Chapter Eleven #2
“They weren’t mean to you, were they?” he asked, glancing toward the window.
“No, and if they were, I’d handle it.”
He nodded, then hesitated, his posture adjusting slightly as if he were deciding how directly to approach the conversation. “I know… I know you would, but… Well, there’s no but. I know you would. I just need to know who’s on our side, ya know?”
“They’re family, Bodhi. Actually, they’re more than that, they’re the Maddox family.
If you learn anything from us, know this.
When it comes down to it, no matter what’s happened in the past, no matter what any of us think one of us has done, when one of us needs the family, they’ll all, without hesitation, come running.
The only fighting in that moment will be who will give their life to save you first.”
One corner of Bodhi’s mouth flinched. “That’s… that’s good to know.”
I winked at him. “Don’t forget it.”
“So, they’re fine with you now?”
I smiled and shook my head, crossing my arms loosely. “I didn’t say that.”
Olive breezed in, looking like she’d just seen Stella for the first time in months. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stop watching her sleep,” she sighed, “she’s just so cute.”
“Valid, but I’m glad you’ve somehow torn yourself away,” I said, leaning my hip against the counter. “I have something to tell you. The sisters-in-law have come to an agreement.”
Olive wasn’t convinced. “And what’s that?”
“On a plan.”
“What… what kind of plan?” Bodhi asked, suspicious.
“One we don’t need,” I said, “unless we do.”
Bodhi sat at the table, gesturing for Olive to join him. “Walk us through it.”
I sat across from them, my palms flat on the wooden tabletop.
“If the compound is breached, everyone with children moves to the bunker. Falyn and Camille go below with the kids. That includes you two. Abby will be moving between positions, mine and the bunker, making sure everyone makes it underground to safety, and she’ll be communicating any changes to Ellie. ”
Olive accepted it without hesitation. Bodhi didn’t follow her lead.
“We’re not kids. I can see that Olive is needed to help, I mean, yeah. She’s great with kids. Falyn will feel better if she’s with her. But I’d be helpful elsewhere.”
“Bodhi…” Olive protested.
“I could stand watch… at the bunker door,” he insisted.
“Ellie is assigned to the door,” I said flatly.
Bodhi was unimpressed. “Ellie would be better on the door than me? I mean, look at me.”
I scoffed. “Ellie is scrappier than she looks. She’s also an adult and a photojournalist who’s covered wildfires, riots, and light combat before she found out she was pregnant with Gavin.”
“She can’t take down a full-grown man. I can,” he said, certain.
“Your overconfidence is exactly why you’re going underground. It could get you killed. This isn’t a game, Bodhi, and I’m not about to make that phone call to your parents.”
“No, it’s not a game. Those people are trained killers, and if they breach the fences, get past the militia and a house full of Maddox men, you’ll want me at the door, not Ellie, when her son is underground, and is one dead parent away from being an orphan.”
My throat tightened, his words catching me off guard. “The answer is no,” I said, my tone final.
“S-sorry,” he said recognition in his eyes. “That came off harsher than I meant.”
I raised a shoulder. “It’s fine. It’s the reality we’re all facing.”
His gaze narrowed slightly. “You said Abby was moving between the bunker and your position. What position is that?”
“I stay above ground, but within sprinting distance to the bunker if we need to fall back.”
The change in him was immediate, subtle but unmistakable, the easy calm he carried giving way to something more rigid. “I don’t like that,” he said.
I tilted my head. This was the first time Bodhi had been anything that resembled defiant. “You don’t have to.”
“I’m not talking about you,” he said, holding my gaze. “You’re trained, that makes sense. We’ll need everyone with time at a range aiming over the fences. I’m talking about me.”
Olive’s eyes flicked to him, a quiet warning there, but he continued.
“With all due respect, Liis, I’m not going underground if something happens.
That door is the last line of defense,” he said, pointing his finger to the table, “and the second even one of those bastards gets through, let’s face it, we’re fucked.
I’m not going to sit inside and wait for someone who wants to kill Olive or Stella or any of those kids to make it that far before I try to stop it. ”
“I just told you, Bodhi, that position is already covered.”
“It doesn’t have to be just one person.”
I stared at him for a full ten seconds, considering everything he’d said. “If you hesitate, even for a second—”
He cut me off. “I won’t.”
I blinked and then nodded slowly. “If you’re guarding the door, basketball drills aren’t going to cut it. People react differently to live fire and death. You have no idea what you’ll do.”
He glanced around, raising his arms to his sides. “Look where we are, Liis. People train for that every day. Talk to Naomi. She can get me into shape.”
“She trains soldiers,” I said. “She won’t be easy on you because you’re a kid.”