Cami stepped over and wrapped her arms around Mia and the boy. "It's okay now…sssh…you're safe. They’re not going to get you here.”
"That's right," said Gary. "The important thing is that you got away. No matter what they took, it can be replaced." He cleared his throat. "Well, what I mean is…before the tsunami I guess it could be replaced…”
Mia looked up and smiled through the tears. "I just can't believe people would do such a thing. We don't have anything! We hardly had any food and water…we didn't have any guns…we didn't have anything. I don't know what they were looking for.”
Cami looked over Mia's head and caught Gary's eye. His mouth was set in a grim, straight-line. He nodded. They’d been looking for her.
"Well, it's over now and you're going to stay here with us for a while." Cami looked down at the little boy in Mia's lap. "Would you like to hang out with us for a little while, Caleb?” He glanced up at his mother, then back to Cami and nodded. "We have plenty of space," Cami said to Junior. "And I'm sure we can find some of Amber's old toys for you guys to play with. Does that sound like fun?"
"Would you like that?” Mia asked the boys as she stroked Caleb’s hair.
"With Reese gone, the house feels empty. And Mitch and his father, Gary,” she said with a nod toward the two men, “are planning on leaving tomorrow morning anyway, so it’ll just be me and Amber."
Mia looked up at Gary. He shrugged. "Cami, maybe we should stay a little longer…I don’t know if I like leaving while there’s home invasions—”
Cami picked up the trash from the table. “Nonsense, you've got to get back to Elizabeth. I can’t imagine what she's going through, all by herself. We can handle this," she said. Even as she said it, Cami ran through calculations in her head on just how an extra three people—on a long-term basis—would affect her store of food. She paused as she cleaned the table and thought for a moment.
As long as they didn't go overboard, she figured even with Mia and the two boys—who weren't very big and couldn't eat that much—they should be fine through the winter. Especially if she managed to hunt for some game over the coming months. Maybe if they set traps…
"I don't know," Gary said. He put his hands on his hips. "I don't know if Reese would appreciate me leaving you guys alone."
"It's not like you guys are all that far away," Amber said. "If you're taking our car, you could be home in half an hour. Shoot," she said in a confident voice, "if the roads are clear enough, you might be able to get there and come back by lunchtime. No big deal."
"I don't even know what we’re going to find when we get home," Gary said quietly.
"Well, if you make it back," Cami began, "and things are a little too rough, just get Elizabeth and come back here. Okay? Bring everything you want—anything that you think we might be able to use—and come on back. There's safety in numbers, and between us and Marty, I think we’ve got a real chance here in our neighborhood."
"Our neighborhood isn’t so bad," Gary mused, "but we’re a little more spread out, and I don't think anybody is as prepared as you are."
"Good, then it’s settled," Cami said with finality. She picked up the first aid kit and latched it shut, then placed it on the kitchen counter. "Now, I think we've all had enough excitement for one night. Let's get everybody tucked away for the rest of the night and all get some good sleep. We can figure things out in the morning and make final decisions then. Fair enough?"
One of Mia's kids placed his head on the table and closed his eyes. Cami smiled. "Mia, you're welcome to take Amber's room. Mitch, Gary, would you mind sleeping downstairs in the living room?”
"Not a problem," Gary said. "We'll be able to react faster if someone else comes to the front door."
Mitch looked at Cami in the dim light. "I'm sorry, Cami. It's not going to happen again. I'm gonna sit here and stay awake the rest of the night."
Cami put a hand on Mitch's arm. "It's all right. Just remember that things have changed—the world is a harder, more dangerous place now. None of us can afford to take anything for granted, especially our safety." She looked at Amber and smiled.
"Great," Amber groused. “That means training…”
Cami reached for the radio. “You awake?” she asked.
“Who was that banging on your door loud enough to wake the dead?” asked Marty, his voice scratchy over the little handset. “And why’d it take you so long to answer?”
“I’ll tell you later. Remember you told me you could contact the sheriff?”
“I do.”
Cami looked at the bandaged kids and watched as Amber adjusted the dressing on Mia’s arm. She brought the radio to her mouth. “You may need to update them. Our…friends…have escalated things.”
Chapter 21
Boston Harbor
Boston, Massachusetts
Reese woke with a start when the ground shifted under him. He sat up and regretted it instantly as pain shot through his left arm and right shoulder. He groaned, which elicited a snort from Jo, who sat next to him.
She looked up from Byron’s unconscious form. “How you feelin’ cowboy?” she asked in her Texas drawl.
Reese put his free hand to his head
