in front of them which had come to a full stop. A line of relief aid trucks snaked through the debris field. "Checkpoint," Colin said unnecessarily.
"What time is the reception?" Jess unsnapped her holster and fingered the pistol as she watched the soldiers interrogate the workers two trucks in front of them.
"Keep your mouth shut and don't argue with anything they say," Colin commanded.
"What do you mean?"
A soldier, who was more boy than man, tapped his rifle on Colin's window. "Purpose," he asked in a sing-songy lilting, almost lyrical, voice. His skin was the color of a mahogany wood bowl polished to a brilliant shine that her mother had purchased years ago when they'd been on vacation. Her mother loved that bowl and it was a permanent decoration on their kitchen table.
"We delivered seed packets and water purification tablets," Colin replied evenly.
"Tablets?" The soldier raised his eyebrows and the whites of his eyes were ultra-bright in the deep brown of his gaunt face. "They all gone?"
"Just about."
"Show me."
Colin got out of the truck cautiously and walked around to the back. He lifted the gate that had covered the transportable boxes of seed bags and the packets of water purification tablets which were like gold in a country with a nearly destroyed infrastructure. The back was mostly empty, and held only the detritus from the packaging, crumpled shrink wrap and flattened boxes.
"How about a little something for me family?"
Colin reached into a pocket on his shorts and handed several seed packets and tablets to the soldier.
As Jess sat tight in the cab of the truck, an unsettling tension gripped her stomach. Colin seemed fine as he joked with the soldier. But somehow she knew that he was concerned. And the fact that she could intuit that he was concerned was a whole other issue. She was completely in tune with him.
Which was kind of freaking her out. She didn't get in tune with people. If anything, she was mostly out of tune. She never quite fit.
Except she'd felt un undeniable connection with him since London. A preternatural communion that defied logic. She could sense his edginess, even though his smile was loose and easy as he closed the truck bed and sauntered loose-hipped and casual back to the driver's side of the truck.
The soldier opened Jess's door and gestured for her to get out. She could practically feel the tension vibrating off Colin but his smile was relaxed and his hands were draped casually over the steering wheel as if he didn't have a care in the world. The young soldier dug through the glove box and peered under the seat.
She was glad she had listened to Colin and hid the Remington in the compartment in the dash. Otherwise she had a feeling that it would be the now be the property of the Port-du-Bois military. Or at the very least, the soldier in front of her. Jess tensed as he came close to the hidden compartment, but he seemed to miss the seam in the faded plastic dash. And finally he gestured for her to get back in.
The soldier waved them through.
Colin was silent.
She finally couldn't stand it anymore. "What's wrong?"
He tilted his head and cocked a perfectly-sculpted pale brown eyebrow. She was amazed at how well-groomed he appeared. She knew he hadn't had a real shower in two or three days, only cleaning off with baby wipes. And the heat during the day was not conducive to staying cool or clean. Not to mention sleeping in canvas tents on cots barely a foot off the dirt and debris strewn ground made for a very dusty rest.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" he asked.
She wasn't about to admit that she felt connected to him. "Just answer."
"The checkpoint going back into the city is unusual."
"How so?"
"If the government is worried about intelligence gathering visitors, the checks are conducted in the morning as the relief trucks are going into the distribution area. Not after everything has been handed out." He glanced into the rearview mirror and frowned.
"What time is the reception?" Jess unsnapped her holster and fingered the pistol as she watched the soldiers interrogate the workers two trucks in front of them.
"Keep your mouth shut and don't argue with anything they say," Colin commanded.
"What do you mean?"
A soldier, who was more boy than man, tapped his rifle on Colin's window. "Purpose," he asked in a sing-songy lilting, almost lyrical, voice. His skin was the color of a mahogany wood bowl polished to a brilliant shine that her mother had purchased years ago when they'd been on vacation. Her mother loved that bowl and it was a permanent decoration on their kitchen table.
"We delivered seed packets and water purification tablets," Colin replied evenly.
"Tablets?" The soldier raised his eyebrows and the whites of his eyes were ultra-bright in the deep brown of his gaunt face. "They all gone?"
"Just about."
"Show me."
Colin got out of the truck cautiously and walked around to the back. He lifted the gate that had covered the transportable boxes of seed bags and the packets of water purification tablets which were like gold in a country with a nearly destroyed infrastructure. The back was mostly empty, and held only the detritus from the packaging, crumpled shrink wrap and flattened boxes.
"How about a little something for me family?"
Colin reached into a pocket on his shorts and handed several seed packets and tablets to the soldier.
As Jess sat tight in the cab of the truck, an unsettling tension gripped her stomach. Colin seemed fine as he joked with the soldier. But somehow she knew that he was concerned. And the fact that she could intuit that he was concerned was a whole other issue. She was completely in tune with him.
Which was kind of freaking her out. She didn't get in tune with people. If anything, she was mostly out of tune. She never quite fit.
Except she'd felt un undeniable connection with him since London. A preternatural communion that defied logic. She could sense his edginess, even though his smile was loose and easy as he closed the truck bed and sauntered loose-hipped and casual back to the driver's side of the truck.
The soldier opened Jess's door and gestured for her to get out. She could practically feel the tension vibrating off Colin but his smile was relaxed and his hands were draped casually over the steering wheel as if he didn't have a care in the world. The young soldier dug through the glove box and peered under the seat.
She was glad she had listened to Colin and hid the Remington in the compartment in the dash. Otherwise she had a feeling that it would be the now be the property of the Port-du-Bois military. Or at the very least, the soldier in front of her. Jess tensed as he came close to the hidden compartment, but he seemed to miss the seam in the faded plastic dash. And finally he gestured for her to get back in.
The soldier waved them through.
Colin was silent.
She finally couldn't stand it anymore. "What's wrong?"
He tilted his head and cocked a perfectly-sculpted pale brown eyebrow. She was amazed at how well-groomed he appeared. She knew he hadn't had a real shower in two or three days, only cleaning off with baby wipes. And the heat during the day was not conducive to staying cool or clean. Not to mention sleeping in canvas tents on cots barely a foot off the dirt and debris strewn ground made for a very dusty rest.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" he asked.
She wasn't about to admit that she felt connected to him. "Just answer."
"The checkpoint going back into the city is unusual."
"How so?"
"If the government is worried about intelligence gathering visitors, the checks are conducted in the morning as the relief trucks are going into the distribution area. Not after everything has been handed out." He glanced into the rearview mirror and frowned.
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