Slam.
The door finally gives, and I don’t waste a single second. If they thought I’d stay locked in there like some helpless girl, they’ve clearly forgotten who the fuck I am.
I grab the bag they left, ripping it open and dumping most of it out onto the floor. No way in hell I’m hauling all this weight. I keep only the water, the gun, the knife. The essentials.
Then I run.
The wind slices at my cheeks, my legs screaming, lungs burning, but I don’t stop. They can’t be far. It didn’t take long to kick the door down.
If I just keep moving, I’ll catch up.
I have to.
Each step slams into the ground like a drumbeat, pounding in rhythm with the mess in my head.
I’m going to fucking kill them. They promised; they said they trusted me. That I was strong enough to be part of the team. Family.
But then I remember,
I did the same thing to Knox; I promised I wouldn’t run. That I’d stay. That I’d wait, and I left anyway.
I stumble to a stop. Bent at the waist, hands on my thighs, sucking in breath like it’s going to fill more than just my lungs.
God.My body aches. My thighs, my stomach, my—Jesus, after last night I’m lucky I can walk at all. Who the hell has group sex before a suicide mission?
I inhale deeper. Stand straighter and shake it off.
The guys can handle this. They’re the fucking BloodHawks. They’ve survived worse, fought harder. But something
Something feels off.
There’s this pull in my gut. A tight, cold knot that hasn’t left since Knox looked at me this morning like I was the last thing he’d ever see.
That wasn’t just sex; that was a goodbye.
And then there’s Bryn. She’s a liar and a manipulator, but still there’s this sliver of doubt lodged under my skin like a splinter.
She screamed for me to run that day. She took the bullet. She looked scared.
But was she trying to protect me?
Or keep her asset alive?
I don’t know, and I can’t live with not knowing.
I keep moving. Fast. Pushing my body harder even though it’s already failing me.
I’m running on anger. Guilt. Love.
Because the truth is I can’t lose them.
Not one.
Not now.
They’ve ruined me in all the best ways. Broken me open and shown me everything I never thought I could be.
They let me live. Let me want. Let me feel.
