There is nothing sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name" - Kate DiCamillo.
He was on edge, hungry and exhausted. Daryl hadn't slept the night before not trusting the men sleeping on the ground around him enough to close his eyes. He'd risen before dawn to hunt something to stop his ravenous, churning gut. Hunting was normalizing; he felt better as he focused on what he knew. He squinted, adjusting the bow on his shoulder. He listened to rustling as he watched the rabbit scamper forward in the leaves. Dead aim. Perfect. As Daryl released his bolt, another green tipped arrow cut the air just past his head plunging into the prey animal less than a second before his own.
"What the hell are you doing?" Daryl growled turning to see that scrawny guy. The one they called Len. Right now, he wanted to call him goddamn, thieving cocksucker for shooting his rabbit right out from under him.
"Catching me some breakfast." He answered nonchalantly.
"That's mine." Daryl gestured to the rabbit and moved to retrieve the dead animal from the ground, continuing to glare at the other man as he pulled the bolts free and stood.
"My arrow's the one that hit it, that cottontail belongs to me."
"Been out here since before the sun come up," Daryl argued. "I spotted it first."
"See, the rules of the hunt don't mean jack out here. Now, that rabbit you're holding is claimed, boy. Claimed whether you like it or not. So if I was you, I'd hand it over. Now. Before you get to wishing you ain't never even got out of bed this morning."
"It ain't yours," Daryl grunted.
Len paused and studied Daryl. "You know, I'll bet it's a bitch got you all messed up, hmm?" He pointed to his temple and circled his forefinger. "Am I right?"
Daryl's face hardened.
"Got you walking around here like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail."
Danni. Daryl narrowed his eyes while longing stabbed his heart.
"Must have been a good'un." He paused for emphasis. "Tell me something. Was she a pretty one? 'Cause they don't last too long out here."
Daryl clenched his jaw, his muscles tense as his thumb slid over his knife holster unsnapping it. He had his back to Len; just as he pulled his blade and turned Joe grabbed his wrist.
"Easy, fellas, easy." He laughed too jovially for Daryl as he yanked his arm away.
"Let's just put our weapons down. See if we can't figure out what's really the problem here, huh?" He looked at the rabbit then turned to Len. "Did you claim it?"
"Hell, yeah."
"Well, there you go. That critter belongs to Len."
"So let's have it."
Daryl winced with confusion not letting go of the limp rabbit. He suspected Joe had been out here watching for a while.
"Looks like you may be wanting an explanation Daryl. See, going it alone, that ain't an option nowadays. Still, it is survival of the fittest. That's a paradox right there. So I laid out some rules of the road to keep things from going Darwin every couple hours. Keep our merry band together and stress-free. All you got to do is claim. That's how you mark your territory, your prey, your bed at night. One word claimed.
"I ain't claiming nothing," Daryl grunted defiantly.
"We're gonna teach him, right? The rules say we got to teach him." Len jumped in, but Joe shook his head.
"It wouldn't be fair to punish you for violating a rule you never even knew existed."
"There ain't no rules no more."
"Oh, there are. You know that. That's why I didn't kill you for the crossbow."
Joe moved swiftly grabbing the rabbit and chopping the creature in half.
"Hey!" Daryl complained.
"Easy there, partner." Joe had divided the rabbit between Len and Daryl as if they were children. "Claimed. That's all you got to say."
When Daryl continued to glare, Joe added "Hey, ass end is still an end," before walking away.
Daryl felt an odd familiarity rising like bile. A sense of being told what to do...how things were going to go. He swallowed it down. He had an urge to rebel but at the same time rules were comforting the chaos inside him. It was familiar; it felt like Merle.
... ... ... ... ... .. ...
The feeling continued to nag at Daryl as the day wore on. He had always been a loner and most people seemed to sense it right away but Joe was pushing. Daryl never trusted anyone trying to chum up with him. He didn't trust any motherfucker with a big salesman smile and he started to feel like he had a sign above his head that said 'sucker' and everyone could see it but him. Joe had his rules, but he was a little too friendly. Rattlesnake in his pocket type. However the more Joe talked as they trekked forward on the railroad tracks, the more Daryl felt a haunting deja vu. It was a familiar feeling of someone guiding him, telling him what to do. It was easy to fall back into the routine. Somebody like Merle always telling him what he should want, what he would do, how he should think. Always planning the next move. Yeah, a lot like Merle but that's how it was before Danni. She looked to him for direction and vice versa. It was mutual. He shook his head feeling the pull of the dichotomy. Am I hanging around with the people I used to be?
