Page 107 of Silas

Naomi is wide-eyed. “You look scary. Cool, but scary.”

“I guess that’s the idea,” I say.

I program two numbers into Naomi’s burner cell: mine, and Inez’s.

“If something comes up, call me,” I tell her, handing the cell to her; it’s a cheap off-brand smartphone. “If I can answer safely, I will. If I don’t answer after two rings, hang up and call Inez. Okay? And just because I don’t answer doesn’t mean something bad has happened me, it just means I can’t answer right then.”

“Two days,” she says.

“Two days,” I echo. “But I’ll be back before that.”

I pull a spare pistol from the bag, make sure there’s a new mag in it, and place a spare beside it on the bed. A knife. A flashlight. A cylindrical device with a handle and a ring: a flashbang.

Her eyes go even wider. “Silas, I don’t…”

“Fight. If you hear something outside, if you feel something’s wrong, you act on it. Listen to your instincts. Turn off the lights and stay away from doors and windows—if someone is about to breach, you get in that corner there.” I point to the corner parallel to the door. “If it’s me, I’ll knock on the door three times, like this—” I rap my knuckles on the side table,KNOCK…KNOCKKNOCK. “If it’s not that exact pattern, it’s not me. You do whatever it takes to stay safe, okay? Listen to your instincts.”

“Okay, Silas.”

“Last thing. If you point a gun at a human, you have to be willing to pull the trigger. And if you do that, you shoot to kill. If it’s feeling like you have to shoot, don’t hesitate. Okay? And just know that no matter what happens, even if the worst happens and you get captured, I’ll find you. I’ll break my vow to save you, if that’s what I have to do.”

“Silas…”

I shake my head, touch her lips to silence her. “I’m just covering everything, because I can’t know what might happen. I want you to be prepared.”

She nods, nips my finger. “I understand.”

I kiss her, a hard slow kiss, tongues dancing, before I reluctantly pull away. “I love you,” I whisper.

“I love you too,” she murmurs back. She pushes me away, then, tugging the blanket up to her neck, and then up over her mouth and nose with the edge. “Go.Go. I’m fine.”

She’s crying.

“Dammit, Naomi.” I shut my eyes and clench my fists, wanting nothing so much as to strip back down and climb in bed with her and stay there forever. “You make it hard to leave.”

She throws herself back into the pillows and pulls the blankets over her face completely. “Silas, justgo. I’m okay. Don’t look at me. Just go.”

I head for the door, but I can’t help pausing on the threshold and turning to look back. She’s sat back up, letting the blanket pool around her waist, breasts bare and high and proud and beautiful; Naomi is watching me leave, tears trickling down unheeded.

The last thing I see before I force myself to close the door and walk away is her smile: tender, bright, and brave, even as she cries.

I suppose this is how warriors have felt since time immemorial, as they leave their women to go to war.

I just hope this war can be won without having to spill any more blood.

I toss the gear bags into the back of the SUV, climb behind the wheel, and drive away.

One thought pounds in my brain as I head for Malik’s property:

I love her.

warrior queen

Naomi

Sleep is slow in coming, and doesn’t stay long. This is the first time I’ve been truly alone for more than a few minutes since I snuck out of the compound.

I feel like a different person.