each home and storefront, rushing to get in out of the sun. Rudy pulled up in front of Mrs. Higgins’ store.
Garnet ran up and hugged me. “Wasn’t that a fun trip? I’m so glad you and Will hooked up with the caravan in Claverack. I was beginning to wonder if you two ran off and got married.” She glanced slyly from me to Will and back.
My face must have turned ten shades of pink. Just as I was about to respond with a firm denial, Mrs. Higgins pushed through the doorway. “Oh, Lily! It’s good that you’re here. Maggie McKinley was in earlier. She said that Sam...Sam had taken a turn. Nora’s with him, but I think you should get home.”
I stopped breathing for a moment as the information sank in. I imagined the worst. I shot a quick glance at Rudy’s truck. Fully loaded it would take forever to get up the mountain. “Can you lend me a horse, ma’am?”
“Of, course. I’ll send Mr. Higgins to saddle up Geronimo.”
“If it’s all the same, I just need him bridled.” My voice rang strong in my ears as if a stranger were speaking through me. But on the inside, I felt as fragile as a piece of glass, cracked and ready to shatter at any moment.
A few minutes later, Will gave me a leg up as I slid onto the broad horse, his brown and white spots curried to a gleam. “I’m coming with you.” Before I had a chance to argue, Will had flung himself up onto the horse and settled in behind me.
“You don’t have to come with me,” I said, more grateful than words could express that he was at my back.
He wrapped his arms around me, took the reins, and gave the Appaloosa a hard kick to the ribs. “You aren’t getting rid of me, now. I’ve almost got you home.” The horse bolted into flight, tearing a path down the main street.
Hot wind took my breath away as we sped toward the timber trail road. Even with Will’s hard body plastered against my back, his arms encircling me like a cocoon, all I could think of was getting to Sam with the Syntoxin.
As soon as the house was in sight, I jumped off the horse, leaving Will with the reins.
“Take him into the barn,” I called over my shoulder as I ran for the house. I didn’t wait for him to answer. I passed the wolves already waiting on the porch realizing they’d come ahead of me. I crashed through the door and into the kitchen.
Nora stood at the stove, brewing a batch of herbs that smelled of camphor and jewelweed. Her head came up when I entered. Her expression spoke a thousand words.
“Where is he?”
“He’s resting comfortably,” she said. I hated the sympathy in her voice even more than the look of defeat on her face.
“I have the medicine.” I tore the pack open and pulled out the cylinders. “The dosing instructions are inside.” I had the canister open and was digging the paper out when Nora grabbed my hand to stop me.
