Guns & Smoke

by Lauren Sevier

  “I just wanted to talk to you about...” Her voice trailed off as she glanced in Bonnie’s direction. When she looked at me, there was resolution written on her face. “I know that you don’t feel for me the way you used to. I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.”

  Confusion flashed through my chest. “Where is this coming from?” I asked.

  “Bonnie. I understand that you really like her, but she’s not one of us,” she said, her words measured and even.

  “Have you thought maybe that’s what I love about her? She’s nothing like home,” I said, picking each word carefully. She stared at me; I couldn’t read the emotion in her eyes. “I always talked about it, and you would laugh like it was silly. That life isn’t mine. It never was.” Clara’s arms crossed over her chest; she glanced behind us at our three companions, who were pretending not to watch.

  “I don’t want her to hurt you,” she said. Something in her eyes told me the words were true. I looked back to Bonnie, sitting in the driver’s seat in the truck and talking to The Kid. She glanced up, meeting me eyes. A smile formed on her lips.

  “That’s not something you need to worry about,” I said, returning Bonnie’s smile. With one spare glance at Clara, I walked away, fully embracing her as my past, and the beautiful dark-haired thief as my future.

  We got on the road shortly after. It was much later than I intended, but letting Bonnie get extra rest helped. She seemed more like herself as we rode together, just the two of us. Music played out of the speakers, and we enjoyed being together. I’d catch her now and then, humming along. There was one song in particular that she seemed to really enjoy.

  This felt right. Her beside me, my arm tucking her against my side. Just the wind in our hair and a tune on the breeze.

  We rode until dark. Even though the truck had lights, I knew it would be better to let everyone rest. The more time I could give Bonnie to recover before whatever lay before us, the better.

  I propped the hood of the truck up, using the dim light of the fire to check the belts. I had to get the truck to Fort Hood. Bonnie couldn’t ride a horse yet, and I wanted to make the rest of the trip easier on her. I checked the tension of the belts.

  “Farm boy,” Bonnie said behind me. A smile crept across my face as I turned to her. She held out a canteen. My heart skipped at the mischief in her eyes. I took the canteen and downed probably more than I should have.

  “Thanks,” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

  “How’s she holdin’ up?” Bonnie asked, moving beside me in front of the open hood.

  “Pretty good. There’s an oil leak, and I’m worried that belt won’t hold, but I think she’ll get us there,” I said. Bonnie leaned into me, and I wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “How’re you doing?” I asked.

  “Sore, but I’m almost back to being me,” Bonnie said.

  “Which version of you? The one that robs me or the one that kisses me?” I asked. She leaned up on her toes, pressing her lips to mine.

  “The one that robs you,” she said with a grin, snagging the canteen from my hand.

  Behind us, Clara, and The Kid broke into laughter. I turned around, watching as Will seemed lost in telling them a story. It was nice, for what it was worth, seeing all of us together like this.

  “I’m gonna get some sleep,” I said, motioning to the bed of the truck with my head. Without a word, Bonnie looped her fingers with mine. I took both of our bedrolls and spread them out over half of the back, then changed into comfortable clothes. I’d had enough of sleeping in jeans. By the time we climbed up, Will’s story was done and the rest of them seemed to be settling in as well.

  Bonnie got comfortable first, then I tucked in behind her, resting a hand on her thigh. She scooted back against me, wiggling her ass in all the right spots.

  “Bon,” I murmured with a smile. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

  “Who said I can’t finish it?” she whispered, her voice breathless.

  “I did.” I took her hand in mine. “You need to heal.” She shifted onto her back, grimacing at the pull of her stitches.

  “You need to stop worrying so much,” she said, her lips inches from mine.

  “Trust me, when you’re healed, I won’t hesitate to get you naked,” I said, forcing down the rising heat in my stomach. If it wasn’t for her injury, I’d have already done it. I didn’t care that the others were twenty feet away.

  “Is that a promise?” she asked, her eyes sparkling at me.