"So what's the plan, Daryl?"
"How so?" He didn't look at the other man when he answered.
You're with us now, but you ain't soon?"
"Yep."
"So I ask again what's the plan?"
" Just looking for the right place is all."
"That ain't all. You looking for somebody. Am I right?"
Daryl hesitated but admitted "My wife. I'm gonna find her."
"Chances of you finding your wife are slim to none. I ain't saying that to be heartless, just realistic is all." He pulled on the gray scruff of his chin. "There is zero chance you will ever find your wife again. Alive or dead. Mainly because, sorry to tell you, she's gone. No need for you to die, too. When the people we love kick... well, they disappear. Doesn't mean you've got to go out that way, too."
"She's alive and I'm gonna find her."
"Oh, we ain't good enough for you, huh?"
"Some of you ain't exactly friendly."
"You ain't so friendly yourself. You know you need a group out here."
"Maybe I don't."
"No, you do. You should be with us. I'm awful sorry about what you lost but like I said, don't mean you gotta go that way too."
Daryl shook his head. "She's not..." he mumbled under his breath.
"People don't have to be friendly. We don't have to be nice. We don't have to be brothers in arms. You want to keep looking for your wife fine, I get it, but you need a group to stay alive long enough to do that. Keep alive so you can keep looking. With us well, just got to follow the rules. You claim. If you steal, you keel. I know that sounds a little funny, but nobody laughs when something goes missing. And you don't lie. 'Cause that's a slippery slope indeed."
Daryl was glad he changed the subject. Hearing about some sort of order, no matter how stupid it sounded, it reminded him of when things were simpler. Before he started questioning.
"What happens if you break 'em?" Daryl asked.
"Oh, you catch a beatin'. The severity of which depends upon the offense and the general attitude of the day. But that don't happen much 'cause when men like us follow rules and coöperate a little bit, well, the world becomes ours."
Joe suddenly stopped. "Hold up fellas this looks like it will be our abode for the evening." Joe gestured to the auto repair shop and garage to the left.
.. ... ... ... .. .. .
Train tracks made Danni think of the word derail. The word stuck in her head. How many times had her life derailed or threatened to? She jumped and slid down the bank figuring it was safer to walk near the tree cover and not out in the open on the steel rails and wooden ties.
If I could go back in time and speak to myself on the last day of when I was sixteen or nineteen what would I say? Danni realized it was the old "if I knew then what I know now" trap. She knew that if she could do the last decade over again that she wouldn't ultimately want to. I fought those fights, cried those tears, rejoiced in those smiles, won those victories and learned those lessons once and that is more than enough. The path wasn't always perfect, but it was my road. I walked it as best I could at the moment, with the tools and love and an ingrained sense of hope that I had right then, right there when I needed it. I clawed and scratched out every scrap of positivity I could. When I wanted to give up, when I felt like a fool...something made me fight.
You could be dead right now.
"But I'm not."
She left home at the tender age of sixteen, a world filled with horrible dysfunction, abuse, sickening lies, manipulation and endless problems. She'd had more than her fair share of brutality as a child. She grew up far too early and in ways no one should ever have to. She'd known poverty and hardship, hunger and the vilest sides of human nature. On her own, she began making a life for herself filled with hits and misses but she had never given up or given in to people or things that tried to change her.
Now she knew why. Daryl. Her kids. That's what it was all for. As tired as her legs were she willed her aching feet to keep walking. She'd always kept walking. She'd be damned if she'd stop now.
Danni emerged from the trees at the side of the tracks only to come into the view of three guys standing around the rear loading dock of an abandoned auto shop. She'd been carelessly lost in her thoughts and It was too late to retreat back to the bushes. She had been seen but still Danni tried to keep her head down and not look at them, pretending that she didn't notice them...but she did...and they definitely saw her.
There was a heavyset slob of a man, a stocky Hispanic and another guy that looked like a weasel. It was the Hispanic guy who first let out the wolf whistle and started telling the other two what a hot piece of ass she was.
