Chapter 625 Chapter 625
Journee watched Asher walk out. She wanted him to stay. Everything seemed better when he was close. It wasn’t better, it just felt that way. She turned and glanced at the women, not sure of their names.
“Journee,” the tall one with the short brown hair smiled at her. “I’m Pasha.” She motioned to the tables, “pick a table. The more of us doing this means, the faster we get it done.”
Journee looked to see there were boxes sitting on the tables. “I’m not sure of what we’re doing.”
“It’s fine. We have a list and put whatever it says in each tote.” Pasha motioned to the bins on the floor.
Nodding, Journee went over and stood beside one of the tables. She looked in the open box and wasn’t sure what was in it.
“You probably don’t remember me, but we’re from the same clan.” Pasha went around the table and opened another box. She stopped and looked at her, “I would have been there that day, but I was grounded and stuck in the house.” Journee watched a pained look go through her brown eyes. “I’m glad you made it back.”
“Are we supposed to put the medical things in the tote or separate them?” The one with the dark orange hair asked. “I wasn’t listening.” She came over and stood at the end of the table, “I’m Fallan,” she smiled at her. “How’s your leg? Do you need a chair?
“Hi,” Journee wasn’t sure what clan she was from or if the dark orange hair with black tips was natural or not, but combined with her pale blue eyes, she was very pretty.
“I think we’re supposed to keep the medical things separate.” The one with the baby blue eyes, she thought her name was Sloane, said. Journee watched her drag a stack of plastic bins over and start putting them on the table. “So, is it better if we leave the totes here and bring the items, or should we take the tote from table to table?” She slipped her long brown hair over her shoulder.
“What do you think, McKenna? Best way to do this?”
The short woman with strawberry blonde hair shoved her sunglasses up on top of her head and waved a few papers around. “This is a long list,” she glanced around, “we need some carts with wheels, then we can wheel them from table to table.”
Fallan nodded and pulled out her phone, “I know just the one to whine to for that.” She started tapping the screen.
Pasha motioned to the chair along the side, “Do you need to sit?”
Journee shook her head, “I’m fine standing.” Looking down at her leg, she said, “Shaelan says I can maybe shift later today or tomorrow, so I want to stay moving with it.”
“That was something, what you did outside with the rogue.” She grinned, “Some of us were watching from inside.”
“I overreacted.” Journee frowned; it hadn’t felt like it at the time. “I didn’t know all the facts.” She said it slowly, still having trouble talking to someone. Most of her life now had been just her, so conversing felt strange now.
“Regardless, that move was something.” Pasha motioned to herself, “You need to teach me that.” She looked at her leg. “When you’re fully healed.”
Journee smiled, “I can do that.”
Pasha watched McKenna drag more totes over to the other side of the room. “You know, you and Asher are the only ones left from that day,” She scowled at the items on the table for a moment. “He’s never recovered from it. Losing his family.”
Journee blew out a shaky breath. She couldn’t talk about it, not that part of it. The trip she could speak of without issue, but watching what had happened to the others, that she couldn’t do.
“He went away to some cousins or something, and when he came back, he was able to shift and spent all his time out tracking, and when he wasn’t in cat form, all he did was workout.” She shrugged, “I think he needed the physical activity, so he didn’t think.”
“It’s,” Journee nodded, “hard to keep it out of your mind.”
The door opened, and a tall, heavier man with black hair came in. She didn’t know his name, but he was always smiling. He was pushing a cart with wheels and pulling another one. “Will this work, ladies?” He smiled at Fallan. “If Illias comes asking, you have no idea where they came from.”
McKenna brought over a tote and set it on it. “We can fit two on this,” she turned and looked at Sloane, “this should speed it up.”
Fallan saluted the man, “Thanks, Webb.”
“Anytime.” He bowed his head and walked out of the room, humming to himself.
“Okay,” McKenna walked to the first table and looked in the boxes. “One full case from each of these.” She nodded and went to the next table, “one each of these.” When she reached the next table, she glanced at the paper in her hand, “these are medical, so,” she looked over at Pasha, “we should pack these separately after the other tote.”
Pasha nodded and went over and shoved the table back against the wall.
The mood in the room was relaxed. Journee was glad about that. She’d been in some tense rooms since coming here. So much had happened that she couldn’t focus on just one part of it. Now, she was lost in the knowledge that her cat and Asher’s cat were mates. She didn’t understand what that meant, not really. She knew her parents had been, but still wasn’t sure if something was expected from her.
“Okay,” McKenna stood beside her and looked in the boxes in front of her, “your table, Journee,” she looked at the paper, “it doesn’t have amounts,” she looked in the boxes again and turned and looked at Sloane, “I’m not sure what you’d need out of this.”
Sloane put the tote on the cart and then came over and looked in the boxes, “munchies.” She grinned. “Lots of munchies.”
“Two of each?”
Sloane shook her head, “I’d do three. When we hit a location lately, we’re pulling a lot of young teens out, and it’s like they’re starved.” She shook her head, “they cleaned me out the last time when I was transporting them.”
McKenna looked in one box and held up a package of something. “There are several cases in the warehouse, so we’re good.” She nodded to Journee. “We’ll do three of each of these on your table.” She flipped open the furthest box and pointed. “Four of these.” With a smile, she moved to the next table.
“I’ll start wheeling around,” Pasha went over and took the first cart that Sloane had put totes on.
Journee watched her for a moment as she grabbed items and put them in the tote, “these go with teams?” She didn’t know what the teams were.
Sloane paused and rolled her shoulder, making a face like it hurt. “Yes, we split up into several vehicles, and when we hit a location, everyone takes the survivors found and heads in different directions,” she moved her head from side to side and then opened one of the boxes on the table in front of her, “so we can’t be followed.”
Journee blinked, hitting locations, survivors, the words registered in her mind. “You’re rescuing those that were taken.”
Sloane nodded. “We’ve gotten a lot in the last six months, as opposed to before when it was five or six a year.” She gave her a wide grin. “Now, thanks to you, we’re going to find the kids and put a stop to where they’ve been hiding them for so long.”
McKenna paused and looked back at her. “I hope they set the island on fire after they get everyone off it.”
Journee’s eyes widened.
McKenna shrugged, “It’s an island surrounded by water, a little fire will be harmless.” She frowned, “unless there’s land close. Is there?”
Journee shook her head, “No. It’s not close to any land. That’s why I almost didn’t make it back so many times when I tried to hide alongside the boat leaving.”
“Damn glad you survived and got back.” Pasha patted her chest, “makes me proud one of my clan did that.”
Her clan. Journee had a clan. With a jerky motion, she swiped at her eye when it started to fill with tears. “I’m sorry,” she looked at the box on the table, “everything is happening, I don’t understand some—” she chuffed, “most of it.”
“Hey,” she heard footsteps come up behind her, “I didn’t mean to drag anything up on you.” Pasha put her hand on her shoulder, “I can’t imagine the hell you’ve been through, and I hope,” she offered her an understanding smile, “I hope you find your peace once we’ve close down that island.” She nodded.
Journee sucked in a shaky breath. “Thank you.” She blew it out. “I don’t know about finding peace. There’s just so much happening. So much I’ve missed and,” she looked down at her hands and clasped them together, “so much I don’t understand.”