Page 46 of Us Defiant Few

Khalani quickly slung a pack that was filled with food, water, and spare clothes over her injured shoulder. She groaned from the weight, but she refused to complain and let anyone else ease her burden.

Suddenly, the bag was yanked from her.

She spun and found Takeshi towering over her. He didn’t say anything.

Barely even glanced her way.

He simply unzipped her pack and began transferring items into his own bag. By the time he shoved it back at her, her bag weighed practically nothing.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She frowned.

“What does it look like?”

“Are you seriously helping me?” Khalani was unable to keep the shock out of her voice.

Maybe this was his way of saying sorry for dislocating her shoulder. Maybe she didn’t have to worry about her throat getting slit in the Death-Zone.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he scowled. “I’m doing this for my own sanity, so I’m not forced to watch you struggle and slow us down up there.”

He turned without another word, joining Spade at the sewer grate while he carried the heavy pack like it was a bag of feathers.

Just one good punch.

That couldn’t possibly make the situation worse.

“Winnie knows that look.” Winnie appeared to Khalani’s right.

“What look?”

“The look of someone in love, but they don’t realize it.”

“Doubtful,” Khalani scoffed, blood rushing to her face. “I’ll probably dream about stabbing him tonight.”

“I wasn’t talking about you, Khalani dear.” Winnie’s lips curled in a grin as she glanced at Takeshi. “I was talking about him.”

* * *

Spade led the way up the sewer ladders. As Khalani scaled higher and higher toward the surface, she was begrudgingly grateful for the extra weight taken off her back. But would she ever admit that to the man directly beneath her?

Not a chance.

She’d be lying though if she didn’t admit to perking her butt slightly on the way up. And when the faintest curse echoed under her, an evil grin crossed her lips.

If Takeshi was going to make her life a living hell, she’d grant him the same misery.

“This horrendous smell is never going to leave my hair.” Serene’s nose wrinkled as they continued climbing.

“You could always cut it off,” Spade responded. “Or dye it green to match the smell.”

“She’s not touching her hair,” Brock fired back.

“If I remember correctly,” Serene said, “you called me an ‘ignoramus blue pixie’ because you hated my hair.”

“What does that even mean?” Elise asked.

“It means that men are stupid and resort to name-calling when they’re too afraid to share their feelings.”

“Quite true, Serene,” Winnie chimed in. “Winnie doesn’t know how they’ve survived thus far.”