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…Okay then.
I open the trunk of the SUV and pull another gun out from the hidden compartment under the spare. Tak and I nod at each other, guns ready as we move toward the dark, gaping entrance.
Before we can take another step, a deafening explosion rips through the air. The ground shakes beneath our feet as thick smoke and dust billow out of the entrance, debris hailing down around us like a storm of ash and rock.
I yank Freya back, my body covering hers as the blast sends shockwaves through the trees. My ears ring as I shield her from the blast.
As the dust finally begins to settle, I see that maybe fifteen feet into the entrance, there’s now a massive cave-in.
Freya is screaming Annika’s name as she scrambles to her feet, calling into the darkness.
There’s no answer. Just cold, suffocating silence.
30
FREYA
A smile liftsthe corners of my lips as I crack the door open and peer into the hospital room. Kenzo is sleeping again in his hospital bed, Annika curled up against him, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling softly.
They made it. They’re alive. Mostly because my friend is a certifiedbadass.
They almost died down there, between the explosion, the poisonous air, and a flood of water. But Annika managed to escape through an old sewage line carrying a near-dead Kenzo on her back. I’m also pretty sure she broke some sort of breath-holding record getting them both out of there.
I shudder when I think how close I came to losing her. But then I allow myself to smile, watching the two of them sleeping together, hand in hand.
It’s going to be okay.
The antiseptic scent and the fluorescent lights of the hospital fade into the distance as I step out into the cool night air, my bodycrumplingwith exhaustion. My muscles ache, my nervesare frayed, and all I want is to collapse and let go of everything weighing me down.
But as I walk out into the quiet parking lot, I startle as my eyes lock with his.
Mal.
He’s leaning against a black Jeep with the top down, watching me with an intense, unreadable expression. There’s something about his presence that always sends a shiver through me, but after everything, I’m not sure how to process it. I’m not sure how to deal with or even come to grips with what’s between us.
For a moment, neither of us says anything. Then he nods toward the Jeep. “Get in.”
I hesitate, my hands curling to fists, feeling the tightness of the bandages on the backs of them. There’s too much left unsaid, too much hanging in the air between us.
Mal’s gaze sharpens, his jaw clenching like he’s losing patience. Fuckingfuck, why is that so attractive on him?
“Just get in, Freya.”
His voice cuts through the silence, low and rough, making my heart pound. He’s not asking for a conversation. He’s just driving me home. But there’s still that weight between us as his eyes burn into me, as he commands the space around him without saying a word.
“What happened today... It doesn’t change anything,” I murmur, my voice soft, barely audible.
“I’m not asking for a sermon,” he grunts, pushing away from the car. “I’m giving you a ride.”
For a moment, I think about refusing. But I’m too tired and drained to argue. And despite everything, despite the chaos of the day, I crave his presence. It’s irrational, but I feel steadier when he’s near.
So without another word, I open the door and slide into the passenger seat.
We drive in silence, the unspoken tension hanging heavy as the cool night air ripples through my hair. I sit stiffly, my bandaged hands folded in my lap, my eyes glued to the passing streets.
My body aches from the crash. I’ve got cuts and bruises all over, not to mention the burns on the backs of my hands, my shoulder, and a few on my legs. The adrenaline that kept me going while we were looking for Kenzo and Annika is now utterly drained, leaving behind a raw vulnerability that I can’t shake.
But it’s not just the silence. It’s the energy between us, simmering beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. I steal a glance at Mal, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his jaw set in that hard, unyielding way that makes him impossible to read.
