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Zoe was far more functional in Stage Nine than she’d been in Stage Eight. She wasn’t driving quite as aggressively, which Luke appreciated. He’d never had a death wish, but Zoe had given him a taste of what it must be like to have one.
After he’d put her to bed last night, he’d made a point of going up to Ahmed and Christian and telling them what a magnificent car they’d built. Luke had no question that it had saved his life any number of times during the rough stage.
This morning, Zoe kept leaning forward to the limits of her harness and looking upward—once almost eating a boulder that was in their way as they drove around a scrubby tree.
“What are you looking for?” He risked the question because maybe something was wrong with the car. A crack in the top of the windshield he couldn
