sunfall by Nell Stark Page A

swing up and around to approach Prince George from the west, while the other maintains an easterly route.”
    “What’s the next step?” Alexa asked.
    “We escort her to New York,” said Malcolm.
    “Leon, Malcolm, and Constantine will take the eastern path,” said Foster. “Val, Alexa, Karma, and I will circle west.”
    The four of us spent the remainder of the flight in one of the booths, hunched over the table with several maps of British Columbia spread out before us. North of Vancouver, the countryside quickly became mountainous and heavily forested—ideal terrain for an ambush. While it seemed likely that the majority of Brenner’s forces in the region would be targeting Tian, I had no doubt that he was also monitoring our movements.
    When we landed at a small, private airfield outside the city limits, we found two black Humvees parked just inside the hangar. Several boxes of combat gear and survival supplies had been stacked between them.
    “Help yourselves to the equipment,” said Malcolm, “and be sure to take a box of provisions as well.”
    My breath steamed in the cold air as I pulled on a ballistic vest over my sweater. The side pockets yielded MREs, a knife, and several packets of caffeine pills and painkillers. The boxes contained additional medical supplies and food rations. I muscled one into the trunk of the nearest Humvee and turned to the sight of Alexa tightening the fit of her vest. Her dark hair brushed gently against her shoulders and her lower lip stuck out ever so slightly in a frown of concentration and the barest flicker of her abdominal muscles was visible as she wrestled to adjust one shoulder strap.
    Love and thirst flared up together, twin fires curling around my heart, galvanizing it into action. Despite the urgency of the moment, I stepped forward, stilling her hands and untangling the twisted strap.
    “There.” And then I kissed her, right there in front of every-one—a deep, searching kiss that stole my breath and hers. Color rushed to her cheeks when I pulled back, but she kept her eyes on me and didn’t turn away until I bent to grab one of our duffels.
    As we loaded our bags into the trunks, the inevitable argument began.
    “Who’s driving?” asked Karma.
    “I am,” Foster and I said simultaneously.
    For a moment, we squared off across the glossy hood. A few feet away, Summers and Constantine appeared to be engaged in a similar battle.
    “Maybe you should arm wrestle,” Alexa suggested dryly.
    “This is a waste of time,” I said. “And we don’t have any of that to spare. You take the first shift. I’m going to play with my guns in the backseat.”
    Karma and Alexa laughed, and even Foster cracked a half-grin. For an instant, I felt a strange sense of disconnect—as though we were simply four friends about to pile into a car for a road trip, instead of four creatures of legend and nightmare about to attempt a daring rescue. And then I felt the weight of my bulletproof vest bearing down on my shoulders, and the moment passed.
    “Check in every hour,” Constantine called as we climbed into the vehicle.
    As Foster revved the engine, I moved the bag containing our weapons to the space between Alexa and me on the backseat. Karma served as navigator while I pieced together my sniper rifle and Alexa loaded the shotguns and pistols. Her western Wisconsin upbringing had given her a comfort level with firearms that I hadn’t managed to achieve until recently.
    Our task completed, we distributed the weapons and settled in for the long haul. The drive would take just over ten hours, and it was imperative that we reach Tian before the sun rose. We had very little leeway, and we had to push hard.
    The Humvee’s engine roared in our ears, making all but the most necessary conversation impossible between the front and back seats. Alexa curled up with her back against my side, allowing both of us to remain vigilant even as we stayed in close contact. The forested landscape