  “No, it’s a threat,” I said, smiling. I captured her lips in a long kiss. When I pulled back, I roved her features, from her darkened eyes down to her swollen lips. God, she made it so hard. The heat of her skin seeped through the layers separating us. I tucked her dark hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek in my palm. At least that meant she was feeling better.

  “You know,” she said, her voice low and husky. “There are other things we can do besides sex.” Her hand grazed the front of my sleep pants, a smirk crossing her lips. She leaned forward, pressing her mouth against mine as she gripped my erection through the soft fabric. I shuddered at the contact.

  “You’re wicked,” I said against her mouth.

  “You could touch me, or kiss me, wherever you want,” she whispered, trailing her lips across my jaw as her hand slipped beneath the fabric of my pants.

  “Bon,” I croaked. “Not fair—” She ran her hand up the length of me. If she didn’t stop, I would end up ruining her stitches. I reached down, taking her hand firmly in mine. Bonnie’s head fell back onto our bedding. Her hair splayed out around her, creating a dark halo around her face.

  “I’ve never met a man who cockblocks himself,” Bonnie said. Even though there was a frown on her face, her eyes reflected amusement. I kissed her again, willing my pulse to calm down, as much as I didn’t want it to.

  “Listen,” I said, pulling back from her. “There’s something I need to tell you. You don’t have to say anything right now. I need you to know that I’m not going to give you up when we get to Fort Hood.” Her mouth opened, but nothing came out from between her lips. Her eyes were wide and full of surprise. “Rule number three. Keep your word. And my word is that I want to be by your side. No matter what.”

  “But, your uncle—”

  “We’ll figure it out,” I said, lowering my head to the makeshift pillow beneath hers. “Now get some sleep.”

  We set out first thing in the morning. Bonnie pulled out her map beside me in the truck, guiding me as promised all that time ago. At breakfast, we passed around a loaf of bread and freshly roasted horsemeat. We didn’t speak much as the day grew hot. I’d catch myself watching Bonnie from time to time. She liked the music, a lot, and if it made her happy, I didn’t care what we listened to.

  At times, she extended her fingers out of the window, letting them trail in the wind. Every once in a while, I’d catch her looking at me. She would lower her eyes, smiling.

  There were decisions we needed to make, but that would come later. I wasn’t ready to tell her goodbye, and my only hope was that she wasn’t either. If she decided that, after everything, she wanted to go her own way, it’d be hard for me to handle. I didn’t expect to find Bonnie all of that time ago in Vegas. I’d be damned if I’d let her walk away without making it difficult for her.

  We didn’t stop except to relieve ourselves. The sun floated across the sky, eventually lowering back toward the horizon behind us.

  Bonnie pulled her map out again. We approached a major highway. As soon as I veered the truck onto it, we passed a sign saying we were ten miles out.

  Damn, we were almost there.

  The anticipation in me grew with each passing mile. If we found my uncle, I hoped he would be able to make sense of this mess we’d found ourselves in. Not only the fire, but the gang that started it, and how it related to Sixgun. There was something more going on that I couldn’t possibly unders
tand.

  Buildings popped up around us as we got closer. Bonnie stopped me from veering off of the highway by pointing to a crumbling bridge ahead. She sat beside me, helping me navigate as the world grew dark around us.

  We started seeing signs for the base. My stomach thrashed as I followed the directions, taking my time to make sure that we were going to the right place.

  Night engulfed us as we pulled to a stop near what looked like an old guard house missing its roof. I climbed from the truck, noting fires through the open gates. People milled about near the guard house; some carried guns, others nursed bottles. Most of them didn’t even look our way. Bonnie linked her fingers with mine, providing silent support like she always did.

  Will, Clara, and The Kid fell in behind us. For a military base, security was pretty lax.

  “What the fuck, guys?” a woman shouted. Most of the people stood straighter as a woman with dark hair and skin came forward. She, too, carried a gun, but it was more military grade than the others. “You’re just letting people walk in here now? Come on!” One of the men murmured an apology, but didn’t so much as look at us. The woman approached, exhaustion evident in the deep lines of her face and her tired eyes.

