He abandoned pursuit of the armadillo and spun in her direction. “Gwen Montgomery? What the hell are you doing out here?”
“I could ask you the same thing!” Gwen was so relieved to see a familiar face, she thought about hugging him. But when she closed the gap between them, she realized he smelled worse than usual, so she kept her arms at her sides.
“I've been out here for two whole days, Gwen,” Nicky told her. “I'm already going crazy out here. I'm not kidding. I'm really, really losing my mind. The other day, I talked to a buzzard that wasn't even there. If it's not bad enough that I talked to a buzzard... the damn thing was invisible. I made up an imaginary friend for myself. If I'm already succumbing to madness on day two, I've got to ask myself... what am I going to be like on day four? Five? Ten!”
Ignoring his wild-eyed rant, Gwen pointed at the cactus in his hands. “How are you not getting poked by spines?”
“Oh. I removed all the little pokers with this.” Nicky pulled the dirtiest, rustiest knife from the back pocket of his breeches. “I found it on a dead man a little ways from here. Well... it wasn't a dead man so much as it was a big pile of bones. I didn't think he'd miss it. And... oh!” From another pocket, Nicky pulled out a pointed stick. “I used the knife to make this. I just kept whittling it down and whittling it down until I made something decent... and then, believe it or not, I used this stick to kill a jackrabbit. Flynn wouldn't have been very happy with me... he's a big lover of animals, you know. But I needed something to eat, and that rabbit was awfully good, if I do say so myself.”
Gwen wasn't sure how to reply to Nicky's mad monologue, so she responded with a perplexed, “Umm...”
“There's a cave near those hills over there.” Nicky pointed in the appropriate direction. “That's where I've been living. There's also a lot of prickly pears near there, and believe it or not, those aren't bad to eat. It was Josiah Cole who taught me how to prepare those prickly pear pads. I guess I learned something from him. He's not all bad. God, what I wouldn't give for him to suddenly appear in front of us right now! Jo could get us out of the desert. I'm sure of it.”
“I was just with Jo,” Gwen said. “Jo and Carol. They got Pat out of jail and escaped on a train.”
“Seriously?” Nicky's voice went sharp. “My brother's out of jail now?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well... shit. That's real good news.” Nicky sank to the ground and turned his eyes toward the heavens. “After everything I've been through, I needed some good news.”
Gwen sat beside him and hugged her knees to her chest. “I've been through a lot lately too. My... my father just got blown up in front of me.”
Nicky's eyebrows shot up, etching wrinkles across his forehead. “What? Blown up?”
“Yeah. We were in a motocarriage, trying to chase after Jo and Carol. But the carriage broke down, so he had to stop and fix it... and then one of Emperor Ju-long's airships flew by and blew him up. It blew up... everybody. It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen. The desert was painted in their blood. If I close my eyes, I can still see it.”
“Damn.” Nicky wasn't sure she would welcome a hug, but he needed to show sympathy somehow, so he reached over to squeeze her shoulder. “That's awful, Gwen. I'm really sorry about that. About your dad and... everything.”
“I'm going to miss him,” Gwen said as her body was rocked by a shudder. “We weren't as close as a father and daughter could be, but I know he loved me. He was probably the only person in the world who actually cared. There's no one else I can turn to. I have suitors, but no one really gives a damn about me. Josiah and Carol didn't. If I disappeared from the face of the planet, no one would notice.”
“I'd notice.”
“Would you?”
“Sure.” Nicky nodded. “If you suddenly disappeared, how could I not notice? One minute we'd be chatting, and the next minute you'd be gone. I'd think you were like that buzzard and I made you up in my head.”
Gwen's face dove into the palm of her hand, where she sighed and moaned. “You don't understand, Nicky.”
“I don't?”
“I'm not talking about actually disappearing in a puff of smoke!” Gwen tried to explain how she felt, even though it was probably useless. Nicky had the expression of a confused puppy. “I mean... if I no longer existed, no one would care. I'm not important enough to be missed.”
“That isn't true!” Nicky exclaimed. “I'd miss you!”
