Re: The Lieutenant/The Daughter
"Right. You stole it and you stashed it," he repeated. He was mildly entertained by her, and that much was evident in the tone of his voice in the nearly entirely dark baggage car. Teasing was nice. It was something that didn't happen much in his life, and he just tried not to think about how much more he'd bitten off than he could chew. Not just when it came to this situation in this baggage car, but everything that led up to it. He wasn't particularly impulsive, but his girl had been. He'd wanted to make her happy, and look where that had landed them. Mouths to feed, no college or skills to feed them with. He'd made mistakes, but it was still nice to joke around for a second. He tended to forget he was still young. "You shouldn't be drinking out of a bottle," he said. "That's a sure sign you're drinking too much, if you can't wait to get your hands on a glass."
He shook his head. "I can't put it back. I have to keep it safe. This place isn't safe." This place was definitely not safe. He had that feeling creeping along his spine again. The feeling wasn't precisely associated with the train. It was about the cylinder -- it was about her, too.
The soldier looked at her in the flashlight glow, and then she was turning away from him and he was getting another mouthful of girl-scented hair. He was already moving toward her when she turned and nearly blinded him again. The bag was zippered now and on his shoulder, his hand holding on firmly to the strap.
He looked at her. Going wasn't a bad idea. They could make their way to a nearby town and he could call back for reinforcements. Better than whatever was happening on the train. "It's coming with us," he said, already moving toward the luggage next to the newly empty box with the combination lock. He pulled out a military issue coat and handed it to her. His gloves came out next, and he also held those out to her. They'd be big, but warmth was more important than fashion right now. "Put those on," he said, already moving to where he knew the sliding door was to the baggage car and unlatching the inside latch.