  “Who are you?” she asked, turning to me. She held the gun steady, pointed at the ground, but I recognized the tension in her shoulders. She wouldn’t hesitate to shoot us.

  “I’m looking for Michael Kincaid,” I said.

  “What do you want with him?” she asked, her gaze marking each of our faces.

  “He’s my uncle.” Something like recognition flashed through her eyes. She glanced back to her guards before slinging her gun over her shoulder.

  “You must be Jesse. I’m Gabriela,” she said with a nod. “I’ll take you to Mickey.”

  Relief poured through me as she turned and started walking. Without a word, Bonnie grabbed the reins of No Name, and Will and Clara began to guide the others.

  “Kid, let’s ride in the truck,” I said, giving him a grin. He bounded toward the driver’s side.

  “Can I drive?” he asked with his usual wide-eyed excitement.

  “Nope.”

  I noted the stares as we idled behind Gabriela. The people milling around the gates parted, watching us the entire time. Whereas I would have expected distrust and suspicion, I found vague curiosity. They seemed to be sitting around, just waiting for the next thing to come along. I parked the truck as the woman walked up to a rectangular building without windows. The doors were made of steel.

  As we approached, Gabriela stopped outside. “First door on your left, you’ll find him. What shape he’s in this time of night, can’t tell ya.”

  Bonnie’s eyes lit up as she stepped toward the woman. “Is that an M4?”

  “Military issue,” she responded with a grin.

  “Can I hold it?” Bonnie asked. I’d never seen her so excited.

  “Maybe when you’re older,” Gabriela said. With a sarcastic grin, she left us alone.

  “Let’s go find your uncle, farm boy,” Bonnie said, grabbing me by the hand. I pulled open the heavy door, which led to a dimly lit hallway. Bonnie and The Kid shuffled in behind me. There were old photographs lining either side of the hall. People in uniforms, in tanks. I couldn’t fathom what life was like when there was an actual military.

  “Liar!” Someone shouted from the far end of the hallway. “You cheatin’ asshole!”

  Before I could reach the door, a man was thrown bodily into the hallway. Another man walked out and spat on him.

  “I’ve had it with your bullshit, Kincaid. Get the fuck outta here!” He walked away. I looked at the man on the floor. He smelled of cheap liquor and cigarette smoke. A red mark stood out on his cheekbone, and he was unconscious.

  “Kid, meet your uncle,” I said.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven - Bonnie

  “Is he dead?” The Kid asked, staring down at the heap of a man crumpled on the floor. His blonde hair was lighter near the temples and in his beard, but the resemblance to Jesse and The Kid was startling.

  “No,” I said, sighing deeply. “He’s just drunk.”

  Jesse bent down to pull the man’s arm over his shoulder, and I moved to his other side, intending to take some of his dead weight onto my own.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Jesse asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “I was going to help you—"

  “If you pop a stitch, it won’t be because you’re carrying this drunk asshole,” he said, a wicked grin curling at the corner of his mouth. Oh. That grin promised the kinds of things that had me clenching my thighs together. I moved away and let Jesse struggle with carrying the man onto the front steps of the building, my skin suddenly flushed and warm.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed the woman who’d led us into the compound with the M4 slung along her back. I raised my hand to wave to her but pulled my arm down quickly as my stitches pulled tight. We caught her attention anyway and she turned towards us.

  “Hey,” I said as she approached, her dark eyes trained on the man lying at Jesse’s feet.

  “Oh, Mickey.” She sighed, reaching down to brush the hair from his eyes in a tender gesture that surprised me. “What have you gotten yourself into now?”

  “I’m assuming this happens a lot?” I asked. She turned to face me, nodding slightly. There was a deep sorrow etched into her expression, one that solidified with time and worry.

  “Where’s he live?” Jesse asked.

