Flanked

be well enough to travel. They were already on borrowed time. Maybe they should stay in the area, find a new house to hole up in. Maybe —
“I’m fine.” Devin wedged himself against the wall and squared his shoulders. “I can hear you overthinking.”
“The effects of the dazzler have worn off?” They were only supposed to last a few minutes, but Devin sure didn’t look steady on his feet, and he wasn’t making eye contact.
“We have to go.”
Joe sighed. “But if you’re not feeling up to it, we can find a different house, spend some more time —”
“We do that, he’ll find us. We’re not going back.” Devin listed forward. “Now hold my fucking hand so I don’t bang into anything, and let’s get the hell out of here.”
Joe took hold of Devin and led him back out into the world.
***
Blurred shapes moved in and out of Devin’s path. He couldn’t tell if what he saw was moving, or if his movement changed what he saw. The blindness wore on him, heightened his fear that one of Boggs’s men could sneak up on them. He should be able to see by now. Joe had said the effects of a dazzler wore off in half an hour, tops. Had it been hours now since he’d run outside like an idiot and been flashed by that drone? Felt like it. He stumbled over something and swore.
“Sorry,” Joe muttered and tightened his grip on Devin’s hand.
Devin didn’t want to answer, so he squeezed Joe’s biceps with his free hand and kept his mouth shut. As dangerous as being out on the road was, running away had been their only choice. It had been bad enough being prostitutes, but yesterday morning, Boggs, that sick fuck, had been bent on punishing them for ruining his plans. He swore he’d force Joe to be his personal sex toy; he said he’d make Devin do the most perverted things for strangers while Joe watched. So yeah, they’d had to leave. Besides, Joe needed to find his father, and Devin intended to be there when he did.
He slipped his hand inside Joe’s thin micro-poly jacket and traced the V-shaped cut on the outside of Joe’s elbow. It was already beginning to scab. Devin hated that Joe had chosen to cut himself, but Joe had wanted a scar, something to remind him of Victor’s sacrifice. Devin hated that, too.
Joe’s steady pace wavered for a moment. He must be checking behind them.
Even though it was pointless, Devin turned his head, and immediately wished he hadn’t. His stomach lurched. He wrapped his free hand around Joe’s arm again. “Anyone there?”
“If someone was there, I’d tell you.”
“Like you tell me other stuff?” The words jumped from Devin’s mouth and into the chilly night air before he thought them through. He understood why, back in Austin, Joe hadn’t told him Boggs had kidnapped the baby, that his lies had been to keep Devin safe, but it didn’t change the fact that Joe hadn’t trusted him. They could have figured out a solution together.
“I tell you everything now,” Joe said.
This wasn’t the time to get into it, so Devin let the statement slide. He wanted to prove he was more of a grown-up than Joe gave him credit for, and prioritizing his thoughts seemed like a smart way to do it. He needed to focus on the fact that a sick pervert psycho was hunting them.
“How do you think he’ll try to find us?”
Joe sighed. “Well, since the drone stopped moving, he’ll send someone to check on it. Once he finds out that we evaded it, I don’t know. I don’t think he’ll send anyone to chase us unless he has a good idea where we are.”
“So we’re safe.”
“He’ll guess we’re on the highway.”
The resignation in Joe’s voice dashed Devin’s last shred of optimism. If Boggs sent men along the highway, he and Joe would be overtaken in no time. They were shuffling along at a snail’s pace, thanks to Devin’s blindness. They’d tried walking along the side roads and in the brush at first, but Devin had tripped over everything.
“God damn it.” He didn’t want to be the reason they got caught. And now that the thought of being found had entered his brain, it was all he could think about. His nerves jangled. He listened for anything, but all he heard was their breathing and the sound of their feet as they dragged along. He felt for Joe’s cut again and rubbed it with his finger.
“We’re coming up on a town,” Joe said. “That’ll make it easier to hide, but we have to watch out for other people.”
Their first night on the run, a few people with tattered clothes and vacant eyes had come out in the dark, but they’d kept their distance. During his time at Flights of Fantasy, he’d learned that most people were reluctant to walk on the highway, considering it bad luck. Maybe the people in whatever town this was would feel the same way.
To their right, someone yelled.
Devin tightened his grip on Joe’s arm. Joe tensed but kept them moving forward. When a cry came again, closer, Joe whispered, “Sit tight,” and slipped from Devin’s grasp.
Devin inhaled sharply and stopped moving, twice as blind without Joe’s guidance. He spread his arms and reached in every direction but found nothing. “Joe,” he whispered, afraid to make noise.
The seconds stretched. Devin shuffled forward, not daring to move his feet off the ground, just sliding them along. Where was Joe? The noise of another human came again, and Devin turned in the opposite direction and started to walk. He’d taken four steps when he tripped and fell.
Footsteps, quick and light, approached from the same direction as the voices. Devin pulled the VICE-shot out of his pocket and released the safety.
“Hey, hey! Don’t shoot. It’s me.” Joe’s soft voice and sweat-and-vanilla smell reached Devin a moment before warm hands cupped his shoulders. Joe roughly rubbed at them before pulling Devin to his feet.
“Where