Page 145 of Dustwalker

“I did those things because I love you.”

Something in her expression softened. She placed her hand on his chest, fingers curling to grasp his coat. “You did things before you fell in love with me. Before you even knew what love was. What was your reason then?”

His processors fired through all the memories of his time with her. “You intrigued me. And…you seemed lost. On the verge of collapsing.”

“You helped me at my lowest point. Maybe some of your reasons were selfish, but not all of them. You could’ve demanded so much from me, could’ve turned me into your slave. But even before you loved me, you gave me food, shelter, and safety, and asked for so little in return.”

“Because I had an abundance of those things to offer.” As he spoke those words, the final variable in an unseen equation revealed itself, and he suddenly understood Lara’s anger.

It must’ve shown on his face, because she smiled softly and rested her forehead on his chest. “Warlord needs to be stopped, Ronin.”

“I don’t think these people will risk it, Lara, but I’ll help you try to convince them all the same.”

“Thank you.” She lifted her head, stood on her toes, and pressed her lips to his.

He leaned into the kiss, and an electric thrill pulsed over his skin. Lara wrapped her right arm around him and squeezed, only to suck in a sharp breath and step back. Lines of strain appeared around her mouth despite her smirk. “You’d think I would remember how much that hurts. Guess I just can’t resist.”

Ronin brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. She was still recovering, still delicate, and he missed holding her, missed the feeling of her body tucked against him, missed her warmth. His memories of those feelings were easily accessed, but they could never compare to truly feeling her body against his.

He took her hand in his. Slowly, they walked to the room in which he’d been questioned when they first arrived.

Lara was quiet as they entered the stockade. Though she’d probably never seen anything like it, Ronin got the sense that she knew what the cells were for. She gave them a single glance before diverting her gaze to the concrete floor.

The interrogation room was full when Ronin and Lara walked in. They sat next to each other in the only available seats, which were at the end of the table near the door. The base’s leadership stared at them, Colonel Rodriguez central amongst the group.

Lara didn’t release Ronin’s hand.

“Miss Brooks.” Rodriguez dipped his chin. “I imagine you’re acquainted with everyone here by now.”

Lara glanced around the room. “Yeah. Hi, Newton.” She raised her hand in greeting.

Newton mimicked the gesture, his face plates lifting into a smile. “Lara. You’re looking well.”

Rodriguez cleared his throat. “We’re not here for small talk. You grew up in Cheyenne, Brooks. That means I have questions, and you’re going to answer them.”

“You know, you technically all grew up in Cheyenne, too. So…you can answer them yourself.”

Several of the people around the table grinned, many of them quickly hiding their mouths behind their hands.

Rodriguez’s features darkened. “Stand-up comedy died when the bombs dropped.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“There used to be individuals called comedians who—” Newton began, but he was silenced by a glare from the Colonel.

That glare didn’t soften as Rodriguez shifted it to Lara. “I’m going to be direct, Miss Brooks. I’d appreciate it if you cut the shit.”

When she opened her mouth to respond, Ronin gave her hand a warning squeeze. He could guess the sorts of words that might’ve come out of her mouth, bristling with ‘f’s and hard consonants.

Lara looked at Ronin, pressed her lips together, and took a slow, deep breath before turning back to Rodriguez. “Ronin already told you more than I ever could about Cheyenne. His mind holds on to every detail. Unless you plan on going after Warlord, I don’t have anything to say to you.”

Multiple conversations began at once.

“Enough!” Rodriguez’s gaze roamed over the others, one at a time. “You’re all here as a formality. This is a matter of security, which by our laws places me in sole command.”

The heavy silence lasted for twenty-two seconds before Rodriguez returned his attention to Lara. “Warlord has been a potential threat to this facility for decades.” He splayed his hands on the table with deliberate slowness. “Any information we can gather about him may be vital to our continued safety and functionality. But I am curious, Miss Brooks, as to why you think we’d risk our people to go after him.He gave up searching this area many years ago, and he hasn’t caused us trouble since.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” she asked. “If there was a wild dog living next door to you, and every now and then it killed one of your neighbor’s kids, would you just ignore it because it hadn’t done anything to you and your children?”