Page 112 of Fighting With Light

“I’ll go get us something to eat,” Emerson says.

We watch them leave, and I roll up the other maps. We have about six hours to kill before we need to go.

The tension between us is building and it’s not the fun kind. It’s the tension that when it breaks, it could be catastrophic. It’s the telltale calm before the storm. You know it’s coming, and you can do nothing but take it as it comes because it’s out of your control.

After we eat, Aelia and I lie down to nap before we go. I have a feeling we won’t be sleeping for the next twenty-four hours, and I still have a world championship surfing title to win.

***

We pack up quickly and quietly. I check the room three times and we take our things out to the truck. Emerson took our suitcases and my surfboard to the jet earlier. All we have are backpacks and guns. When Emerson dropped off our stuff earlier, Aelia looked at my Bowie knife, and I offered it to her. She rolled her eyes and zipped up her hoodie, then snatched it from my hands and fastened it to her leg in the thigh holster next to her pistol.

Emerson and Kai are in the front, while Aelia and I sit in the back. I have the map helping us navigate out of the city and towards the mountain cook site. We’re on a long stretch of road, and everyone is silent and focused. I grab Aelia’s waistband and drag her across the seat to me and lean into her ear.

“I like seeing my knife on your thigh like that.”

She smiles and whispers, “I think you’d like what I can do with it more.”

I kiss her cheek and glance in the rearview mirror. Kai meets my eyes and I toss him a wink. “You’re right, princess. I’d love to see what you can do with that knife.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and her eyebrow ticks up.

“Don’t do anything stupid tonight, okay?” Aelia whispers.

I nod and grip her thigh. “I should be saying the same to you.”

Her eyebrow ticks up, and the look in her eyes is full of trouble. I growl and nip her bottom lip. “Behave, my brothers, are present.”

“Yes, we are. We’re approaching ten kilometers, Liam, right or left?” Emerson says.

I flip the flashlight on and look at the map again. “Right in three and then four up.”

He nods and pushes the truck harder. It’s getting darker, and the further we go, the less I see other vehicles, people, or homes.

We travel for another hour and pull to the spot where we’ll leave the truck and take the five kilometers or three miles to the location.

Emerson parks the truck, and we gather limbs and branches to help camouflage it.

“We’re going to need to move quickly and silently. Got it,Liam?” Emerson says.

I roll my eyes and flash him a grin. “Don’t worry, Emmy, I’ve got it covered. I know how to go into ninja mode.” He rolls his eyes and levels his stare on Aelia.

“Can you keep up?” he asks her.

“This will be the last time you underestimate a woman,” she says.

The corner of his mouth tips up, and I almost fall over at the sight. The last time I saw him smile was at Kai and Cordi’s wedding—thefirstone.

“I’m not underestimating a woman, Aelia. Our mother is one of the strongest people I know and I’m well aware of what she’s capable of. This has nothing to do with you being a woman and everything to do with who you are.”

“It’s a little late to be asking these questions now, isn’t it, Emerson?” she asks him.

“Answer the question then,” he says.

“I can keep up. You don’t have to worry about me.” He takes a long look at her and dips his chin.

“Can we get on with this? I want to go home to my wife and son,” Kai grumbles.

“Yeah, I’ll be honest. I’d like to be here for as little time as possible,” I mutter.

Emerson grabs his compass and the map I have. From here, Emerson will lead us. He was always better at terrain navigation than the rest of us.