“Devin,” Kerry shouted through the door. “You in there?”

Devin opened his eyes when she knocked.

What the hell?

Rubbing his forehead, Devin tried to push away the dull ache. He lifted his head from the pillow and got his bearings. He was in Noah’s room, and he was alone.

Kerry banged a second time.

“What?” he called back and sat up. He squinted and noted the daylight through the window. He remembered lying down with Noah last night, talking then…

I must have fallen asleep.

Kerry knocked again.

Devin blinked to clear the remnants of sleep. He raised his voice. “I said, what?”

“You decent?”

Devin stared down at himself. He was wearing a tank top and boxers, but pulled the sheet more tightly to his waist anyway. “Yeah, whatever.” He raked his hand through his hair and sat on the edge of the bed. Pressing his legs together to catch the thin sheet, he looked up at Kerry when she entered the room. “What do you want?” He wasn’t a morning person, and winced at the harshness of his words.

Turned out Kerry hadn’t noticed, or just didn’t care. “You need to get dressed.”

Devin yawned. “What?” He ran his hand over his jaw and leaned forward.

“You need to get up and dressed. Now.”

The sternness of her words made Devin sit up straight. “What’s going on?”

Kerry placed a hand on her hip and bit her lip. “It’s Noah.”

“Noah?” Devin noted the empty space in the bed.

Has something happened? How? When? Guilt pricked his chest. He should have known Noah had gotten out of bed. He should have woken up.

“He’s fine.” Kerry said. She met Devin’s eyes and swallowed hard. “Or he was when he left.”

“What? What do you mean he left?” Devin didn’t understand, but he needed to. Kerry was about to explain but he cut her off. “Get out.”

Kerry raised an eyebrow.

“Get out so I can get dressed.” He stood, keeping hold of the sheet as he shooed her out of the room. As soon as Kerry pulled the door shut, Devin threw the sheet back onto the bed.

There has to be some mistake. Noah wouldn’t just leave.

He dressed, and after grabbing his gun, stepped out of the room. Kerry was waiting for him. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know—”

“It’s my fault.” Hank came up the stairs and stopped beside Kerry.

Devin narrowed his eyes. Somehow he doubted Hank was to blame. Ever since he, Emily, and Jack had met up with Hank and a handful of survivors on their way to the penitentiary, Devin had known Hank was a man he could trust to have his back and always do the right thing. That kind of trust was hard to come by, especially in the broken world they inhabited.

Hank’s eyes held an apology. “He arranged for a car. Said you were heading out together.”

Noah lied.

“Well, we didn’t.” Devin didn’t understand why Noah would have told Hank they needed a car or why he went off by himself.

Why?

“No, you didn’t. It was changeover time for manning the gates and by time word got to me, he was already gone.”

Noah wasn’t a prisoner, but there were rules and protocol. And common sense. Noah knew better than to head out by himself. Or at least Devin had thought so.

“How long?”

Hank swallowed as he folded his arms across is chest. “Forty minutes or so.”

“Seriously?” Where would Noah go? Why would he go? Devin pressed his hand to his brow. Idly, he ran his fingers higher and through his hair, tracing the line of a scar. Worry tightened his chest. Did Noah have any weapons? Noah was a capable man. He’d survived alone for months before Devin had shown up. But still, Devin couldn’t help but worry.

Devin looked at Hank. “Please tell me you have some idea about where he was heading.”

Hank straightened and shrugged. “I don’t know, exactly.”

“Exactly?” But Hank does know something. Thank you.

“He was arranging fuel and he said Garnett. You and Kerry headed out there last month. It’s here Noah’s from, right?”

Devin stared through Hank as he tried to figure out why Noah would return to his hometown. Would Noah head back to the farm? There was nothing there for him anymore. “The town? The farm?”

Hank shrugged. “I didn’t think to ask, and he didn’t tell.”

“Why would he go back there?” Devin considered any conversations, actions that might have made him think Noah would do go back there.

Kerry raised her hand. “I think I have an idea.” Her brow creased as she said, “Last night, he couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t sleep. We talked.”

“Talked about what?” Devin waited. She hesitated. “About what?” he demanded, but instantly regretted his tone. It wasn’t Kerry’s fault. “Sorry.”

“No. It’s fine.” Kerry shook her head. “We were with Emily.” She swallowed and met his eyes. “We were talking about silly stuff, but then he asked Emily about the virus and why he is the way he is. You know? Immune.”

“Okay. And?” They had been through this a number of times. He thought Noah had just accepted this was who he was. They might never know the reason why he had an immunity to the virus. It just was. The luck of the draw.

“Emily was just speculating about the whys and what-ifs.”

“What exactly did Emily say?” What had made Noah think he needed to go back to Garnett, and alone?

Shaking her head, Kerry rolled her eyes as she tried to remember. “It was late. I’m not sure.”

