Chapter 23
BUGGING OUT
The Judge was a shallow-hulled little boat that bobbed along the waters of the Potomac at a decent pace.
It was a pleasant little vessel, making good time through the cold, dark river.
Gabriel tried to keep his eyes open, one hand on his gun as he surveyed for danger, but between the rocking of the boat and the gentle splashing of waves on the hull, Gabriel’s head kept bobbing forward, eyelids heavy.
Once they got underway, he had a chance to take a breath and with it, the adrenaline from the last week or so drained away, leaving him feeling exhausted and brittle. With everyone else busy, he meandered toward the stern of the ship, sitting on the fantail with his legs swinging over the water.
It felt strange to just be sitting, watching the landscape change from city to wealthy riverside homes with sprawling double-decker docks, to the countryside.
Occasionally, the river would narrow or widen, the rapids shaking the little boat, but Tommy had apparently spent a lot more time with this ex-boyfriend than he’d let on, or he was a natural sailor because he was expertly guiding them north.
His arm still ached, but Tommy had wrapped it for him, releasing the tourniquet. It wasn’t great, and Tommy told him he’d need some antibiotics, but that felt far away with the sky turning sherbert and the sails snapping above him.
Boots squeaked on the deck behind him as Blake joined him, taking a moment to unlace his. He rolled up his pant legs before letting his legs dangle beside Gabriel’s, toes wiggling in the spray from the river.
“How’s Judd?”
Blake leaned back on his hands, tipping his head up to the sky.
He closed his eyes and breathed in, chest expanding with each deep breath.
“As good as he can be,” Blake finally answered.
He’d obviously washed his hands, but they were still stained red, his cuticles and the creases in his palms darker than the rest of his skin.
“He needs a real doctor. Preferably, one in a hospital with a surgery suite and blood transfusions. But I’ve got him comfortable, hydrated, and most of the bleeding has stopped.” His lips curled in a small smile. “Victoria is sitting with him.”
“So she can smack him when he regains consciousness?”
“Probably.”
Gabriel turned back to the river. He’d been trying to ignore the haze of smoke on the horizon over DC. He was surprised by how difficult it was to leave the city behind. There were surely still people there, hunkered down in apartments and buildings, hoping for a rescue that wasn’t coming.
Irving said that the government was gone, the country in ruin, but…
what did that mean for them? They were operating on assumptions that refugee centers were in place, that they’d be able to get help and reinforcements, but that was looking more and more like wishful thinking.
If there were safe zones set up after the Off Formers arrived, wasn’t it just as likely the Monkey Cats had destroyed those from orbit along with the cities?
What if they were completely alone?
Which was a prospect Gabriel wasn’t ready to comprehend. Not when the enormity of it was too great. For once in his life, he wasn’t ready to accept another burden.
At least not yet.
Once the boat docked and they could make their way toward Bethesda, he would resume command. He would tackle the big problems and do whatever it took to get, and keep, his team safe.
But for now, the sun was setting. The waters were calm. And Blake looked radiant. His face was serene, the sun illuminating his messy hair in a halo. Gabriel’s mouth went dry, and for a moment, he forgot about everything.
Sliding his hand forward on the smooth deck, he tangled their fingers together so he could hold Blake’s hand. The medic smiled, opening his eyes. They were the color of spring.
“I’m sorry about your crochet hook,” Blake said, squeezing Gabriel’s hand.
“That’s okay.” Gabriel lifted their joined hands and tugged Blake closer.
“I think I found something equally as distracting.” He tilted his head and kissed Blake, soft and slow.
It felt right, and suddenly everything seemed so unimportant—his arm didn’t hurt, DC wasn’t burning, and life as they knew it hadn’t been irreparably changed.
Because Blake was kissing him back, leaning into him, with his soft hair brushing Gabriel’s cheek, his skin warm and alive.
When the future was uncertain, Gabriel was going to hold onto the only good thing that had come out of all of this. He was going to hold onto Blake with all he had.
After all, Blake was his mission.