Page 90 of Steel Vengeance

CHAPTER 33

Stitch glanced over at Sloane’s pale, exhausted face. He loved that she’d tried to stay awake with him but had eventually passed out herself. He felt oddly lighter after all that talking. Maybe the shrinks were right—opening up did help.

What she’d said about her dad had surprised him. He’d always pictured her having a comfortable, middle-class upbringing. She just had that vibe. Well-spoken, elegant, classy.

But she’d been through some stuff too. Like him, she’d lost someone close—her mom. Then her dad had killed himself right in front of her.

Jesus, and she was only seventeen.

Everybody had tragedy in their life. Everyone had to deal with pain.

He wasn’t alone in that.

Even if it still hurt like hell.

He drove for a few more hours, then pulled into a gas station to fill up and stretch his legs. They’d been on the road for six hours.

Sloane stirred and opened her eyes. “I must’ve dozed off,” she said, looking a little embarrassed. “I was trying to stay awake to keep you company.”

He smiled. “Don’t sweat it. You obviously needed the rest.”

He was used to going days without sleep. Six hours was nothing.

A loud yawn came from the backseat. “Are we there yet?”

He grinned. “Only about ten more hours.”

“Fuck.” Blade stretched. “You want me to take over?”

“Yeah, why not. I could use a break.”

“You take the back,” Sloane said. “I’m good up front.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, you need it more than I do.”

After they used the restroom and filled up, they hit the road again. Stitch heard Sloane chatting with Blade, and despite what he’d thought, and he fell asleep.

The next thing he knew, the sun was up, and Sloane was driving.

What the?—?

He glanced out the window. They were in a built-up area, surrounded by industrial warehouses and container yards.

Karachi.

“Good morning.” Sloane caught his eye in the rearview mirror.

He sat up, glaring at the city. “I can’t believe I slept that long.”

“Nothing short of mortar fire would’ve woken you up, man,” Blade teased from the front seat. Stitch couldn’t help but grin. The banter between them felt like the old days, back in the team. He’d missed that.

“What time is it?”

“Eight,” Blade said. “I called the harbor master. TheArabian Princessleaves at six tonight, so we’ve got plenty of time to get down there and do a recce.”

“Perfect,” Stitch said.