She tried to get past them, but the overweight man touched her arm and spun her around. Danni yanked it back and stood defiantly with her hands on her hips telling him to keep his grubby paws off her. She knew if she ran they'd just tackle her so she did her best to stand up to them. The other two huddled in around her from behind and the three of them started touching her and patting her. As she started to fight back, the fat guy grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear.
"Have you ever been ass fucked?"
Before she could respond to him, the Hispanic guy held her jaws with his big hand and squeezed her mouth open painfully. She tried to squirm away but by then one of them had both hands cupping her breasts and was grinding himself into her ass. She was nauseous and forgot who was holding her hands but when the weasel guy told her how good she'd look with three big cocks jammed inside her she lost it and she started screaming and kicking. She hated the vulnerability of being a woman at this moment and it pissed her off, diluting her fear. She yelled as loudly as she could, figuring attracting even Walkers right now would aid her.
Her noise angered the men and the fat guy grabbed her from behind nearly pulling her arms out of their sockets. She screamed and a hard slap landed on her face. She groaned as she tasted blood filling her mouth. They started dragging her as she kicked and struggled. She learned quickly that she was no match for these big guys and it was pissing her off; she wouldn't make it easy for them. She kept shouting no matter how many times they belted her across the mouth.
... ... ... ... .. .
"So it's a good place for us to camp tonight." Joe commented on the building. He and Daryl stood out front while the rest of the gang had gone to scavenge behind the run down structure
"There ain't no us." Daryl mentioned sullenly.
"You leaving right now?"
Daryl didn't answer.
"No? Then it sure seems like there's an 'us'."
Daryl looked away as Joe kept talking. The guy was always talking. Asking questions but never waiting for answers.
"You a cat person, Daryl? I am. Loved 'em since I was three years old. Vicious creatures. Anyway, I'll tell you, and this is true, ain't nothing sadder than an outdoor cat that thinks he's an indoor cat."
Before Daryl could really think about Joe's words, a blood-curdling scream came from the side of the building.
"Speaking of cats what the Christ is that noise?" Joe scratched his head.
"Claimed!" Len was dragging a struggling woman around the front of the garage.
"What the fuck? Get the fuck of me!" Danni howled, willing the screams to increase her strength.
Daryl froze and felt his gut tighten and lump form in his throat. He knew that voice; her fight voice. At the sound, his knees almost gave out.
He whipped around to see that son of a bitch Len with his hands all over Danni, holding her, blood running from her split lip.
"Sorry boys," He was saying, "I claimed this bitch. If you'll have something trade, I might give you a turn when I'm done with-"
"Daryl!" Danni had shouted before her throat closed up and her mouth went dry at the sight of him standing fists clenched, dark rage spreading across his face. She was not sure if he was real or if the blows to her head were causing delirium. The roaring in her ears drowned out her heartbeat.
"Hey, we all earned a piece of her! Fuck you Len!"
Before Len could answer, Daryl tackled him to the ground Danni falling with them.
"Get off her!" He roared.
Danni took that opportunity to roll out from under Len and quickly leaped to her feet. She gasped, regaining her breath but when she saw Daryl beating the man, she knew he was real and her knees gave out; she collapsed to the ground. She was losing her composure fast and tears were welling, but she willed herself to remain composed.
"Hey, hey break this up!" Joe pulled the men apart.
Daryl turned and looked at Danni kneeling in the dirt, an ethereal glow lit her from behind. He brushed himself off and it took every ounce if strength and willpower not to rush to her and grab her. Everything was in slow motion. He needed to keep the upper hand as the men stared him down and waited for a sign from Joe to beat the shit out of him. Daryl shifted on his feet, standing taller, pushing his chest out further. He backed up so he stood halfway between his wife and the pack of mongrels chomping at the bit to get to her.
"What's wrong Daryl, you know the rules. Len claimed her."
"No. Not her."
"Daryl!" Danni couldn't hold back; she stood and rushed him. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist burying her face into his chest. He clutched her but couldn't feel relief yet; he kept his eyes on Joe and Len assessing his vulnerability factor.
When Danni had spoken Daryl's name, Joe arched his eyebrows, a knowing look spreading across his face. "Well, well, well."
She raised her head and met eyes so blue they looked black and so fierce her breath caught.