“Try,” Devin pressed. “Please.”

“I don’t know.” Kerry looked regretful and unnerved as Devin waited. “Okay, so Emily was just guessing. She talked about his mom and how she and her children didn’t turn.”

But his dad did.

Devin nodded. He had heard the theory before about the immunity having been passed down from Noah’s mother, though they would never know for sure. Noah being Noah had pointed out how she had had her head caved in; she would never have turned anyway.

“Noah wanted to know why his mom would have been immune. Why her? Why him, his brother and sister? Could there be others? Was there anything he could do? Anybody he could find? Emily didn’t have the answers he wanted.” She folded her arms. “I figure Noah’s gone to try and find them.”

Devin rubbed hard at his temple. What was Noah thinking going off by himself? He had to have known Devin would have helped him. He would have only needed to ask. “I need to go after him.”

“I’ll come with you,” Hank said. “I kind of feel responsible. I should have checked things over with you.”

“Thank you.” Devin appreciated the offer. “But this isn’t your fault.”

Hank shrugged. “Either way, you shouldn’t go after him alone.”

“I’ll come too.” Kerry stepped forward.

“No.” When Kerry looked taken aback, Devin said, “I need you to stay here.”

“You’re leaving me behind?” Worry was etched on her face, both for him and for herself. “I’m your partner.”

Devin squeezed her shoulder. “You are, and a damn good one. I don’t blame you for this. Noah did this. It was his choice to leave.”

“Then, why?” She glanced at Hank. Judging from her expression she must have wondered why he was going instead of her.

“Because I need you here in case…”

“In case what?”

He pulled her close. “In case Jack needs you.”

Kerry narrowed her eyes. “Why would he need me?”

After the conversation with Lukas, Devin had gone straight to Jack. They needed to be ready for anything. No matter where that threat might come from. From Conroy and his men, from the Chicago survivors and the group they’d joined up with, from a family blinded by grief. He hadn’t planned on having to be away from the prison for an extended period of time so soon. He’d hoped to keep an eye on everyone and stick around until everything settled down. But he couldn’t just leave Noah out there alone and he wasn’t sure how long it would take to find Noah and bring him home. Kerry needed to know exactly what he was leaving her to face.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I need you to keep an eye on a few things.”

“Like what?”

Devin glanced at the floor. “Conroy, for one. I don’t trust him or his men to behave while I’m gone.”

Kerry set her jaw and stiffened. “I won’t be able to stop them.”

“Then don’t. If the situation can’t be talked down, walk away. It’s not worth it.” He held her gaze. “I mean it. You get Jack to walk away.” He paused and couldn’t help the wry smile that spread across his face when she quirked an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.”

She nodded. “Okay. What else?”

“The kid. He’s sick and we don’t know why.”

“You think he’s infected,” Kerry said. “He wasn’t bitten.”

Devin leaned in close. “I know. But you have to figure this virus started somewhere. Those first monsters to reawaken were people who got sick, died and came back. Who’s to say it can’t happen again?”

Color fell from Kerry’s face. “Shit.”

“I don’t want to cause a fuss until we know. Last thing we need is people getting scared and acting out. So for now, it’s just you and a handful of others watching over them with that in mind.” People didn’t always act rationally when scared or under pressure. But he trusted Kerry to act when she needed to and to do so fairly.

“Okay. I get that.”

“And also, I need you to keep an eye on Lukas and those men he came in with.”

Kerry narrowed her eyes. “Lukas? But he’s one of us.” There was a look of steely firmness in her gaze.

Though Devin didn’t want to believe Lukas would betray them, a lot had happened since they had last seen him in Chicago. When Lukas had spoken to Devin, he had seemed jaded, unsure as to whether Jack’s leadership of the prison group was any better than Corden’s. That, along with the influence of his new companions, and maybe even the unrest of his former teammates, left Devin doubting exactly where Lukas’s allegiance lay.

“I know, and he is. But you know as well as I do that sometimes we make bad choices. All that crap and horror outside gets its claws in you. Sometimes people lose their way.”

Kerry shook her head. “He wouldn’t hurt us.”

A look passed over Kerry’s face and it struck Devin that maybe some things were the same as they had been before they had left Chicago. Were there feelings beyond the physical connection they shared?

“Maybe he wouldn’t, but those men he’s with, we don’t know them. We don’t know what they’re capable of.” He glanced at Hank. “I don’t have time to explain now, but go talk to Jack. He’ll fill you in.”

Kerry met Devin’s eyes and pursed her lips. “Fine. I’ll stay. But you better come back in one piece.”

“I will.”

“Both of you.” She glanced at Hank. “Be careful.”

