Western Desert (Book Two in the Chronicles of Lily Carmichael trilogy)

Western Desert

Book Two

The Chronicles of Lily Carmichael

Chapter 1

June 2057

“Are you trying to get us killed already? We haven’t even left Stanton yet.” Will gripped the dashboard as the Rover skidded to a stop in front of Higgins Market.

“I’ll get the hang of it. Stop making me nervous.” I jammed the shifter into park and turned to my shaggy blonde passenger. “It’s not like you could do better.”

“It doesn’t look that hard, you’re just…” His voice trailed off as we both swung our heads toward the tall, dark-skinned boy coming out of the butcher shop down the street. Josh Johnson stalked our way. With the tinted windows in the Land Rover, he probably couldn’t see us, but the nasty smirk on his face said he knew we were inside. Will shook his head. “Just what we need.”

Will Callahan and Josh Johnson had faced off more than once, often on account of me, and the last time the face-off ended in Will taking a bullet that almost cost him his life. I shuddered at the memory of nearly losing him only weeks before. Even with my genetic enhancements that gave me the ability to heal people, I had limitations—most of which I was still figuring out. I’d had to make the decision whether to heal Will and his bullet wound, or use my ability to heal Josh’s father, the local constable who’d had his head smashed in by an Industry agent. Joe Johnson had failed in his efforts to keep the agents from taking his youngest son Tyler and my brother Zephron to Industry Headquarters in the Western Desert.

Will, much to my frustration and Josh’s surprise, had insisted that I use my ability to heal Mr. Johnson, knowing full well I might not have enough power left in me to save him too. Josh owed me—and Will—but I had low expectations of whether he’d keep that in mind. The firearm strapped to Josh’s side gave me reason to doubt. He disappeared into the store.

“I’ll go in alone. We only need a few more supplies and there’s no need to have you start up with Josh again.” I opened my door, but before I had my feet on the ground, Will was climbing out his side of the Rover.

“I can deal with Josh. You aren’t going in alone.”

This was going to be a long trip. “You are the most stubborn…”

Will didn’t let me finish. “Old news, Lily.” His lips curved into a smile, the dimple in one cheek causing my jaw to drop and my argument to flee. He rounded the vehicle, stepped up beside me on the porch, and rested a hand on my lower back as he escorted me into the store. The subtle contact made my brain fuzzy and sent my thoughts scrambling.

Josh’s head popped up when we walked in, his dark eyes glaring daggers from Will to me. I brushed off the sense that he was about to implode and went straight to the counter where Mrs. Higgins met me with a broad, round-faced grin.

“Hi, Lily. I’ve got the supplies you asked for.” She hefted a box onto the counter, her short, graying brown hair well suited to her sturdy demeanor. I had given her a list the day before and was glad she’d filled the order without question. “How is Sam doing?”

“Much better, thanks,” I smiled appreciatively.  “The drugs I brought back from Albany seem to be working.” My uncle’s cancer had been in remission the past few weeks, a relief beyond words since all of my efforts to heal him had failed.

“I’m so glad he’s feeling better. I don’t know what we would do without him around here.” An undeniable expression of affection shadowed Mrs. Higgins’s deep brown eyes. She rummaged through the box, taking a last minute inventory of food items we would need for a trip that would hopefully only take a couple of weeks. “There’s plenty of dried fruit in here. I took the liberty of packing you a dozen of my chocolate donuts since I know how much you and your friend enjoy them.” Her eyes held a sparkle when she glanced from me to Will, sending an unexpected rush of warmth to my cheeks. I could feel Josh’s glare at my back. My belly squirmed. Mrs. Higgins added with a sympathetic nod, “Sam is going to miss you—especially with Zephron gone.”