He doesn’t know. Relief floods me as I slump back in my seat. I must’ve just fallen asleep and snuggled into him for warmth. Yeah, right, warmth.

With my heart pounding, there’s no way I’ll fall back to sleep. Looking back, I find Ethan in the same spot. I slip my hand under his nose and feel the soft puffs of breath against the pads of my fingers. Satisfied, my eyes travel over the first lights of dawn stretching out over the rocky landscape. I slide out of the Jeep and take off toward the pink horizon. I hike over the dusty ridges, trying to shake off my unease. I spot a large clump of cactus that will give enough cover as I empty my bladder. Up ahead a roadrunner skitters across the sand, his legs pumping into a blur as he darts over the hard pan. A lizard bolts under a rock as I approach. Dawn is a busy time in the desert. I need to be careful.

I drop my pants and duck down behind the bush. I try to keep my mind on the sounds of the desert, but it keeps turning elsewhere. Mostly back to the Jeep. My brother is still knocked out, and if Bennett weren’t already dead, I’d think about killing him. What if Ethan doesn’t wake up? I know Clay cares about Ethan, but what lengths would he go to save his life?

Then there’s Clay. God—Clay. I’ve developed a pretty severe crush on him. It’s impossible not to. He’s handsome, talented, kind and smart. The reasons not to like him are weighty, but I find myself coming up with excuses for his past. After all, he can’t help how he was raised.

The real reason you shouldn’t like him, the voice inside pipes up, is he thinks you’re a bender. That if you told him you were a girl, he’d turn you in faster than you can say “horrible scientific experiments.”

I want to tell myself to shut up, that he’s not the type, but I can’t. I’m worth a lifetime’s salary. Even if he doesn’t turn me in and actually wants to be with me, he’d have to devote the rest of his life to protecting me from, well, every other person in the world. It’s a lot to ask.

I’m still contemplating all this when Clay calls my name. I snap upright and almost pee on my boots. I pull my pants around my waist and spin around, hoping Clay hasn’t seen.

He’s running to me at a full clip. My heart pounds again. Why is he sprinting? I run. “What?” I say, breathless. “What is it?”

A smile breaks over his face. Out of breath, he points to the Jeep. “Ethan. He’s awake.”