Devin smiled and wrapped a hand around the back of Kerry’s neck. He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You, too.” Releasing her, he nodded to Hank. “We’ll keep in touch by radio when we can and let you know when we have him and are heading back,” he told Kerry and headed down the stairs in front of Hank.

“Where do you figure he’s gone?” Hank jumped the last two steps and was quickly at Devin’s side.

“That depends on what he’s looking for.” Would the farm hold any of the answers Noah needed? It had been his family home, his whole world, but that had been then. Noah had lost his entire family, had seen his father rip into the people he loved—his mother, brother, and sister. Noah had killed him in the end, had smashed in the infected man’s head with a figurine Noah’s mother had once cherished. The farm was nothing but bad memories and bloody horrors.

“Answers about the virus and why it doesn’t affect him,” Hank stated. He ran a hand through his long dark hair. “So he’d be looking for anything out of place in his childhood. Records of appointments, illnesses, treatments, medical bills his folks might have kept.” He clicked his tongue. “Do people really keep that sort of stuff though? There’s probably not much of a trail.”

“Then, what?” Devin said. He shifted his focus and checked they were going in the right direction. They needed to collect a few things before heading out—ammo and weapons, equipment, supplies.

What if something has already happened and Noah’s hurt?

Hank mused, “So medical records from the ER, a family doctor, maybe?” He scratched the back of his neck. “Assuming they’re not all digital.” They came to a stop outside the supply room.

Devin glanced at Hank and unlocked the door. He was glad Hank was with him. He needed someone with a cool head as his concern for Noah was already messing with him.

I need to focus.

Once inside, Devin picked up a backpack. “Grab anything you think we might need.” Hank nodded and set about collecting weapons and tools. Devin walked the lines of scavenged goods and picked up a first aid kit, and two bottles of water. He pushed the supplies into his pack. His thoughts went to Noah and whether he was safe, was he prepared for what he might have to face, and did he have the weapons to fight if he needed to?

Clearing his throat, Devin faced Hank. “We good?”

Hank nodded and tossed him some ammo. He had two rifles over his shoulder, a crowbar and a sheathed hunting knife in his hand. “All good.”

Devin locked the door as they left. He fell into step beside Hank, matching his pace as they headed for the garage. Devin glanced at him. “Where to first?”

Hank frowned. “ER. He’d been at that farm for months before you got there. Plenty of time to have dug around a bit. He must have wanted answers then, too.”

“Okay.” Devin nodded. “ER it is.”

They entered the parking garage. Devin checked out the faces of the people among the vehicles. Many turned away from his gaze, but that was nothing new. Even now, and despite every run, every supply he brought back, and the lives he continued to save and bring in from the nightmare world, still the others looked at him as if he was one of the freaks, a monster. They couldn’t get past what they saw in his eyes; they saw the devils from outside the gates.

Tension gripped Devin and he rolled his shoulders, trying to ignore the sense of disgust he knew people had for him.

“You all right?” Hank asked when they reached the car. “He’ll be okay.”

It’s not just Noah.

Devin opened the driver’s side door and got into the car. “I know. Doesn’t make him any less of an idiot though.” He threw the pack behind him.

Hank opened the rear door and slid the rifles across the backseat then joined him in the front, easing in his six-four frame. “We’ve all done stupid things. It’s what makes us human.” Hank’s deep voice resonated through Devin to the pit of his stomach.

Devin shot Hank a sideways look. “It’s what gets you dead.”

“Maybe. But he had his reasons if what Kerry said was right.”

As far as Devin was concerned there was no good reason for Noah to just run off like that. Not alone.

“I don’t care what his reasons were. He shouldn’t have lied. He should have come to me.”

“Like you would have gone to him?” Hank immediately turned to gaze out of the window.

Devin swallowed hard as he started the car. Hank was right in his observation. Devin would have had no qualms about driving off alone if he thought it was the right thing to do, if he thought he was protecting the people he loved, if there was a chance he could find a way to fix the world.

“Sorry,” Hank said. “It wasn’t my place.”

Shaking his head, Devin put the vehicle in gear. “It’s fine.” He shifted to sit up properly and gripped the steering wheel. “And you’re right. I’d be the first out those gates if I thought there was anything I could do to make a difference.”

Hank pressed his mouth in a line. “Yeah, and you have been. You don’t give yourself enough credit. It’s what you’ve been doing every day since you got here.”

“It’s not just me.”

“Sure, but you’ve been keeping this place going from the start. Corden might have had his fancy way with words, but sometimes it’s our actions that speak the most.” Hank looked straight ahead and pulled on his belt. “We should get on the road. With any luck we’ll get to Garnett, find Noah, and be back for supper.”

Devin glanced at Hank.

A small smile teased the corner of Hank’s mouth. “A guy can dream, right?” Hank said and leaned against the head rest and closed his eyes.

Devin steered the vehicle toward the first gate.

I hope it’s that simple. I really do.