should. We can always check out a couple." Lainey says, with a soft smile on her face.
With a concrete plan in place, we start searching for country doctor’s offices and a means to get gas. The truck is running low on fuel once again. The night stretches on in front of us, but giving Gage his meds and a drink of water every two hours breaks up the monotony.
"Tessa, are you doing ok? You've been so quiet." I ask, turning to face her.
"I'm scared, Mak. Scared we can't find gas. Scared we can't find meds to help Gage. I seem to constantly be afraid." She says as she wipes tears from her eyes.
Gathering her in my arms, I hold her tight until she eases into a deep sleep. I am essentially her mother now and that scares the shit out of me.
I wake with a start sometime later and see that the truck is pulled into a small doctor’s office, Blu and Logan are gone. Shaking Lainey, I sit up. "I'm going to kick Blu's ass. He knows I don't want him going into these places." I say furiously.
The truck is off and the doors are locked, but we were left defenseless inside with us all asleep. "What the hell is running through their minds? Anything could happen." I am so mad, I could actually spit.
"Look." Lainey says, gesturing to the office door. Blu is standing there with his gun in his hand and I can just make out a shadow in the interior of the office. Logan is rummaging through the office.
Sliding Tessa over beside Gage, I jump out of the truck, stretching my arms high over my head. Once I was stretch sufficiently, my arms automatically fall to the Glock at my side, then to my dad's dog tags. I want to berate Blu, but I know it wouldn't solve anything so I stand there, watching our surroundings.
"Lainey, get your ass in here I may need you to tell me what to grab." I hear Logan yell.
Searching the perimeter of the office, I notice for the first time that it is situated in the middle of a small town. In the parking area a blue Land Rover, which I assume once belonged the doctor who owned the place, sits. It will make a great second vehicle if we can find the keys and, if after two years, it will start. A layer of dust covers the top and sides.
"Logan, look for a set of keys in there, too. They may be with the occupant of the building, though." I yell out across the parking lot.
"As far as I can tell the occupant isn't here anymore. I'll search through his or her office though." He says, walking through another door.
Several minutes tick by before he walks out and tosses a set of keys to me. "Try it." He says grinning.
Sure enough, the keys unlock the SUV. Stepping up to the seat I try the engine. It turns over, but doesn't start. Jumping down from the seat, I run around and lift the hood. My dad wanted his girl to know about everything from guns to motors, so he taught me everything he knew. It was like he wanted his only child to be able to take care of herself if the world fell apart around us. So, here I stand looking at the motor, thinking what I can try to get it working. First I think the wiring so I check the coil wire, then the spark plugs.
"Logan can you come over and try starting her up?" I ask as I lift each spark plug, cleaning and replacing them down the line.
"Seriously, you can fix cars, too?" He asks as he steps up into the SUV. A quizzical smile on his face.
"Well, yeah. My dad didn't waste my education on girly crap." I say as I replace the last plug. Twirling my fingers in the air as a sign for him to try it. The engine turns over instantly. Jumping up and down, I know we’re set as long as there is gas in it.
Slamming the hood, I hear feet walking up behind me and I rapidly grab for my Glock. I turn to see Lainey and Blu standing there, surprise written across their faces.
"Sorry, two years of being on my own has trained me to be cautious." I say with a shrug.
Smiling slightly, Blu says, "That's why I know we can
Learning to Kill: Stories