Buried Flames (11 page)

Mason leaned down and stroked Sam’s back, letting him know his warning had been heeded. He drew his gasmask over his face, removing it in one quick motion and ever so quietly attaching it to his belt before doing the same with Sam’s. The dog didn’t take time to paw at his nose in relief. As a matter of fact, he never took his penetrating gaze off of the men’s restroom. Someone was in there. The question remained—how many people?

Mason never had the pleasure of working with the K9s, but Sam had worked on Brenna’s farm since he was a puppy and clearly understood specific commands as well as gestures. He made a good partner and Mason laid his palm flat so that Sam understood he still needed to hold back. Mason grimaced slightly when he stood, his left thigh muscle feeling the strain of his weight, and he crossed the cold floor until he reached the restroom.

“You come through that door and I’ll put a bullet straight through your head,” a deep voice called out loud enough that not even the cheap wood of the door muffled his words. “Trust me. I won’t miss.”

Assertive. Maybe a cop, considering he had given a fair warning. Could be military. And judging by the hitch in his voice he was weak—most likely hurt from the sound of it. Mason could deal with all those scenarios.

“We’re not looking to cause trouble,” Mason answered warily, continuing to keep and eye on Sam while scanning the interior of the building. No one else appeared to be inside, but he wasn’t one hundred percent positive this tango didn’t have a partner. “We need a place to rest for a few hours. Is that going to be a problem?”

Mason waited while looking back over his shoulder toward the glass doors. The ash kept him from seeing anything through the tinted glass more than a dozen yards out and the power grid supplying electricity to this rest stop had definitely gone out at some point. He was truly surprised that more stranded motorists weren’t holed up here, but then again, this rest stop
was
a bit out of the way. He didn’t like bringing the horses inside with someone else in the vicinity seeing as the animals made them targets, but it wasn’t like any of them had a choice right now. Brenna was exhausted and the horses needed water.

“You leave me alone and I’ll return the favor.”

Mason wasn’t instilled with confidence that would be the case, but it would do for now. He’d be sleeping with one eye open or not at all. He motioned for Sam to guard the door, not wanting there to be an ambush while he was signaling for Brenna to bring the horses inside. He stayed where he was, leaning against a water fountain, and quietly waited for just a few more moments…just to be on the safe side.

*

Too much time
had passed. There was something wrong. This waiting was like being trapped inside a nightmare while not being able to wake up. How was it possible the world could be this silent? The ash must have dampened the sound somehow. With all the debris and the absence of people, the landscape was deathly quiet. Brenna could now time her heartbeat by the swooshing sound inside her ears and came very close to declaring herself mentally deranged when she swore the swirls of the ash became the angel of death coming to collect her soul. Was this what it was like for prisoners kept in isolation too long?

Brenna nudged the horses closer to the sidewalk of the rest stop, hoping to see something other than a sea of grey ghosts. She held onto both reins with one hand, using the other to maintain a grip on her rifle in case things went sideways. She was covered in a thick coarse residue that wasn’t coming off with a brush of her fingers.

Did Mason really think she would leave him here? Brenna would never do that and started considering her options on how to keep the horses from straying while she went on foot after him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his light flash on and off as per his directions in the distance. She wasn’t far from the entrance to the building, so she prodded Major and Sergeant onto the sidewalk and guided them to the door. It was a good thing they were oversized or else the large animals would not make it inside.

“Never again,” Brenna announced through her gasmask, leaning down and handing him Sergeant’s reins. “Where you go, I go. It’s that simple.”

“We’ll talk about it once we’re settled.”

Brenna could barely hear what Mason had said, but she chalked it up to the fact she was still outside in the cone of silence. She waited for him to maneuver Sergeant through the double doors, which wasn’t an easy feat, while keeping the entrance open for her. She entered as quickly as she could, seeing that he didn’t have his mask on. She couldn’t wait to get hers off as well.

The sharp sound of the horses’ hooves reverberated off of the walls and high ceiling. It wasn’t long until Brenna was standing on her own two feet, acclimating to the hard surface. Her entire body ached, although more from the tension she’d held inside her muscles than the long ride. She rode every day, but not in these horrid conditions.

It brought back memories of a ride she’d taken to gather strays from her ranch’s outer ranges during a particular harsh winter storm. Funny how she hadn’t thought of that bracing ride until now. Her father had warned all the riders that they were never to be out of sight from one another.

The first thing Brenna did was to pull off the gasmask and take a deep breath.

“Damn, that feels good.”

“We have a problem,” Mason said in a manner that had another spike of adrenaline running through her. Brenna wanted nothing more than to collapse on the floor against the wall and just take a moment to herself, but from the way the muscle ticked in his jaw that wasn’t going to happen. “We’re not alone.”

Brenna immediately looked around at all the shadows being produced from the small flashlight. She strained to hear where these people were that Mason was talking about, but there wasn’t a sound. It was quite dark in the corners. She counted the doors and figured there may be a couple of restrooms and some type of supply closet or office.