'Danni." Daryl's deep voice pulled her back to reality. 'Look at me." He turned his body so she couldn't see anyone else. "Danni pull yourself together." He said the words so only she could hear. "I need you to hold it together. Be strong, just a little longer. Don't show weakness, girl, not in front of them." She nodded and slipped from his grip. She stood tall and defiant by his side.
"She's mine. She's my wife."
"What are the chances of that? Huh. A real reunion." Joe looked a little too amused. As always, Daryl noticed he was overly enthused again.
"Fuck! I saw her first…you know the rules Joe-"
"Now Len I'd say that if Daryl married this girl he claimed her first. Marrying a girl; now that's a claim. Lookit that...they got rings and everything."
"But-"
"Let it go Len!" Joe glared.
Daryl was suspicious of Joe's motives but grabbed Danni's waist and pulled her against him letting her bury her face in his neck and breath in his scent. Secretly, she wanted to cry. This was home; a familiarity that soothed her soul. He kissed the top of her head. "Shh, its okay."
"Well, I guess this is what you were looking for huh, Daryl?"
He nodded. "Yup. We'll be on our way."
"Well you can't be leaving tonight. Its dark now. Stay here and in the morning y' all can head out on your own."
Daryl nodded knowing that he had to keep things as smooth and level as possible. He didn't trust Joe but figured one night wouldn't be too much of a problem. He nodded. The entire time he made sure Danni was shadowed by his form as she gripped tightly to the hem of his vest as if afraid letting go would cause him to disappear. She dug her fingers into the soft leather, her knuckles white. She looked up briefly to see the moon rising full. We found each other with the full moon watching over us.
She trailed behind him as he attempted to secure a truck bed or drop cloth to sleep on inside the chop shop, but shouts of claimed thwarted his every effort. One step behind. He wouldn't have cared for himself but wanted Danni to be safe and somewhat comfortable. Joe stood back chuckling at his frustration.
Danni just kept blinking, feeling unreal, overcome with the garage's echoes, dust, the smell of oil and gasoline. Her head was reeling.
Finally, Daryl dropped their bags on the floor next to an old black Impala. Danni sat wearily beside Daryl in front of the car angled away from the others. There was no way to describe how it felt to be with him again. Her body was shaking, her legs were weak and although she was sitting on the floor she felt as if she were falling.
"The kids?" were the first words that breathlessly tumbled from her trembling lips. He touched her face needing to know this was no vision; no dream.
"Your dad's got them." Daryl let out a breath relieved he had something good to tell her. "With Sophia too, they took them in the car to the house like we were supposed to. If he made it, they're safe.'
"He did." Danni said seriously. "He did. We have to believe that. The car it was still packed, right? Formula..there was plenty and diapers and I know I put-"
"Hey, they had everything...you made sure of that. But you?"
"I was with Merle. He saved my life. Daryl, your damn brother keeps doing that." She wanted it to be funny, but it wasn't. "Then we got separated."
"Shit. Merle. Is he?"
"Hey, if I made it he sure as hell did."
He shook his head. "You were alone?" He asked sounding devastated.
"Only for a few days. I tried to think about what you would do." She smiled a little. "I was okay. Up until just now. Sorry I kind of lost it earlier but seeing you...I...it won't hap-"
He whispered her own words of old back to her. "You dont have to be tough all the time."
She realized she was whimpering. He held her closer, his hard grip reassuring. This wasn't a dream; he was really there. She tried to tell him how she much she loved him, but once she started she couldn't stop whispering one thing over and over. "You're here. You're here."
Finally, she could cry and let out the days and weeks of pain and not knowing. There were questions. What had he done, did he know what happened to Rick and the others? However, at that moment, all Danni could think about was Daryl and reaching their kids. She held on to him for what seemed an eternity. She kept fingering the edges of the now gaping tear in the knee of his pants.
"This hole I need to sew it. Make a stitch make a wish…"
"What?" He pressed his chin on top of her head.
"Nothing, nothing. You're filthy." She touched his scruffy, dirt mottled face
"So are you." He laughed. Her pale face was streaked and smudged with just as much dirt as his own, her lips dried and cracked, hair tangled. But she was beautiful to him.
"I have to tell you something else." She said almost too quietly for him to hear, her voice scratched. She couldn't hold off any longer. "The baby, I lost our baby." She pushed her face into his chest and breathed hard taking in his scent. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'
Daryl felt like he had been sucker punched. He squeezed her. "Don't say that." He sounded angry.
