Forsaken (Protectors #4)

Eli

I hadn’t had any idea what to expect as we drove past the jagged hills that blanketed both sides of the desolate road that led to the reservation. I hadn’t seen much from the air because I’d fallen asleep within minutes of the jet leaving Newark and I hadn’t stirred until the landing gear had hit the small airstrip just south of the reservation. Like the previous day, Mav and I hadn’t exchanged more than a couple of words from the moment I’d gotten up, my body still deliciously sore from his lovemaking.

I had no regrets about sleeping with Mav again and even though afterwards had been brutal and I’d needed to hide out in the bathroom to use the sound of the shower to cover my muffled sobs, I knew I’d do it again in a second if he asked me. But I knew the chances of that were slim since our time together was winding down with every hour that passed. I had no doubt he’d meant what he’d said about not returning to Seattle beyond the time it took to collect his Harley.

Once we’d gotten off the plane, there’d been two cars waiting for us. A simple sedan that Ronan had rented for us and a hearse. Mav hadn’t watched the shipping container that carried his mother’ s body being loaded into the belly of the plane, and when we’d gotten off, he’d sat silently in the driver’s seat until the driver of the hearse had tapped on the window to let us know they were ready to go and that they would follow us. It was nearing lunch time when we drove past the sign indicating we were entering the reservation and within minutes we were driving into a small valley that was nothing more than dust, a little bit of brown vegetation and a smattering of small houses and buildings spread out over a few hundred acres. There was one main road leading into town with a few smaller roads serving as access points to several houses. A feeling of bleakness settled in my gut as we passed one decrepit house after another. Garbage littered the street and front yards along with old appliances, chopped up wood and endless, unidentifiable debris. Junked out cars were all over the place and to my horror, I saw more than one person lying on porches or along the sides of houses. My first thought was that they were dead, but I realized they were just sleeping. Some had blankets, some didn’t.