Dustwalker

Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Lara sat on the windowsill in Ronin’s bedroom, using a small brush to clean the dirt and grime off her ring. Even hours later, she still couldn’t quite believe what had happened.

She and Ronin were married.

Perhaps that didn’t mean much to people anymore. It was an outdated remnant of a dead world, a concept that had lost its purpose and relevancy decades before Lara was born. But that didn’t matter, because it meant something to her. It meant something to them both.

After dropping the brush into the nearby bowl of water, she used the corner of her shirt to dab the ring dry. When she lifted the band into the late afternoon sunlight, her breath caught in her throat.

The gold gleamed, at once darker and brighter than she’d thought possible.

The metal’s sheen rippled as she turned it between her fingers, but that couldn’t compare to the attached stone, which Ronin had called a diamond.

It sparkled as though giving off its own light, drinking in the rays of sunshine and shattering them to cast little rainbows on her skin.

This ring was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It was beautiful.

And it was hers.

Tilting it, she skimmed the tip of her finger over the words etched inside the band. Words she couldn’t read. What did they say?

She knew the materials were valuable. Gold was worth a lot to bots, because they used it for some of their inner parts. It was essential to keep them repaired and operational. Wasn’t that why they called it precious metal? They needed it to survive, just like humans needed food and water.

Lara struggled to imagine a world in which a person could take so much of this valuable material and shape it into a…a decoration. Someone had worn this ring on their finger, had chosen to do so, rather than trade it for food, clothing, shelter, or tools.

Had it been a display of wealth, a message to onlookers that its owner was so well off that they were above worrying about where they’d find their next meal?

The sound of running water in the bathroom changed as Ronin moved in the shower. There were three rooms with toilets in this house—three!—though only two had tubs. Why would anyone need so many places to relieve themselves? Was that another way to flaunt wealth?

Lara slid the ring back onto her finger. It was loose, but not so loose that it would slip off on its own.

Seeing it there was strange. Her hand had regularly clawed through dirt and debris, her nails had often been chipped, broken, and caked with dirt, and her calluses were only beginning to soften. Something so bright and shining seemed out of place on a hand like hers, and yet… It felt right.

When she’d found the ring, her only thought had been of the credits it would fetch, of the food it would purchase.

Now…she was married. Even if it was just between her and Ronin, without acknowledgement from a…representative of authority, or whatever, it was no less real. He wanted to keep her safe, to feed her, to make her happy. The ring had become a symbol of all that.

They’d had sex three more times after exchanging their vows, each time more intense than the last despite her growing weariness. For now, Lara’s body was sated, though her hunger for him was by no means diminished.

There’d been no talk of love. Ronin had displayed many emotions since she met him, but could he really love someone?

Could I…love him?

It wasn’t necessary for a marriage, and Ronin was already more than she could have ever dreamed. He was kind, patient, and caring, always placing her needs before his own.

She’d known many men who were Ronin’s opposites.

Devon was one of them. He fed and clothed the women who caught his interest, but only in return for sex, and only while they held his fickle attention.

At the first hint of boredom or annoyance, he would cast them aside, leaving them with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

How many times had Lara irritated Ronin? How many times had she given him reason to be angry at her? If he were like Devon, he would’ve beaten her and thrown her out long ago.

The house had felt so empty while Ronin was away. She’d missed having his eyes on her, missed his calm, sometimes frustrating conversations.

She’d missed him.

Crazy as it seemed, she had been worried about him.

The Dust was dangerous for anyone, and by his own admission, he wasn’t impervious to harm.

How would Lara have reacted if he’d taken damage to one of his primary systems and come back changed?

Or if he’d never come back at all, and she was left without knowing his fate?

What if Warlord had captured Ronin and done the same to him as he had to Tabitha and her bot? Ronin hadn’t shared the details, and Lara wasn’t even sure she wanted them, but she understood the simple truth—Cheyenne was not safe.

Her heart constricted, and she pressed a hand over her chest. Those thoughts filled her with dread so deep and oppressive that it threatened to drive her into a panic here and now.

“What’s wrong, Lara?”

She started, turning her head to see Ronin standing naked in the bedroom, a towel clutched in his hand.

His short brown hair was disheveled, appearing to have been freshly dried, his skin was still damp, and his cock hung flaccid against his thigh.

Every contour of his body was on display.

Lara lifted her gaze to meet his eyes, which looked upon her with undisguised intensity.

He’s beautiful.

He’s...mine.

And I need to keep him safe, like he does me.

Licking her lips, she forced words out of her tight throat. “I think we should leave.”

His brow furrowed. “We have the salvage to purchase enough food to last for days, at least.”

“Leave Cheyenne, Ronin.”

“The Dust is too dangerous, Lara. I know you want to come on runs with me, but—”

“I mean for good. We should leave Cheyenne forever.”

He stood utterly still and silent. Thinking. It looked unnatural, but she wasn’t unsettled by it anymore.

“Where would you like to go?” he finally asked.

“I don’t know. You’ve been to all kinds of places, so I thought…” She dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. “It’s dangerous here. I know it was Warlord and his gearheads who killed my sister. And you can’t tell me I’d be safe if I set one foot outside this house without you.”

He looked at the floor. “I could tell you that, but it wouldn’t be true.”

“It’s not your fault, but I feel like a prisoner here, Ronin.

I don’t want to sit here and wait for something to happen to me, like it did to her.

” Lara bit the inside of her lip and dropped her gaze to the ring as she twisted it on her finger.

“If you don’t want to go, at least take me past the wall, and…

and I’ll find my way to somewhere else.”

