Page 103 of Dustwalker

“We need to leave.”

“You said that already.”

“Warlord knows you’re here, Lara.” He turned toward her to find the color drained from her face. “He doesn’t know it’s you, I don’t think, but that doesn’t matter. We have to gather everything that’s essential and get out of here.”

Ronin held up the smaller of the two coats and compared it to her body. It was still much too large, but it would be her only real protection from the unforgiving weather of the open wasteland.

She took the coat from him and hugged it to her chest. “Shouldn’t we at least wait until dark?”

“No.” Swinging the other coat on, he returned to the bed, picked up the pistol, holster and all, and offered it to her. “It needs to be now. We’ll cut through backyards until we have to cross the street, then swing south, through the slums, until we’re out of sight of the wall. Then we’ll head west.”

“What about the guards?”

“They’re only posted at the gates and the checkpoints on the main road. Most of the time.”

“And we’re going over the wall.”

He nodded and held the gun closer to her. “Take it.”

She closed her fingers around the holster and stared at it. “I’ll…go get ready.”

As she turned to walk away, Ronin caught her upper arm, drawing her back toward him. Stepping close, he cradled her face between his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. His immense relief at seeing her unharmed wouldn’t mean anything until Cheyenne was far behind him, but he could relish a single moment of togetherness, of her beauty.

“I’ll keep you safe, Lara Brooks.”

She smiled, her breath tickling his skin, and placed a hand on his forearm. “I know.”

“Pack as much food as you can. Focus on anything that’ll last more than a day or two. And fill as many containers as you can find with water.”

“Okay.” Lara withdrew from him and hurried out of the room.

He didn’t turn to his gear until she reached the staircase and exited his field of vision.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“Ready?” Ronin asked.

Lara tilted her head back to stare up at the wall. She’d only seen it from the outside, where the mismatched pieces somehow came together to form a sheer, imposing face that couldn’t be called pretty by any stretch. But this side was much worse. There’d been no attempt at uniformity. Pieces of metal sheeting and pipes jutted out of it in some places, wooden slats and chunks of concrete in others.

Seeing it so close, with light still in the sky, made the rest of the bot district uglier, like all its cleanliness was a mask hiding the rot and corruption underneath.

After cutting through alleys and backyards to avoid gearheads, this was supposed to be the easy part. But from here, the wall seemed more likely to collapse and crush her to death than support her weight.

Lara drew in a deep breath, released it slowly, and looked at Ronin. “I’m ready.”

He dropped to a knee and laced his fingers together near the ground. “I’ll pass up your bag once you’re on top.”

With a nod, she set her pack down and placed her booted foot on his hands. As he stood, she steadied herself by holding his shoulders. When he shifted to brace a hand beneath each of her feet and lift her higher, she used the wall for stability, trusting him more than she trusted her own balance.

The top of the wall was at her waist. She found handholds and liftedher leg over it, grateful for the padding of the coat as a metal edge pressed against her stomach. Gritting her teeth, she drew herself up until she was straddling the wall. The wind blew against her, lifting strands of her hair and making them dance on the air.

Ronin handed the bag up. She took it and settled it between her thighs. After checking the area behind him, he passed her the rifle, which she laid over the bag and held in place. Then, despite carrying two packs full of scrap, his belt of tools, spare ammunition, and another bag full of water containers, he climbed with no apparent difficulty.

The wall groaned as he neared the top. Lara sucked in a breath, hands tightening on the rifle.

When Ronin pulled himself up in front of her, a chunk of concrete broke off his last foothold, hitting the dirt below with a dullthump.

Lips lifting in a small smile, he met her gaze before scanning their surroundings. Lara did the same.