Page 44 of Cold Foot King
She pulled the door open to a familiar face. Timber, Wreck’s mate, was standing there clad in leggings and a big, fur-lined jacket, with a thick beanie on her head. She was shouldering a backpack and had a clipboard in her hand. “Good evening, campers!” she said in a chipper tone.
Katrina couldn’t help her smile. Sure, they’d been enemies at one time, but that was kind of funny.
“Did you get the extra clothes?” Timber asked.
“Yes, thank you so much for getting those. I can pay you back as soon as I get access to my bank accounts. If my assets aren’t frozen, I have savings.”
“Girl, don’t worry about it. Damon Daye insisted on bankrolling this adventure, and plus, I’m finding a lot of great sales. Hey, Owen brought the clothes to you, but forgot to tell everyone what to pack.”
“Pack for what?”
“A trip. That’s all I can say about it. You need to bring your bag of toiletries and all the clothes we’ve given you. If you want snacks, you need to rush to the store and grab them quick. We’re leaving in twenty. Meetup is at the Moody Lantern.”
“Okay. We’ll rush.”
Timber nodded and headed for the next door.
“Hey Timber?” she asked, sidling out of the doorway. “I haven’t really talked to you or officially met you. I mean, outside of the war. I only saw you there.” She cleared her throat and held out her hand. “Thank you for getting me out of Cold Foot.”
Timber’s smile had stiffened at the mention of the war, but she came back and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Officially. Pack fast.”
“Nice to meet you too,” she murmured as Timber bustled to the next room and knocked on the door.
King had apparently heard the conversation, because he was already putting their things in their toiletry bags in the bathroom, and had her warm layers laying out on the foot of the bed for her.
“Snacks?” she asked.
“We definitely need snacks,” he said, pulling his shirt on quick.
She laughed as they shrugged into their jackets and pulled their beanies on. She wore the new white thermal and beige fitted wool sweater. She pulled on her socks, shoved her feet into her snow boots, and followed King out of the room without even bothering to tie them. In one hand, he was carrying a bag of waters and the very little food they had left over, and in the other, their paper bag of clothes. He’d shoved the water tumbler she’d bought him in there too, after chugging it empty.
Others were filing out of their rooms, in a rush too. They met Raynah in the hall, and she waved. She was carrying her bag of belongings too, and had her beanie sticking out of her back jeans pocket. Katrina yanked it out and pulled it over Raynah’s head as they walked. Every one of the Cold Foot shifters veered right for the store across the icy street. Two of them introduced themselves to her and King. A few she recognized from the bar, but they hadn’t talked to her. They’d kind of stuck to their own little clique.
There was an air of excitement that was contagious.
“Holy shit, what are those?” one of them asked, pointing toward the Moody Lantern.
Two enormous machines with tank tracks as wheels were parked in front of the bar. One was yellow, and one was blue. They were two-piece, square-bodied machines that looked made to survive a snow-apocalypse. The front cab of each had a hitch, and was hauling the second cab. It was probably easier to move big machines in the snow that way.
She glanced up at King, and he was wearing a smile. “They’re taking us out into the woods.”
A wave of nervous anticipation washed up her spine. Okay, King would need more food than her, and she didn’t know how long they would be in the woods. Her lioness could hunt and keep her fed, but gorillas were more acclimated to warmer climates, and probably didn’t eat the same diet as her lioness. In the store, they pooled their money and filled the snack bag with protein-rich options, then bustled out to join the meeting that was happening right in front of one of the machines.
Wreck was leaned against one of them, and gestured to a couple of men off to the side. “These will be our guides. They’re human, so mind your manners. That will be a test. Now if you look around, you can see some of you are missing.”
Katrina looked around to find Timber and Raynah standing near her, but the males did look fewer in number. A quick headcount said they were missing four. The two guys from the gas station she’d popped off at yesterday were gone, and two more.
“We’re trimming the fat,” Wreck told them. “We will only be taking five back to Montana to join the Crew, and the rest of you will have to make your way into the world.”
One of the males raised his hand. She thought she remembered his name being Cash. “If we don’t make the cut, will you be taking us back to Cold Foot Prison?”
Wreck crossed his arms over his chest and tossed a glance at his mate, then back to Cash. “We took a vote. Damon voted as well. Those of you who were chosen, we believe are salvageable, and that your punishment was too harsh. You’ve paid your dues, you’ve done enough time. Damon will help you secure the necessary items to travel, and will get you where you need to be, and then you will figure your lives out from there. On your own.”
“Will the Fastlanders be going on this trip with us?” Katrina asked, looking around for Silver.
Wreck canted his head and told her, “The Fastlanders have gone as far as they can with this process. Their influence was appreciated, but from here on, the decisions for this Crew are up to myself, Timber, and Damon. Silver said to tell you goodbye. She knocked on your door to say it herself, but no one answered. Any more questions?”
“Where are we going?” Reed asked from the other side of King.