Ronin crossed the distance between them, grasped her shoulder in one hand, and took her chin in the other. He gently guided her eyes up to his. “I made a vow, Lara.”

“I don’t want you held by words, Ronin.”

“I’m not held by them. I’m…enriched by them.” His palm moved up to cup her cheek. “There’s nothing tying either of us to this place apart from each other. My only bond is with you.”

Lara’s stomach fluttered. “And…what does that bond mean to you?”

“It means I am alive.”

“But you can have that without me. You were already alive, before I was even born.” Fortunately, her disappointment didn’t creep into her voice.

Ronin felt alive with her. That wasn’t proof of a real emotional attachment, wasn’t a declaration of something more. He felt obligated to protect her, enjoyed rolling around in bed with her, and thought talking to her was more interesting than talking to himself, at least for the time being.

Why hope for anything greater than that? Wasn’t it enough?

His gaze searched her face as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I don’t think I was.”

Settling a hand atop his, Lara closed her eyes. “Let’s leave tonight. We can get the hell out of here before anyone notices.”

“No.”

Dread sank in her belly, dragging her remaining hope down with it. She should’ve known by now that hope only led to heartache.

She dropped her hand. “Why not?”

His fingers twitched against her cheek. “We need supplies.”

“We have supplies, and you have all the stuff you just brought in to trade for more. And we can sell this, too.” She grasped the ring and slid it off her finger.

Ronin closed his hands around both of hers before she could remove it. His gaze was steady when she looked up into his eyes. Her heart was pounding, her breaths were heavy, and she didn’t know why. There was nothing left for her in this town but despair, fear, and death. She had to leave.

“No, Lara. Keep it.” He pushed the ring back onto her finger. “The nearest settlement is about eighty miles, depending on the route. I can make that in a day. With you, it’ll take at least five days, depending on the weather.”

Lara tugged her hand, but Ronin didn’t release it. “You don’t think I should go because I’d fucking slow you down?”

“That’s not what I’m saying, Lara.”

“Sure as hell sounds like you are!”

“That’s five days, minimum, of food and water. If a bad storm blows through, it could delay us another week on top of that.”

“I’ve gone a long time without food before. I can do it again.”

“I don’t doubt that, but I’m not willing to take that risk.

We need to bring enough food and water to last at least ten or twelve days, and we need more durable clothing to protect your skin out there.

I also want you to have a reliable weapon before we leave.

And we don’t have all that sitting around here. ”

When she tugged on her hands again, he released his hold, and she raised one to show him the ring. It only had meaning while he was alive, while they were together. “That’s why this needs to go. Between this and the rest of your haul, we can get everything we need.”

“No, Lara. You’re keeping it. You told me it means eternity.”

“It’s just a thing, Ronin. I’m going to have to hide it when we go out, anyway, because anyone who sees it will try to take it from me. It’s just a piece of metal.”

He pressed his lips into a tight line.

Really, Lara?

Fuck!

She growled in frustration. “Damn it, that’s not what I meant, and you know it!”

“Regardless, I don’t want you to sell it. Give me a few more days. I’ll bring in enough to obtain everything we need, plus some scrap to trade at the next town. Then we can go, and we won’t ever have to look back at Cheyenne again.”

Lara pushed herself up from the windowsill and glared at him. “Are you fucking serious? You just got back, and you’re already going to go out and leave me here alone? Again?”

“Yes. One more run, so you can come next time.”

“And what if there is no next time? What if you come back and find me lying dead out there, just like you found Tabitha?”

His expression went blank, pupils expanding before dwindling to pinpoints.

“I’m defenseless here, Ronin. This place is a deathtrap, and I’m going insane just sitting here, doing nothing.”

“And you’ll have to endure that for a few more days, Lara.” His voice had that edge to it, the one she’d only heard when he was truly angry. “I’ll leave my rifle. It can punch a hole in most bots. Sleep with it, if you need to.”

The fire inside Lara guttered out at the thought of Ronin in the Dust, unarmed. A chill skittered up her spine. “And what will you use out there?”

“Whatever I must, if it comes to that.”

“Will that be enough?”

He was silent for a moment. “Whatever happens, Lara, I will come back for you.”

If they don’t come for me first.

“Damn it.” Lara sighed and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge. She lowered her face into her hands. For however long he’d be gone, she’d sit here, jumping at every sound, her mind racing through all the things that could go wrong. But her worries always came back to Ronin.

If something happened to him, she’d never know. And that thought was sickening.

“When are you leaving?” she asked quietly.

“As soon as I get dressed.”

Lara’s lower lip trembled. Her eyes burned, but damn it, she wouldn’t let even one more tear fall.

“Fine.” Dropping her hands, she rose and strode toward the door.

Ronin caught her arm as she passed, spinning her to face him. “We will not part like this, Lara Brooks.”

She kept her face averted, not wanting to meet his gaze, not when he was doing this again. “Why not?”

“Because it’s all either of us will think about while we’re apart.”

“Just like all I thought about last time was you not saying goodbye?”

“A mistake I don’t intend to repeat.”

The sting of tears intensified, but the tension left Lara’s body.

Ronin drew her against his chest in a warm embrace and rested his cheek atop her head as he stroked his fingers through her hair.

The rest of Lara’s anger faded, leaving a wretched ache in her heart.

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as the tears she’d desperately tried to keep at bay slid down her cheeks.

“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered.

“Bots always mean what they say. I will be back. Very soon.”

“I’ll hold you to it. If you’re not back in a few days, I’m gonna come looking.”

“I know you will.” Ronin pressed his lips to her forehead. “I expect nothing less.”