They found an abandoned farmhouse twenty minutes outside Riverside, isolated enough that Osei declared it safe for the night, far enough from the district center that pursuit seemed unlikely to catch up before morning.
Priya worked on Reyes's shoulder at the kitchen table, using a medical kit Osei kept stocked in the truck, her hands steady despite the exhaustion carved into every line of her face. Reyes gritted his teeth through the cleaning and stitching, sweat beading on his forehead.
"You're lucky," Priya said, tying off the last stitch. "Through and through, missed anything major. You'll be sore for days, but you'll heal."
"Days," Reyes repeated, testing his shoulder's range of motion and wincing. "We don't exactly have days to spare."
"You don't have a choice," Priya said firmly.
