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lot, most likely having gotten bored with the narrow upstairs outer hallway. She set her bag next to her helmet and keys on the coffee table before going to the bathroom to fill a small zippered canvas toiletry bag with the necessities. She then went over to the refrigerator and grabbed some of the bottled waters she had on the shelf. She also snatched a can of sweet corn out of the pantry and unscrewed the bottom to retrieve her small stash of cash and pocketed it.
    “We should tell them,” Owen said, his words muffled due to facing the street. “The wind could shift and bring the ash down here before they had time to pack their things. The roof could collapse depending on the weight of the debris, killing everyone inside of this building.”
    “I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but these people will laugh in your face. Hell, any reasonable sane person would bust a gut at someone telling them that a supervolcano was going to erupt and that the majority of the United States would cease to exist,” Prue said with a shrug of her shoulder, walking back to her bag and shoving the bottles and her possibilities into the side compartment. She supposed it wasn’t nice of her to be thankful someone else had caught his attention, diverting him from really looking around her small apartment. She was grateful though. “I have no doubt that you’re taking weapons, but I don’t own a gun of my own. I know how to use one but I prefer knives. I have a couple stored on my bike. I think I’m ready to roll.”
    Prue picked up the duffel bag and swung it over her shoulder before picking up her keys and helmet. She paused mid-step when she realized that he’d turned around and was now staring at her with a questioning look. She glanced at what she had in her hands, but didn’t catch what was causing him confusion.
    “What?” Prue asked in exasperation, not even seeing grease on her jeans that she normally came home in. She hadn’t had time to really delve into the restoration project back at the shop anyway, so she was relatively clean. She looked back at him for clarification. “Damn it, Owen. You’re the one who said we were running out of time. Just tell me what the hell I’m missing.”
    “Your cap.” Owen raised a hand to her long black hair, which was now hanging over her left shoulder. “I hardly ever see you without it. Your hair really is beautiful, Prue.”
    Prue flushed and then mentally cursed at the fact that he’d caused it. She dropped her stuff back down on the coffee table and went to retrieve her cap. The reason she began wearing one to begin with was to keep the assholes at bay who thought it was okay to make a play on her while she fixed their machines. She quickly twisted her hair up and stuffed it underneath the cap.
    “There,” Prue said, marching back into the living room without looking his way. She gathered up her things and then started walking toward the door, coming up short when he didn’t move. “What now?”
    “I don’t think they’ll believe me either, but it’s hard to ride out of here without at least trying,” Owen said softly, his thoughts no longer on her hair. Prue thought she’d be grateful for that, but her chest tightened at his obvious regret at not being able to help these people. It was an endearing quality and his sincerity wasn’t something she was used to witnessing. “Do you know them at all?”
    “Not really,” Prue admitted, pulling her cap a little lower on her forehead. She had spoken with the children maybe once or twice, but never the parents. The boys were maybe five and seven, while the girl was around ten years old. She might not know them, but that didn’t mean she wanted them to get hurt in any way. She thought about what they could say to make others believe that Yellowstone was getting ready to erupt, but she wasn’t even sure she believed it. “They couldn’t leave even if they wanted to, Owen.”
    “I’ll give them money if that’s the