"Alright. I have no objections."
Julian Ford slowly released her hand, his voice gentle. "Rest well tonight and save your strength. The road tomorrow won't be easy."
"Mhm."
Josie Quinn watched him disappear around the bend in the stairs, then pushed open the door and went inside.
Cole walked up with a steaming cup of warm water. "Here, drink this and warm up."
Josie Quinn was indeed thirsty and tired. She took it and drank it down in big gulps.
Only after finishing did she speak. "You heard what Julian and I were talking about just now, didn't you?"
"I heard a little, but not clearly." Cole would never admit he had been standing at the door listening the whole time.
Josie Quinn casually placed the cup on the table and said to him, "Julian found a place suitable for long-term survival. In the mountains near Veridia, they say there's an intact underground research base."
Cole's gaze never left her face. "When are we leaving?"
