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eat.”
    Kayla snatched her helmet from him. She couldn't stay, not like this. Her emotions were weighing down on her, and she was close to her breaking point. “Fine. If you don’t have the balls to handle this, I will. I’ll deal with Carl myself.”
    She pulled on her helmet and headed to her bike, ignoring Leo’s shouting behind her. She flipped on the engine and backed up quickly, spraying dirt. He'd be pissed, but she didn’t care. She was furious and needed to let off some steam.
    She threw the bike into full gear and sped toward Carl’s camp. The landscape flew past her as she pushed the bike forward. That insufferable, pompous ass has another thing coming if he thinks he can coerce me into doing anything .
    Kayla made the trip in record time and shut down the bike’s engine before climbing off. The ride had done little to cool her temper. When she recognized Carl’s bike leaning against the wall, she kicked at it. Keep me above ground, will he?
    Cruncher cut her off at the entrance, curtailing any attempt at storming the fortress. He scratched his head, looking puzzled by her appearance. “Hey, Kayla. I thought that was you. I don’t think Carl’s expecting you today. Did you decide to sign up after all?”
    Kayla yanked off her helmet and tossed it on the ground. Fury lit her eyes and she demanded, “Get your worthless, slimy, piece of shit boss out here so I can see how far my boot’ll go up his ass.”
    Cruncher stared at Kayla, taken aback by her temper. “Uh, I guess that’s a no. I sent him a message when I saw you on the radar, but he’s on a comlink call right now.”
    “Do I look like I give a shit? Get him out here by the count of ten, or I’ll find him myself and it won’t be pretty.”
    Cruncher held up his hand and began, “Kayla, I’m sure he’ll---”
    “ ONE ….” Kayla narrowed her eyes. “ TWO …”
    “Uh, I’ll go check and see if he’s done.” Cruncher turned to go find Carl.
    “That’s not necessary,” Carl spoke from behind him. “I finished with my call.”
    Carl walked toward the entrance to greet Kayla. His brown eyes warmed when he saw her. He wore a loose green shirt and a dark pair of UV pants. He looked as though he had just returned from being in the field, which pissed Kayla off even more. If he was determined to keep her above ground, he had no business going into the ruins himself.
    She strode over to him, clenched her fist and took a swing. Her fist connected squarely with his jaw. He stepped back in surprise and rubbed his face.
    “Where the hell do you get off meddling in my affairs? You had absolutely no right to pay off Leo to keep me above ground.”
    Cruncher’s eyes widened at her declaration. His jaw dropped and he gaped at Carl. “Oh shit, Boss. You didn’t, did you?”
    Carl gingerly rubbed his jaw, but kept his expression neutral except for a slight tightening around his eyes. “If you’d like to discuss this, Kayla, maybe we could do so privately in my office?”
    “Fine,” she snarled and stormed off down the hall toward his office.
    “That woman packs a hell of a punch,” she heard Carl mutter behind her.
    Still fuming, she leaned against his desk and crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at Carl when he entered and engaged the privacy fields.
    “Were you born with your dick up your ass, or did you have to work at it?”
    Carl choked back a laugh, but didn't rise to the bait. Kayla wasn't sure if she should be impressed with his cool façade or kick him in the shins to get more of a reaction out of him.
    “I’m sure I deserve that and probably the punch back there too. But I’m also hoping you’ll give me a chance to explain.”
    He took her stony silence as consent and began, “I contacted Leo out of concern for your welfare and suggested you take a few days off to fully recover. He said he couldn’t afford to have one of his best scavengers lying around for a few days. I simply offered to cover the costs