Page 28 of The Last True Hero

Faint shadows swept through his eyes. "Two days ago I was heading north and we were never going to see each other again."

"In two days we might have Sage back and you'll be heading north again," she countered.

"It's not the same."

Mia pushed away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. Bloody men—running hot and cold. "Oh? What changed?"

McClain's face twisted in that stubborn scowl she was beginning to recognize. "It doesn't matter, Mia. This is not happening, not now. Maybe in a few days.... Come and talk to me then. Maybe you wouldn't regret it, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't. I hate the idea of taking advantage of your grief, regardless of whether you think I would be or not. I like you," he said bluntly. "A lot. And you're going through a bad time right now.

"If you want a shoulder to cry on, then I'm here. If you want a hug, all you have to do is ask. But I'm not taking things any damned further until I know you're in the right frame of mind."

Mia stared at him wordlessly.

He held out his hand to her. "Let's get back to the others. I want to check that shoulder out. You took a nasty hit.”

She barely felt it. Maybe only peripherally, though she knew tomorrow would be a bitch. "I'm okay."

"Just let me fuss," he told her. "It makes me feel better."

Fine. Mia settled with a huff. Exhaustion was starting to ride her shoulders. "I didn't realize you were such an old woman."

"It drove my sister crazy."

"I can empathize."

McClain smiled. It faded suddenly, as though he'd thought of something else. "You also need sleep. Tomorrow we're going after your sister and we need all the advantages we can get, because I don't think Thwaites and his men will be coming with us."

The words were like a shock of icy water to the face. "What?"

"Some of the men are wounded, Mia. Others... well they've got loved ones to look after now."

And they'd want to take their girls and the young boys home. She completely understood, even as her heart ached. How were they going to get Sage and the other girls back now?

"Jake and I got our hands on a live reiver. We need to ask him a few more questions, but he told us enough. Whoever was leading this company rode out five hours ago. We can't catch up, not at night, and several of the others who still have missing girls are injured, including Jenny."

"Jenny's injured?" Her head began to clear.

"Not that she's admitting it," he replied, "but she's limping. Badly. That was why I came to get you. I wanted to see if you were hurting too."

"It's nothing I can't handle." Everything faded. Lust. Pain. Heartache. Mia started thinking again. "Where are they taking the girls?"

McClain must have seen her shutter away her emotions. "We don't know." His voice darkened. "Yet."

Yet.

But someone did.