“No. You wouldn't.”
“I sure would!” He tapped a thumb against his bare, sunburned chest. “Nicky Gunn would always be sad if a pretty girl disappeared from the world.”
“Ugh!” Gwen leapt from the ground and shook her fists. Nicky was so thick, it was infuriating. How could he not understand her? “I don't want to be just some pretty girl! I want to be cared about! Don't you get it? My father cared about me, and now I've got nobody! No one in the world would shed a tear for me if I suddenly vanished. Do you know how heartbreaking that is?”
Nicky leaned back on his elbows and stared into the burnt orange sky, colored by a setting sun. “Well, for what it's worth, no one gives a damn about me either.”
“That's not true. You've got your brother.”
“I care about Pat more than Pat cares about me. Pat only cares about Pat.” Like his brother, Nicky knew he could be a bit self-absorbed, but he didn't want to draw Gwen's attention to that particular character flaw.
“You've got Flynn and Josiah.”
“Not really.” Nicky protested with a shrug. “I think I'm more of a burden on those boys.”
After a brief pause, Gwen made an unexpected suggestion. “Well then... maybe... from this day forward, you and I can have each other? What do you think about that, Nicky Gunn?”
“I think it tickles my heart to think you could actually care about me.” His upper lip twitched ever so slightly, into something that resembled a smile. “You caring about me would be a dream come true, actually.”
“It would?”
“Sure. To be honest, you'd probably be the first pretty girl who ever cared about Nicky Gunn.”
“Why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person, Nicky Gunn?”
“I don't know. Maybe it's 'cause I really like the name Nicky Gunn.”
Gwen could feel her nose flickering into a sneer. She and Nicky were as different as two people could possibly be, but she was desperate for a friend. At the moment, he was her only option.
“If you'd like...” Nicky started, “you can come live with me in my cave.”
“Nicky...” Gwen dragged a hand over her face. If nothing else, the bottomless buffoonery that spilled from his lips was somewhat amusing. “Why are you living in a cave? Have you accepted this as your new reality? Why aren't you trying to find your way to the nearest town?”
“I dunno.” Nicky shrugged. “The cave's not bad, and like I said, there are lots of prickly pears near there. At least I wouldn't go hungry.”
“But do you want to live in the middle of the desert?”
“Not especially, no.”
“You said it yourself. It's day two, and you're already half-crazy!”
“Half-crazy is still half-sane,” Nicky chimed in with a smirk.
“Alright, but shouldn't you try to find your way back to civilization before you're completely insane?”
“I guess so.” In the time they talked, stars emerged and peppered the sky. On such a blistering day in the desert, a star-laden sky promised better temperatures for traveling on foot. It was the perfect time to search for a nearby city. Nicky should have been happy, but he was frowning. With a heavy sigh, he added, “I sure will miss that cave, though. And those prickly pears. They were tastier than you'd think.”
Fourteen
After the disastrous invasion of her bath time by Flynn and Nicky Gunn, Jun learned her lesson. When she stripped out of her clothes, she didn't remove her undergarments; instead, she tried to wash around them. Flynn bought a ba
r of soap and a suitable washrag during a supply run to Busybee, and because Jun liked to be clean, she immediately snatched it from his hand and raced to the nearest water source. Flynn wasn't far away, but he wasn't close enough to see her. Even though he spied on her once, she trusted him to keep his distance. Lately, he had proven himself to be an honorable man.
Jun worked the rag into a lather and scrubbed under her arms. The water was crystal clear—so clear that she could see her reflection on its shimmering surface. A rare breeze rustled the branches of nearby junipers, and a wealth of clouds blocked out the sun, wrapping the world in pleasant shade. Jun picked an ideal moment for a bath. If not for the water bug skipping along the pond's surface, the setting might have been perfect.
Jun submerged her feet in the water and wiggled her toes. The cool, clear water soothed her skin. For the first time in ages, she let her guard down and enjoyed the moment.
