Seer and the Shield by D. Jackson Leigh

Author:D. Jackson Leigh [Leigh, D. Jackson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626393943
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2017-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Toni and Maya both reached for Nicole’s arms when she stumbled on the broken pavement of the neglected roadway. Even though Xavier had said he’d send a transport back for them, Juan and his men had decided they wanted hot food and showers sooner rather than later. They’d set off at a fast clip in the direction Xavier’s transport had taken, and Nicole was having trouble keeping up.

“Are you okay?” Maya asked.

Nicole grimaced. “I’ll be fine. I just need to focus on what’s ahead—hopefully a full meal, hot bath, and a real bed. I could sleep—” She stumbled, then bent to grasp her right calf before sitting abruptly. Her face contorted. “Cramp, cramp. Dung.”

Toni would have laughed at the uncharacteristic curse if it hadn’t been obvious that Nicole was in pain. Pregnancy was bringing out a short-tempered side of the usually sweet, sunny Advocate who befriended everyone. She knelt and grabbed Nicole’s foot with one hand to flex it gently. “Let me help, Nic.” She rubbed Nicole’s arch and Achilles tendon with her other hand.

Maya joined her ministrations, pushing Nicole’s hands away to take over her frantic massage of the visibly knotted calf muscle. “Let Toni and me do this. You sit back and concentrate on breathing through the pain,” she said to Nicole.

Emile stood over them, his expression anxious. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s dehydrated and her legs are cramping.” Toni knew she shouldn’t snap at Emile. He’d been kind and helpful. But she was tired and thirsty. They’d drunk the last swallows of their water when they rose that morning, and now she was kicking herself for not giving up her share to Nicole.

Emile dug—a bit awkwardly with Tan still tied to his back—into one of the deep cargo pockets of his pants and handed a quarter-full water bottle to Nicole. “Will this help?”

Maya looked up and beamed at him. “Thank you, Emile.”

The big man blushed and scuffed his boot against the pavement. “I’m sorry I can’t carry her, too.” He glanced nervously at the other men, who had stopped some distance ahead. One of them was striding back toward them. “Maybe it won’t be much farther, but I think we need to hurry.”

The man, the same who had earlier suggested he should help fit her pack straps around her breasts, approached with a sneer. “Juan wants you up there,” he said to Emile. Though the man had a slight build, Emile wilted under his mean stare and hurried back to the group, Tan’s limbs flopping as he jogged. Then the man glared at the women. “Get up.”

Toni stood to face him while Maya rose and held out a hand to Nicole, who failed in her first attempt when her weight pulled at her tender calf muscle. She plopped back down to the roadway.

“I said for you to get up, bitch.” The man shoved Toni out of his path and drew his foot back to kick Nicole.

“No!” Toni charged into him, knocking him to the ground and going down with him.

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