  “Yeah, c’mon, follow me,” Gabriela replied. Jesse hauled the man up before dropping him haphazardly into the bed of the truck. I slid into the cab, wrapping an arm around The Kid’s shoulders as he hopped up next to me. Jesse cranked the engine, and I rested a hand on his knee. His eyes fell to mine, and I offered him a strained smile. These people were heavily armed and defensive, and no matter how friendly Gabriela seemed, I hadn’t forgotten about the assault rifle strapped to her back.

  Will and Clara led the horses beside us as we made our way through the winding compound. Will bent low to Clara and whispered something in her ear with a grin. Her mouth dropped open in shock, and she hit his shoulder. I rolled my eyes; leave it to Will Ellis to make inappropriate jokes surrounded by military-grade assault rifles.

  Eventually, after the truck’s loud engine garnered many incredulous stares, we pulled up to the largest house I’d ever seen. The compound was like a heavily fortified town. Places to gather, makeshift marketplaces, even what looked like a school. The house in front of us, though in disarray, could have sheltered a decent-sized gang comfortably.

  “This is where he lives?” I asked as Jesse cut the engine and we shuffled out of the truck. I scanned the dormers on the second story, but there were no lights on.

  “Mickey is the commanding officer here,” Gabriela said. I moved in front of her before she could climb the stairs to the front porch, and she bristled, her shoulders tight.

  “Before we go any further,” I said, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. “Mind tellin’ us who the fuck you are?”

  She laughed, a throaty sound that was surprisingly pleasant. She held a hand out to me that I stared at for a long moment before taking. She had a firm grip and looked me in the eyes, something I appreciated.

  “I take care of Mickey,” she said. Jesse pushed past us, Mickey slung over one shoulder and snoring. “When he lets me.” Her eyes followed the man’s progress wistfully, a note of longing I knew too well in her voice. In fact, Gabriela reminded me a lot of myself. Strong, direct, and clearly pining for a man that didn’t put her first.

  Rule number three. Keep your word. And my word is that I want to be by your side. No matter what.

  Jesse’s words echoed in my ears as we filed inside, Will and The Kid bringing in our packs and tossing them unceremoniously onto a leather couch. The Kid had three of them stacked on his back, grumbling that he was going to shoot Will in the other arm.

  “His room is the last one down that hall to the lef
t,” Gabriela directed Jesse, who disappeared with the drunk man in tow. She watched after them before turning to me. “There’re enough rooms for you all to stay in. They aren’t used by anyone anymore, not since people started leaving the base.”

  “Leaving?” I asked.

  “After a while, people want to start families and settle down somewhere quieter. Where they aren’t fending off gang members at the gates,” she explained, motioning for me to join her as she walked into the kitchen. She pulled a bottle down from one of the cabinets and a couple of cloudy glasses.

  “Can’t they have both?” I asked, thinking of The Kid. We’d managed to travel so far, through gang territories, facing every danger imaginable. Together. Jesse’s words came back to me again. The hope of finding someplace where we might all be together, safe, a family of sorts, flared bright in my chest. Gabriela poured some of the golden liquid in our glasses and raised hers to me.

  “No,” she said simply. “Not from what I’ve seen.”

  She downed the alcohol, grimacing as Jesse made his way into the room to stare between us. Gabriela set her glass down, but I stared into mine as Jesse crossed to me, pressing a kiss into my hair.

  “So, you’re Jesse, huh?” she asked before I handed my glass over to him and he drank what was inside. “Mickey told me a lot about you, and your mom.”

  “I never knew I had an uncle until a few months ago,” he said, careful with his words as The Kid wandered into the room on weary feet. He crossed to me, leaning his head against my stomach as I brushed my fingers through his hair.

  “He yours?” Gabriela asked, staring from The Kid to me and Jesse. I smiled softly.

  “Yeah, he is,” I said. Jesse’s lips were in my hair again, his breath hot on my ear. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs. Would I have to leave them soon?

  “He wasn’t always this bad off,” Gabriela said, capturing my attention once more. “After the Culling, he took the base over. He kept so many of us alive. But in recent years, our numbers have dwindled, and there hasn’t been as much to do. It’s when he has too much time to think, to remember, when he gets into trouble.”