Of course, lasting peace was too good to be true. Had she been paying attention to her surroundings, she might have heard the snapping twig, or the ragged breaths of the man who approach from behind. As soon as she felt his arms slipping around her waist, she screamed, “Flynn!”
“Quiet!” the man hissed as he hauled her from the water. “I'm taking you back to Prince Feng. If you're smart, you won't struggle. You won't--”
Flynn was on him in a flash. He raced over the hill so fast, he might as well have been challenging the speed of light. Before her assailant could utter another word, Flynn grabbed him by the hair, pulled him away from Jun, dragged him backward and smashed his face on a nearby boulder.
“You thought you'd attack her while I'm away?” Flynn's eyes glowed with madness as he roared into the man's ear. Jun's attacker spit out his front tooth, but Flynn had no sympathy for him. He slammed his face into the boulder a second time, obliterating his nose. “No one touches her. Do you understand? No one.”
“I'm sorry.” When the man spoke, blood bubbled from his lips, and a second tooth tumbled from his mouth. “Please don't kill me. I'm sorry.”
“I'm not going to kill you. I need you to deliver a message.” Flynn shoved the man's body over the boulder, yanked his arms behind his back, and tied his wrists so tightly, the rope chewed into his flesh. “I need you to return to your master. Tell Prince Feng he's a fool to follow us. If he keeps this up, I'm going to kill him. And if he's ever dumb enough to challenge me again, he should send more than one man.” Flynn lifted his unwilling messenger from the boulder and kicked him away from Jun's pond. “Tell him!”
“I will, sir!” the man squeaked “I will!”
“And you better run!” Flynn raised his revolver and pulled back on the hammer. “If you aren't out of my sight by the time Jun finishes putting her clothes on, you're getting a bullet in the back of the head.”
Jun's arms were already through the sleeves of her shirt. When her attacker realized she was already half-dressed, he screamed and fled.
“Flynn...” Jun didn't speak until all of her clothes were back on her body. “Thanks.”
They were alone again, so Flynn reluctantly holstered his gun. “No problem.”
“I cause so much trouble for you,” Jun lamented. “So much. You just need to leave me behind. You need to--”
“That's not going to happen,” Flynn interrupted. His blue eyes were half-hidden under a hat he bought in Busybee. The dark brown cowboy hat was a good match for his coat, which was tan, leather, and covered in useless buckles. “Unless you can't stand to be around me, you're stuck with me.”
“No, I like your company. I just don't want to be the source of all your problems. If I wasn't around, you wouldn't have to keep watching your back.”
“If you weren't around, I'd be worrying about you all the time. If you weren't around, I'd be... miserable.” Fearing he revealed too much, Flynn turned in the direction of their motocarriage. “Like I said, you're stuck with me.”
Jun silently followed him to their vehicle, which they had turned into a makeshift home. In the motocarriage's interior, they had blankets, pillows, books, cookware, eating utensils, and toiletries. Their mobile residence was hardly perfect, but after spending a few maddening days in Prince Feng's prison, it felt like luxury accommodations to Jun. As Flynn handed her into the carriage, her lips dipped into a frown. Flynn was a good companion and loyal friend, and what was she to him? She had become his burden. No matter how many times he insisted on staying with her, she couldn't stop thinking he was better off without her. When they were in Busybee, she briefly thought about slipping away and leaving him behind, but she couldn't. She needed him. Jun didn't want to go back to being alone. For that reason, she was determined to cling to Flynn Cole as long as she could, even if she was the thorn in his side.
“We should probably get away from the area. We wouldn't want that idiot to return with reinforcements.” Flynn closed the carriage door and spoke through the window. “I think I'll head further west... unless you have a better idea?”
“That sounds fine with me.” Jun had no idea where they were or how to get anywhere, so she was happy to let Flynn make all decisions relating to their destination. “I think I'll sit back here and read... unless I start to feel sick again.”
Flynn's brow was drawn with concern. “You're sick?”
“No. But if I try to read while the motocarriage is moving, I tend to get a little queasy.”
“Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.” As he stepped away from the window, he added, “I'll try not to keep us moving for too long.”