"I tried to protect it, i really did I-
"No. Don't say you're sorry. I should have been there. Goddamn it!" He hit the car, the noise causing a few "Shut the fuck ups!" to come from a couple of men across the room. She had grabbed his arm before he slammed it back into the vehicle a second time.
"Don't." Her frightened tone diffused his anger.
"Are you?" He lightly pressed her belly, realizing how he sounded. He was thinking of her.
She bit her lip. "Yeah. I'm okay."
It wasn't meant to be. Daryl remembered Brigid's palm reading and felt a chill. He nodded "That's what matters. You."
"But it was ours ... I wanted it. I didn't realize how much till ... but now its too late-"
"It's not your fault. It wasn't 'sposed to be...you're okay that's what matters now."
She sniffled and used his shirt to dry her tears. There would be a time in the future to mourn properly. "Daryl we have to get away from these guys."
"I know. Morning, we'll hang back and take off on our own. That house can't be far."
"Why don't we go now?"
"It'd look suspicious like we was running. Guys like this, you don't wanna give them any excuse to fuck with us. Their eyes searched each other. He took her hand in his and rubbed her palm with his thumb. That small point of contact became the center of her electricity. She blinked, and two teardrops rolled down her face, but no more formed. She brought her eyes back to his, and tried to let them say what her voice could not.
He drew her in close and put his arms around her waist. They leaned in together. Closed eyes, warm lips, a sweet dance became a frenzy. They held on to each other as if to brace for a hurricane while their mouths meshed and tongues met, palms pressed and stroking, the flame of desire strong and desperate.
Daryl's mouth moved to her neck. He unzipped her hoodie and his lips found the tender spots along her collarbone, suckled there and moved along to nibble at her ear. His tongue deftly teased her skin and drew forth her heat and wetness. She pressed into him. His mouth halted the attack on her earlobe for a moment to whisper, "You've been in my dreams. All this time. I need you. Fucking really need you. C'mon."
She knew what he had in mind. A tickle shimmered in her stomach at the unexpected boldness. She opened her mouth wanting to be practical and say it's not safe….It's stupid we shouldn't be thinking about doing this now but when Daryl stood and pulled her up with him she couldn't get the words out. They moved silently to the back stairwell while the rest of the gang slept.
He put his hands on her cheeks and tilted her face up so he could see her eyes. His sigh drifted over her face as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.
"Crying again?" He mocked affectionately. "Thought you hated to cry."
"Shut up."
His body swayed toward her, his hands still on her face, the look in his blue eyes scorching her heart. She could smell him and her whole body ached to close the inches between them and kiss him, to wrap her arms around his neck and anchor herself to him. She shook her head at the futility of her desire. "We can't…not now… not here-."
"Door's closed."
And then he was kissing her, leaning against her, surrounding her and pressing her into the wall. For a few minutes, she didn't think about anything else, just how wonderful it felt to have him here. She focused on his body against hers, his lips on hers, his tongue diving into her mouth to taste her. At the moment, she would take him any way she could get him, even with that cutthroat gang upstairs. This was risky, but they could never stop and it had been so long.
That thought had her throwing her arms around him posessively, pulling him closer and kissing him back with all the pent up frustration and want inside her. Daryl groaned in response and grabbed her ass, lifting her and settling her against his hips. She wrapped her legs around him and held tight as he ground his erection against her.
"God, you drive me crazy," he muttered against her lips. "I needed this for so long."
Danni felt a thrill shoot through her at his words.
"Stand up." He ordered and released her legs. He suddenly dropped to his knees in front of her and unbuckled her belt. She moved to help him with the buttons of her jeans, but he pushed her hands away. "Need to see them," he muttered ripping her zipper and yanking her jeans down. He lightly traced the sparrows making her arch and sigh then his mouth was on them. He felt solid again as he lingered on them. He nipped and sucked on the tattoos as his hands slid under her t-shirt rucking it up over her breasts.
The cinderblock wall at her back was cold, but his hands were so hot she could feel it through her shirt. It ignited all her nerve endings until she felt like she was burning up from the inside out. She stepped out of her boots and kicked her jeans below her ankles. She reached down between them to unbuckle his belt and slide her hand inside, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled them away, pinning them against the wall above her head.
