She smiled as she thought of him.
She sat up, her face painted with shock and worry. “He was working on the virus before—”
She jumped from her bed and pulled her lab coat on before disappearing out the door.
“Absolutely not!” Candy yelled.
“But it would block the road perfectly,” Henry argued.
“We need that truck, Hank.” Candy planted her hands on her hips and he knew that her mind was made up.
“How about if they just park it there?”
They both turned and Squirrel flashed another brilliant smile.
Hank returned the smile. “She let you out of the hoosegow already?”
Squirrel shrugged and draped an arm around Candy’s shoulder. “I think she’s sweet on me.”
Candy stammered and spun away from the pair. “Don’t go getting fresh with me, sailor!” She pointed a finger in his face.
“You two can flirt later,” Henry interrupted. “But what if we did what he said? We could park that big box truck cattywampus on the road there. It would block easy access and the view.”
She turned back to Henry and sighed. “Bring the keys back with you.”
Squirrel smiled. “Not to say they couldn’t hotwire it, but who’d want to?” He turned to Candy again and flashed his smile. “Right?”
She groaned and marched off, waving them off with her hand. “Just get it done and get your ass back here.”
Hank slapped Wally on the shoulder. “Follow me in the pickup.”
The pair practically ran out of the warehouse and Squirrel spun a slow circle, taking in the setup. He was impressed by the number of people living under the steel roof. He saw kids running around, trying to be quiet as they played. Couples working together to either set up a type of home for their own or doing odd jobs.
He trotted after Candy and fell into step alongside her. “So…what can I do to make things better?”
She stopped and stared at him. “Make what all better?”
He raised a brow. “No, not all better, just…what can I do? Surely everyone has a job here.”
She inhaled deeply and shook her head. “If you really wanted to help, you’d find a way to send your friends packing. Keep them as far away from us as possible.”
Squirrel’s face fell, and his smile disappeared. He studied her a moment and realized, her biggest fear wasn’t losing any thing. It was allowing any of her people to come to harm. He swallowed hard and nodded. “I might can do something about that.”
She watched him spin and walk toward the staging area. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words refused to form. She didn’t like how flippant he could act, and she didn’t like the fact he rode with the marauders, but she didn’t want him to leave, either.
Truth be told, she thought he was very easy on the eyes. And as much as she hated to admit it, his smile disarmed her. She liked it when he smiled.
She sighed and took off after him. She would catch up with him and tell him to stay. To find the armory and get a rifle assigned to him. Work his way to the roof and keep a lookout for his friends. She would give him a berth deep in the warehouse…probably close to her own. So she could keep an eye on him, of course.
Maybe she’d let him sit by her during meals. Maybe they could talk more and get to know each other better. After all, they were the only two law officers here at the warehouse.
She rounded the corner, expecting him to be standing at the door, arguing with the guard. Instead, she saw the guard clicking the lock back into place.
“Where’s Roger?”
He turned and gave her a confused look. “Who?”
“The tall biker-looking guy? Roger.” She marched forward and held her hand out for the key.
“He, uh…just left. Said you sent him on a mission and…Hank and Wally said—”
“Just give me the damned keys!” She pushed her hand out farther to emphasize the command.
The guard fished in his pocket and pulled the lone key out. “He said you told him to—”
“I know what I said.” She fought with the lock and finally got it to pop. She handed the key back, then pulled the chain away. “I need to catch him before he does something stupid!”
She pulled the door open and felt her heart leap into her throat. She just caught the back of Roger’s jacket as he pulled the big motorcycle out of the staging area. He turned right and accelerated away.
She watched in horror as the gate guards pulled the chain link gate back into place and lock it with heavy chain. She felt her lower jaw tremble for a moment before she squared her shoulders.
“He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.” She let the steel door shut behind her and she walked slowly toward the chain link gate. She could still hear the exhaust from his motorcycle as it faded away. “He knows where we are.”
Chapter 3
The Humvee’s tires squawked as the rubber bit into the pavement and Hatcher knew the driver must really be pushing the machine. He leaned up in his seat and tapped Hollis on the shoulder. “Can’t you request another chopper to meet us somewhere?”
Hollis shook his head. “Radio won’t reach that far.”
“Do you intend to drive all the way to the coast?”
Hollis shrugged. “Until I can come up with a better plan, yes.”
Buck tapped the captain’s arm to get his attention over the drone of the diesel engine. “Are there any other bases nearby? Some place that has another helicopter?”
Hollis gave him a strained look. “Do you know how to fly one?” He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so harsh, but his tone sounded demeaning.
“How about a radio then?” Buck asked hopefully. “We could call for
