Corbin's eyes peeled open to the humming of a motor and his head leaning against the sizzling glass as the desert whipping past him. Again. Was he dreaming? Wasn't he just hunched over, dowsing for water?

He lifted his head while smacking his lips, but recoiled at the sharp pain in his neck. Not to mention how it felt as if he'd guzzled gallons of gin on an all night bender. Sweat dripped from his forehead thanks to the heat cooking him through the window, but when he attempted to wipe his face, he couldn't move his hands. Glancing down, his wrists were tied to the door handle, so he slid his eyes to the driver behind the wheel.

Everleigh shifted gears and cleared her throat, "Rise and shine."

"We're in a vehicle. What the hell did I miss?"

"A lot."

"So, I guess I'm back to being your water slave?" Corbin tugged the rope.

"I saved your life."

Studying her, he noticed the dry, burgundy-colored splatters covering her hands, face, and garments. Dirt was caked under her nails and tangled in her hair as if she'd rolled in a crime scene, and for all he knew, maybe she did? Corbin's brows furrowed.

"You killed all three of them?"

"I did what I had to," she replied.

"Which was?" His heart drummed a little faster. Desert marauders were ruthless, with zero consciences, so he didn't want to imagine what they did to her while he was unconscious.

"What does it matter? They're dead, and we're safe."

Corbin scoffed. "Safe? How am I safe? Last night you wanted to sacrifice me to save yourself. I'm your pawn!"

Everleigh shook her head and shifted gears. "My brother is all I have, and if that means sacrificing you, then so be it. If that means killing a few worthless men, then I'll do it."

Her voice cracked with that last part. There was no point arguing. He wasn't even sure why he was picking a fight with her? If the roles were reversed, he would have killed them too. Except, he would have left her behind and wouldn't have thought twice about it because that's the person he'd become over the years-a selfish, lonely loser.

After a few minutes of silence, Everleigh cleared her throat, "I was going to untie your binds when you woke up."

"So what's stopping you?"

"You're not being kind."

Corbin grunted. "Neither are you."

"It's nothing personal. We just don't take chances anymore."

"Right."

The light hum of the motor and tires crunching against dirt filled the space between them as he scrutinized her. She seemed helpless the day before, like a flower losing its petals in a rough wind, but then she killed that man. Not to mention she somehow killed the rest of them in the bunker and got his unconscious body into the truck. What else was she capable of? A tarp flapping in the back of the truck caught his attention through the side mirror. He turned to get a better look, and raised a brow at Everleigh.

"What you got back there? Dead bodies?"

"Funny." she rolled her eyes. "Supplies. Those men had a small bunker full of food, water, kerosene..."

"And where are we headed with this?"

"To pick up my brother."

Corbin let out a single laugh. "Oh yeah, sure. Why don't we pick up espressos on the way?"

Releasing a ragged breath, she slowed the truck to a complete stop and wrapped her hands tightly around the steering wheel, making her knuckles go white. From the corner of her eye, she glared at him while he sat back with a smirk on his face.

"We should pick up my dry-cleaning too."

"I could have left you, but I didn't. How about some gratitude?"

"You have a truck full of supplies. Why do you still need me?"

Small little creases formed across Everleigh's forehead, but she straightened her posture and raised her chin. "As you said, you're my pawn. My water slave."

Putting the truck into gear, she began driving again, and silence fell between them. But Corbin didn't mind it. Most of the time, he preferred wandering the desert alone, but sometimes he missed seeing people and hearing their voices. He especially missed physical contact. It didn't need to be intimate. Sometimes he just wanted to feel someone else's presence, and despite the circumstances placing him in Everleigh's graces, he wished to unfold her like origami.

"So, how did you become a Samurai?" he asked, breaking the silence. There was a slight lift in the corner of Everleigh's mouth, but she tightened her jaw to make it go away. "Or do you prefer Desert Slayer?"

"Neither. I don't enjoy killing, but I'll do it if I have to." She gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Did your brother teach you?"

Everleigh swallowed. "Our father did. He taught Armis and me how to use various types of weapons as if they're extensions of our fingers."

"So, was he a Samurai?"

"No."

"Ok, then. A Jedi."

"No." She shook her head.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a brilliant conversationalist?"

A laugh escaped Everleigh's mouth, followed by a cry, before slapping her palm to her mouth to stifle it. Tears gathered in her eyes and Corbin's brows furrowed as he watched her shoulders shake. It was a hard cry, and only getting worse as more tears fell from her eyes. Seeing a woman weep was always a weakness that squeezed his heart like a fist wringing a towel. He attempted reaching for her, but his tied hands didn't get very far from the door handle.

The noise grabbed Everleigh's attention, so she slowed the truck to a stop and shifted the gear into park. Removing the hidden knife from her belt, she reached across the seat to slice off his bind before retreating to her side of the vehicle. Tears continued streaming as she hid her face from him. Without even thinking about it, Corbin scooted closer and weaved his arms around her. At first, she stiffened, but as his embrace tightened, her body dissolved against him.

"Shh," he cooed as he rubbed circles into her back. "It's ok. You're ok. You're safe, Everleigh," he said as she gripped his shirt and cried into his chest. She was a strong woman, he saw it first hand, but it was also apparent that beneath her armor was a fragile person. "I'm sorry you had to kill those men. I'm sorry, I couldn't help you."

As soon as the words tumbled from his mouth, Everleigh's hands released his shirt, and she shoved him away. "You think I'm weak!"

"No." He crinkled his brows.

"You think I care that I killed those men? They deserved to die!"