Flynn drove the motocarriage for a little over forty minutes, then he parked where they would have shade in the morning. He hopped down from the driver's seat and prepared dinner, which consisted of canned peaches and beans, with a bit of pork on the side. Jun's telltale sneer let him know she was tired of beans, so he promised her potatoes the next day.
Every once in awhile, Jun still talked about Josiah. Even though his brother was potentially dead, Flynn envied him. One day, he hoped Jun's eyes would light up when she talked about him, in the same way they lit up when Josiah's name was mentioned. Flynn wanted her to care for him as he cared for her. He wanted to be so much more than her protector and friend.
“You know... I'm really glad you can talk to me now,” Jun said between bites of beans. “When you were shy around me, I thought it was cute, but I wanted to get to know you better.”
“I'm still shy,” confessed a blushing Flynn. “It... takes some time for me to open up to people. Especially women.” Especially you, Jun, his mind added.
“Well, I'm glad you opened up to me,” Jun told him. “You've become... important to me.”
Flynn's ears tingled at her words. It was hardly the admission of love he so desperately wanted, but it was a step in the right direction.
After dinner, Jun returned to the motocarriage and read until she was too tired to stay awake. Flynn stayed under the canopy of stars, searching for constellations. He would have rather stayed at Jun's side, but he wasn't sure how much she wanted his constant company.
A few minutes shy of midnight, Flynn crawled into the carriage and laid in the seat across from Jun. It was a little like having a pair of twin beds, albeit uncomfortable and narrow beds. Still, it was preferable to sleeping outside, and it kept the bugs away.
When he laid down, he assumed she was asleep—until he heard her voice.
“I'm afraid sometimes, Flynn,” Jun quietly admitted. “I'm afraid to fall asleep. I'm afraid someone will show up... hurt you... and drag me back to Prince Feng.”
“It's alright. You're alright. Nothing bad's going to happen as long as you're with me.” Despite his reassuring reply, Flynn cradled his rifle in his arms. It never left his side, even when he slept. He never knew when he might need it. “I promise.”
“But can you really promise that?” Every time Jun closed her eyes at night, she was haunted by images of Quan with a bullet in his head. She was haunted by the image of her uncle, who died while trying to protect her.
She was haunted by images of Josiah Cole's severed arm. Every time something bad happened, it happened because of her. Knowing that, how could she let herself rest? How could she continue to put Flynn at risk? She felt selfish.
“I can promise it,” Flynn calmly reassured her. “You'll be safe with me, I swear.”
Bolstered by his confidence, Jun fell asleep and slipped into a dream. At first, she dreamt of Josiah, reading to her in a field of wildflowers. Halfway into the dream, Josiah turned into Flynn, who cuddled a fox—Jun's favorite animal—on his lap. Finally, Flynn morphed into a scowling Prince Feng, turning her sweet dream into a nightmare.
Flynn allowed himself a few hours of rest, though his sleep was much lighter than Jun's. If there was trouble, he wanted to be ready, so he kept this rifle on his chest. The gun's cold barrel was pressed against his cheek as he slumbered.
Slender purple clouds twisted across the starry sky as twilight took hold. In the earliest hours of dawn, Flynn was shaken from sleep by the roar of an approaching motocarriage. Never one to hesitate, he flew from the carriage's interior, hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine.
“Shuchun Jun!”
When he heard someone shouting her name, Flynn muttered an array of curses. And when he realized there were two motocarriages trailing after them, a few more curses slipped out. An encounter was inevitable, so he slowed his speed and waited for his enemy to close their distance.
“Shuchun Jun... it's Feng!” The prince's booming voice was magnified by an audio amplifying device. “We know you're in there! We don't want to hurt you, but if you don't pull over your vehicle, we will open fire!”
Flynn sharply turned the motocarriage, forcing both of his pursuers to turn with him. For his own amusement, he wanted to see if they'd copy his every move. “Just a little closer...” he whispered to himself. “You're almost there.”
“I'll give you to the count of ten!” Prince Feng screamed. “You have ten seconds to halt your motocarriage. Do you understand?”
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