He held her in place with his body and she could feel every inch of his hard form molding her soft curves into place. Holding her wrists with one hand he ran the other down her side, brushing over her nipple with a quick flick of his thumb before continuing downward.
He was kissing her again and she could feel his fingers pushing her panties to the side, sliding inside her to tease her wet folds. He groaned into her mouth and then his fingers were gone, replaced by the blunt end of his dick.
"Fuck, you're so wet. Tell me you want me. Tell me you want this," he said, pressing against her just enough to slip a fraction of an inch inside.
"Yes," Danni gasped, wiggling her hips to try to get more of him inside her. She'd never wanted anything so badly in her entire life as she wanted him right now. She thought she might explode if he waited one more second. "I want you, shit, Daryl please. I need you."
Their simultaneous cries echoed in the stairwell as he plunged deep inside her. Danni's eyes rolled back in ecstasy at the feeling of him once again filling her so completely; his powerful thrusts dragging involuntary grunts and moans of pleasure as he moved against her.
Danni like always had no control over the pace or intensity of his movements in this position; pinned against the wall with him between her legs. But there was no fear taking hold, no panic to suppress, only sheer pleasure and amazement that he could bring her to the brink so quickly and with so little effort.
"Oh, Dar..." she gasped as the sensations overcame her. Her hands clenched into fists as he thrust harder, pushing her higher as an explosive orgasm washed over her. Just as she started to come down, he shifted his legs and tilted her hips, sinking in even deeper than before.
She pressed her mouth against his and he opened to her, kissing her hard, both of them pouring all their unspoken words into the physical expression of need and desire. Danni's entire body shuddered with the impact of the emotion she felt from him. She pulled against his restraining hand, wanting nothing more than to fold herself around him and show him that his heart was safe with her.
He let go of her wrist and wrapped his hand around the back of her head. He cushioned it from the wall as he slammed into her, grunting and gritting his teeth with the effort of holding back his own climax. The thought of those low life motherfuckers with their hands on her spurred on his forcefulness to wipe out any trace of what happened what could have happened. But it didn't. He protected her He kept his promise. He needed to heal her now. Danni soon succumbed to the pleasure again, arching her back off the wall as her powerful muscles gripped him, pulling him along with her over the edge. She broke down, more tears so long held back, but tears of relief.
"You okay?" Daryl looked into her eyes, searching for the truth there. "You're sure?" he asked quietly, wiping the tears from her face.
"I'm positive," she said, smiling up at him. "Jesus, that was amazing."
Before they had time to catch their breath, they heard the unmistakable sound of the stairway door opening on a floor above them.
"Well, well" Joe's voice came from above the beginnings of a leering grin touching his lips. "Give credit where credit's due. That wasn't Jesus in this stairwell just now."
Daryl was sure he'd locked that door. Fuck.
With a glance upward Daryl pulled out and rested her feet on the ground shielding her from view while she pulled her jeans up and he hurriedly stuffed himself back in his pants and buttoned them. They climbed the stairs and he pushed the door open to let Danni step through it before following her into the garage.
Joe chuckled as they walked by hearing Danni mutter, "Fucking old pervert."
Daryl looked pissed as hell and wouldn't meet her eyes. She was confused for a moment until he spoke. "We gotta move first thing….Got a bad feeling."
As soon as they sat in privacy behind the car, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close and she reveled in the feeling of his warm chest rising and falling against her.
"So if my dad took the kids...you're telling me he actually came through for a change?"
"Seems so."
"Which means you trusted him?"
"Sleep." Daryl looked around. "I got this."
"But you and my dad? How-"
"Sleep." As much as he wanted to relax into her babbling Daryl knew he couldn't afford to let his guard down again for a minute around these guys. "But..promise me, never lose your fight voice."
"My what?"
"You heard me." He smiled to himself.
... ... ... ... .. .. .. .. .
The next morning a dusty gray light was flooding the garage. Danni slowly opened her eyes for the first time in weeks without feeling panicked and nauseous. Her head was in Daryl's lap. She squeezed his hand. He looked down and opened his mouth but before he spoke Len's voice bellowed through the cavernous room.
"Gotta be kidding me! Give it here!" He stepped to the side of the car swinging his bag at Daryl. Danni moved off his lap and Daryl rose, keeping her behind him.
"Step back!" Daryl barked. 'Said, step back!"