"I know." He brought his hands up to her face, but she smacked them away.

"Don't touch me."

"I will not hurt you."

"Hah!" she laughed. "You couldn't hurt me if you tried."

"So, if you're not scared, then why push me away?"

Bringing his thumbs to her cheeks, he wiped away her tears, and she glared at him but didn't bat his hands this time. Her skin was smooth beneath his fingers, and he tried recalling the last time he touched someone? It had been months-another vagabond like him, sharing a meal under an overpass of an abandoned highway, and then later sharing the same sleeping bag. By morning, the woman was gone and she'd stolen what was left of his food.

But Everleigh was different. She needed him whether she liked it or not. Therefore, she wouldn't abandon him like some thief in the night and before he even realized what was happening, he leaned his forehead against hers. For a moment, only their breaths passed between them, but when he looked into her eyes, he found her scowling at him, so he tilted his head up and kissed her forehead.

"Are you done?" she said.

"Yes."

"Good. Because I can't afford to waste any more time, my brother is all I have left, and if I lose him, I'll have nothing. I'll be alone, so I need to find him."

"We'll find him," Corbin replied. "Do you know where we were taken?"

"I have an idea," she replied and began moving the truck again. "When they took us, we walked for about half a mile, and then we got into a vehicle. I'm assuming it was this one. We drove straight to the bunker, which felt like forty-five minutes, and no twists or turns. So I think if we just keep going straight, we'll find him."

It wasn't enough to go on, and Armis probably wasn't alive. Which made Corbin wonder what it would mean for Everleigh? They weren't friends or family, and she wasn't his responsibility. She had plenty of supplies. Therefore, he could leave and go back to drifting.

"Do you see that?" Everleigh pointed.

Corbin squinted his eyes. If the black haze in the air was what he thought it was, then Armis was dead. Everleigh sucked in a sharp breath, and her hands tightened around the steering wheel, so he squeezed her knee.

"It could just be a coyote those crows are hovering over," he said, caressing her thigh with his thumb. A choked cry escaped Everleigh's throat, so he turned her chin towards him. "Look at me. We will find your brother, and he will be fine. A little banged up. But he'll be fine. Those crows mean nothing."

She nodded slowly but didn't look convinced as she shifted the gear and began driving faster. Corbin chewed his nails as the cloud of crows grew nearer. He glanced at the speedometer needle climbing past eighty and his palms began sweating.

"Slow down," he said through his fingers. "You don't want to lose control. There are potholes everywhere from old sulfur mines. Slow down."

Using the back of her hand, she wiped a tear away and eased on the gas. Then, as if realizing something, she glanced at the hand on her knee, and glared at him.

"Sorry." He retracted his hand, but when he faced the road, a dark figure appeared in the distance. The silhouette was short, most likely on its knees, but that cape was unquestionable.

"Armis!" Everleigh gasped.

Despite Corbin's warning to slow down, Everleigh resumed driving faster. This time, when he pressed his hand to her knee, she ignored him. When the dark figure grew closer, there was no mistaking it was Armis under the cloud of crows circling above him like a meal waiting to be eaten. The truck screeched to a stop, and Everleigh kicked the door open before flying out. Dirt flew up from her boots as she pumped her feet against the desert earth with Corbin just a few paces behind her.

"Brother!" she collapsed to her knees, embracing him, and he wheezed.

"Is it really you?"

"Yes!" she cried out, covering him in kisses.

"I feel like hell," he wheezed again.

"I think you need this." Corbin plopped a jug of water by their feet, promoting Everleigh to snap her fingers and run back to the truck.

"I didn't leave this behind." She returned with his backpack.

"You don't know how happy I am to see this." Corbin hugged it tightly.

"Thankfully, those men were smart to take it."

"Good!" He smiled, removing a skinny siphoning hose for Armis to use as a straw. Meanwhile, Everleigh examined her brother's wounds.

"I'm alright," Armis said.

"Shh," Everleigh hushed. "Save your energy."

"We need to get him into the truck." Corbin wrapped an arm around Armis's waist. "I know where to get you fixed up."

"A hospital on the coast?" Everleigh asked, but Corbin shook his head.

"North."

"North? We need to head west. They have doctors there," Everleigh explained.

"So you've heard about the desalination factories, I take it?"

"Yes. That's where we were headed before... Well, before spotting you dowsing for water," Everleigh replied, an apologetic half-smile. "We know some people in Oregon. Our former neighbors."

"You don't want to go there."

"Why not?"

"Because the coastal cities are too crowded, and they've instilled new laws. Women have to register their status, and you get put in a draft if you're single, within childbearing years."

"Draft?" Everleigh raised her brows.

"You mean you haven't heard about this?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Population control. They draft women for surgery to make them sterile. It's like a lottery, but not the fun kind."

"Why are they controlling the population? I thought the desalination factories were making things better?"

"Because the system isn't perfect. It works, but it doesn't pump enough clean water to support the hoards of people flocking there. And that's why we're heading north."

"Listen to him," Armis intoned. "We'll go north."

"Ok." Everleigh bit her lip. "I'm trusting you."

"How about we start by you helping me get your brother hydrated?"

With Corbin's guidance, Everleigh assisted him with creating a new IV for Armis, and when his coloring didn't look so pale, they helped him into the truck. The road ahead of them was long and they would need to cross the Oregon border into Idaho. If Corbin drove at a steady pace, it would only take six hours, which provided better odds for Armis.

He just hoped, for Everleigh's sake, her brother could hold on for that long.

Only time would tell.