Page 59 of Breadwinner
“You should be really proud of yourself, Wren. It took a lot of bravery to ask for what you needed. I know I’m proud of you.”
“I am.” Wren smiled weakly as Sarah gave her shoulders one last squeeze, then they slid into the back of the car waiting for them.
The next morning, the jet Nell had arranged for her landed at a tiny airstrip in the middle of the Nevada desert. She looked out the window, wondering where the hell Nell had flown her, but at this point, she had enough trust in Nell to go with it rather than follow her usual impulse to ask questions.
She stepped out of the aircraft and onto the tarmac before laughing at the sight of Nell, who was leaning against the hood of a lavender-colored Lamborghini Aventador.
“This is so unnecessary,” Sarah said, smiling at Nell.
“Who said it’s for you? I like fast cars. And besides, isn’t the color beautiful?” She watched as Nell ran an elegant finger across the hood of the car. “I had it custom-made as a gift to myself. Purple is my favorite color.” Nell pushed off the hood, then leaned in to Sarah and placed a swift kiss on each of her cheeks. “How was the flight? Were you well taken care of?”
“You know you always take care of me.”
“I know, but I like hearing you say it. Come. We’ve got an errand to run,” she said coyly.
“An errand? Is that why you flew me out here, to the middle of nowhere, instead of directly to Vegas?”
“Guilty,” Nell said, before popping the hood of the car, revealing the trunk. She reached out, taking the suitcase from her. Nell was nothing short of chivalrous. She closed the hood with a dazzling smile that stretched wide as she pulled her sunglasses down. “Let’s ride.” Her grin was almost criminal, but it was a look Sarah had come to know well—one Nell showed only when she was most pleased in watching her plans unfold perfectly.
Sarah slid into the passenger seat, taking in the custom lavender leather interior and quickly recalling the last time she had been in a fast car with Nell. Heat spread through her at the thought.
“You wanted clarity about what to expect when we’re together,” Nell said, as she fastened her seatbelt. Sarah did the same.
The engine purred to life beneath them as Nell pulled out of the hangar and onto a two-lane highway, taking them deeper into the desert.
“I told you I would make this trip worth your while. Don’t worry, that still stands true. But for the next few hours, it’s just you and me—two friends going on a desert adventure.” Nell took a hard left-hand turn, accelerating quickly. The force of the maneuver caused Sarah to lean farther back in her seat. “Tonight, however, I will need you to be on yourbestbehavior for me.”
Yeah. There was never a dull moment with Nell, and that only made Sarah smile even more.
After a quick pull-off at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere that Nell insisted on stopping at for “the best peach pie in Nevada”—and it really did live up to the hype—they got back on the road. The sun hung heavy in the sky above the desert, casting long shadows across the rocks.
Neither said much for the next twenty minutes. The silence felt like a breath of fresh air, one long, deep inhale as she settled into the contentment of being in Nell’s aura. She stole a look at Nell, her signature long dark hair secured in a fishtail braid, but that hadn’t stopped little wispy strands from escaping to frame her high cheekbones.
“I can feel you staring,” Nell said, as she made another unexpected turn, this time into a cluster of nondescript storage units surrounded by nothing but desert and a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire.
“I was thinking how much I like it when you have your hair braided like this.” Sarah reached over and picked up the end of Nell’s braid, her fingers grazing her collarbone with the slightest touch. Sarah was pushing a boundary. She was aware of that, but she couldn’t help herself. “You had it the same way at Thanksgiving.”
Sarah let the end of the braid fall from her fingers as Nell pulled the car to a stop in front of a gate. She glanced around the lot, confused.
“This is now the second time you’ve driven me to somewhere mildly sketchy in one of your fancy cars. Is this a pastime of yours I should be aware of? Or is this the part where you reveal you’re one of those billionaire doomsday preppers with a bunker full of freeze-dried food and gold bars?”
Nell didn’t laugh; simply keyed in a code at the gate.
“I personally wouldn’t use the wordprepper, but yes,” Nell said, “and it would be naive of me not to be.”
Sarah blinked in disbelief. “Wait—are you serious? I was joking.”
“Deadly serious,” Nell said plainly. “Money buys you access to all sorts of things. Information is one of them. Once you know the things I do, you stop assuming everything will always be fine,and you start planning for when it’s not. You know how I hate to be unprepared.”
The gate clicked open, and Nell drove inside.
“Forty-two, forty-two... ah, here we are,” Nell mumbled to herself, pulling the car to a stop. “You live in one of the most geologically unstable regions in the United States,” she continued, stepping out of the vehicle. “Your region is susceptible to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, and you’re telling me you’re not prepared for any of that? Those are only the environmental concerns. Don’t get me started on supply chain collapse, civil unrest, and the ever-looming possibility of a rapid descent into fascism.”
Nell’s eyes narrowed, and Sarah stepped out of the car. “I’m sorry. I’m just—” She laughed slightly at the absurdity of this conversation. “You have a survival stash?”
“Several,” Nell said, pulling open the unit’s metal door. Inside was a pristine, air-conditioned space. Industrial shelves stood stacked with neatly labeled crates, sealed drums, and sleek containers. Medical kits. Water filtration systems. Emergency comms gear. A few weapons. Solar tech. Even a satellite phone mounted on the wall.
Sarah took it in, her lips parting slightly. “Jesus.”