“As far as I can tell, there’s one tango holed up in the men’s restroom.” Mason brushed the ash off of the horses and removed their masks, seemingly okay with the fact that they had company. Brenna did catch the fact that his eyes continually skimmed over the left side of the building. “He’s armed, but I think he’ll keep to himself. There’s no guarantee, so keep your weapon handy and be alert. Don’t let your guard down. I only want to stay here for a couple of hours—less if possible.”

They finally had some shelter and could rest a bit before continuing on in these harsh conditions, but they really wouldn’t get any amount of sleep. At least, she wouldn’t knowing that someone could come out and try to kill them both at any moment.

“I’ll take care of the animals.” Mason led the horses to the far side, away from the left side of the building. “Go use the women’s restroom to get cleaned up.”

Brenna was one to carry her own weight, and she wanted to make sure Sam was all right first. Before she could ask where he was, she caught a glimpse of his tail by the men’s restroom. Sam was guarding the area, which could be why Mason was willing to stay here. She was thinking it might be best to leave.

“Don’t go over there or distract Sam.”

Mason walked over to a door that appeared to have a broken handle and opened it, looking for something inside of what appeared to be a supply closet. He’d already shed his jacket, his shoulder holster visible. Brenna became uneasy when she realized the handle had been purposefully destroyed. She assumed it was from the man in the restroom, but what if it wasn’t? What if someone else was still here? The scowl on Mason’s face didn’t alleviate her unease. Her eyes zeroed in on where Sam was stationed.

“Are you hurt?”

“Why would I be hurt?” Mason asked, a frown still marring his features. He was now standing in front of her with a bucket in hand. “Like I said, I’ll take care of the animals while you use the restroom sink to wash up as best you can. There probably won’t be any water pressure, but the toilets may have a reserve tank that will have clean water in it. Just stay away from the men’s room.”

“Fine, you’re not hurt,” Brenna conceded while still holding on to her mask, not caring that she’d hurt his ego. “But Sam is obviously standing guard for a reason. Did you forcefully lock this stranger in there? Is he hurt?”

“Your high opinion of me is just astounding,” Mason said wryly, leaving Brenna to stand in the middle of the entryway while he walked across the floor to where the women’s restroom was located. He disappeared inside and didn’t return until at least three minutes passed with a bucket full of water in his hand. She kept watch the entire time, her hand resting on her pistol. “Someone else is holed up here and he wants his privacy. It’s that simple.”

“And you’re making sure he gets it?” Brenna raising an eyebrow in question, reminding herself this is why they should always stick together. She didn’t like not having all the details. “Mason, it’s not like I’m going to relax thinking you have someone trapped inside of a rest stop bathroom.”

Mason placed the bucket of water in front of the horses and then finally took time to really look at her. Brenna met his dark gaze with determination, not willing to let him do this on his own. He wasn’t by himself and the faster he realized that…the better off they’d both be.

“It’s fine. We just need to be extra cautious. There’s only one person besides us inside this place.” Mason stepped forward and lowered his voice, causing Brenna to tilt her face up to his in order to not miss a word. The intensity coming off of him was palpable. “He’s stated he’s armed and that he’ll shoot if we try to open that door. I’m accommodating him.”

Brenna didn’t like thinking this stranger could come out here and demand their supplies, but then again she and Mason had invaded his territory. They weren’t looking for anything other than space and would leave him alone if he provided the same courtesy. Sam was certainly in a vulnerable position, but she now understood why Mason had led the horses to the right of the building. Everything appeared secure at the moment.

“You go and get cleaned up,” Brenna suggested, motioning over her shoulder to the front entrance where she was going to be. “I’m going to brush off as much ash as I can before using the sink. I’ll keep an eye on things.”

Brenna didn’t wait for Mason to answer, but instead rested her hand on the holster he’d given her currently attached at her waist as she turned around. She was confident in her shooting abilities and would protect what was theirs if need be. Mason would eventually come to realize that she was an asset and not a liability. Until then…she’d just have to prove she could handle herself.

M
ason let another
ten minutes pass while Brenna brushed off any residual ash from her hair and clothes. The thick residue stuck to fabric and wasn’t easy to get rid of. He used the time to finish up the horses and take care of Sam, who’d more than earned a little spoiling. He ignored Brenna’s inquiring gaze as he continued to set up a small camping area in the corner.

Sam caught Mason’s attention when he tilted his head this way and that, trying to hear what was going on inside the men’s restroom. It had been oddly quiet, but then again, he wouldn’t have wanted to call attention to himself either if he’d been in that situation. It wasn’t a stretch to assume the tango inside was by himself, or else someone would have been checking on things going on outside the building.

“What is it, boy?” Mason murmured, scratching Sam’s head. It did nothing to pull his attention away from the other side of the building.

“You’ll eventually have to clean up,” Brenna said, finally walking back across the tiled floor with a worried frown ruining her otherwise glowing features. Her lips were pursed, reminding him of when she was younger. She still had the same endearing mannerisms. “You want to go first?”

“No,” Mason replied, still uncomfortable with the stranger’s presence. He wanted a little more time to ensure nothing was going to go wrong. He glanced at his watch, realizing he’d just missed the check-in time with Tank. “I’m going to radio in our location first.”