Chapter 21: Night

~ ZEV ~

He exited off the highway only a mile or two after they got on. Sasha tensed when he slowed, but he reassured her. "They know this car now because the Avatar saw it. I need to ditch it and get something else. I have another one in here."

It was a lot closer for a switch than he'd normally use, but he didn't want to drive the thirty minutes to the next town where he had kept a private storage unit. And he thought Sasha needed a minute to breathe. The park would be just the thing. He was willing to bet Nick hadn't put anyone on it. He wouldn't have expected Zev to choose it when it was so close.

A few minutes later they pulled into the national park. He slid his wallet out of the breast pocket of his shirt inside the overalls and slid the Annual Membership card into the little slot. The barrier arm raised slowly, and for a second, he was reminded of the guy in the first parking garage.

How had Nick known he needed someone there this week? Why not last week?

Or had they had someone on post there this whole time? He didn't think so… but Nick could be brilliant like that. He grimaced. At this point it hardly mattered. The point was, they'd gotten away. Only barely, but they'd done it.

He had Sasha back. 

Zev shook his head in disbelief. 

The car lights swung across trees and grass, underbrush, and a big brown sign announcing the Park's twenty-four-hour parking for campers.

Nick pulled the car into a free slot between two trailers—one that still had the lights on—then turned off the engine.

He could hear her breathing. Heavy and quick. 

He was afraid to look at her, afraid to see that fear in her eyes again. Could he blame her? No. She'd probably never seen a person die before. And even though she hadn't tonight either, it probably felt like she had. 

He sighed.

"Where are we?" she said in a tiny voice.

"My trailer," he said quietly. "I'm going to grab a couple things and we're going to take a different vehicle. So, they don't know where we are." Thank whatever god was listening that he'd switched up the Plan B car just last week. He had a different schedule every time, so he wasn't predictable. "I need you to… to promise me you won't scream or run or… raise the alarm," he said quietly. "I know it's been a helluva night, Sash. I do. And I'm going to tell you the whole story. But right now we're still in danger. If anyone gets a clue who I am, or that you're with me… will you trust me just a few minutes longer?"

She looked at him warily. "What are you going to do—exactly. Are there… more people to fight?"

"No! No, I'm going to open the door on that trailer right there and grab my go bag. Then we're going to walk into the park like we're going to camping. But I've got a jeep in there and we're going to take a maintenance road out and meet the highway again. Then… then we're going on a road trip."

She blinked, then blinked again. 

He gave her an apologetic smile. "Not the one I promised you, I know. But… but… Fuck, Sasha, I'm just so glad to see you. I'm sorry it had to be like this."

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She stared at him like she wasn't even sure what he'd said, but then she swallowed and nodded, sitting up straight in the seat finally. "Okay," she murmured. "Let's go."

He watched her carefully. Something wasn't right. But then, he could hardly expect her to be bubbly and dry when she'd just almost lost her life twice. 

A minute later he'd grabbed her bag from the car, and his own from the trailer, then he turned away from the door and offered his hand to hold hers. "Walk with me?" he asked carefully, uncertain whether she'd let him touch her.

She stared at his hand for a second, hesitating. Then his heart flooded with heat as she nodded and twined her fingers in his, then followed him down the walking path into the park proper.

He had a flashlight on his keyring that would penetrate even the midnight dark of the forest, but he didn't need it. Sasha, however, was a lot less certain.

"Can you see where we're going?" she whispered a minute later as they stepped into the trees.

"Yep," he said quietly.

"How?"

"I have really good night vision."

She didn't respond to that, but kept herself close to his side, gripping his arm as he led her through the dark. He indulged himself and leaned slightly closer to inhale the smell of her, shaking his head in disbelief.

He squeezed her hand and even though she didn't squeeze back, she turned her head to look at him. To her eyes he couldn't have been more than a smudge of blacker black against the forest. But he smiled a little anyway. 

"It's so good to see you, Sash," he breathed, pulling her close to his side. "I've dreamed about this day for years."

She made a little noise and dropped her face into her free hand, shaking her head. At first he thought she was crying. He opened his mouth to reassure her. But then she made a little snort. Then a strange kind of cackle.

Then she was laughing, spluttering, throwing her head back and wiping her eyes.

Zev was utterly confused. "What's so funny?" he asked her.

She couldn't seem to get a handle on her giggles. She kept snorting and tripping into more laughter. 

"I've dreamed… about this… for years, too…" she gasped, bending over to hold her stomach. "But I gotta say, Zev… I never would… have imagined… this!"

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