He pushed open the bathroom door to reveal what could generously be described as a biohazard. “Were we ever this gross?”
“I wasn’t.” Dante followed him inside. “I don’t know about you.”
They both laughed, then immediately groaned as the full scope of their punishment became clear.
“You know what?” Steele rolled up his sleeves and reached for the heavy bristle scrub brush. “It’s completely worth it.”
And it was. Every minute of the next hour spent on his hands and knees, every chemical burn from the disinfectant, every moment of this ridiculous punishment was worth it for the knowledge that Izzy was safe upstairs, probably writing in her journal or researching her book, alive and whole.
The love of his life.
“Next bathroom.” Dante hefted the bucket with obvious reluctance.
“Copy that,” Steele replied, already thinking about the moment when he could shed these rubber gloves and go upstairs to the woman who’d called his room theirs. “Let’s get this done.”
* * * * *
Izzy stood at the window, arms wrapped around herself, staring at the sprawling lawn of the Blackout base. Every small bump or footstep she heard in the house had her nerves crackling.
What was happening downstairs with Hudson? If they kicked him off the team, she would never forgive herself. Taking away his team would be like stripping away his very essence. HewasBlackout.
A soft knock sounded on the door, and she whipped around, heart lodged in her throat. “Y-es?” Her voice cracked. She cleared it and tried again. “Yes?”
The door opened, and a face popped around it. “Can we come in?”
She waved for Alyssa to enter, and the rest of the ladies spilled into the space. Izzy drew in a breath so deep she felt her ribs expand. Steele wasn’t the only one with a betrayal. She had broken a code between friends by leaving. By putting those creases of worry on their faces.
“I’m so sorry.” The words came out as a whisper.
In measured steps, Alyssa crossed the room and faced Izzy. Their gazes locked, and Alyssa let out a quiet cry as she threw her arms around her.
“Oh, Izzy! Thank god you’re okay! You scared us so bad.”
She wound her arms around her dear friend and held on tight. “I know I scared you all. I’m so sorry.”
Alyssa stepped back, giving Izzy a chance to sweep her gaze over the others in the group. Sophie, May and Kennedy all stared back at her with grim expressions.
Alyssa, always the ambassador, took control of this meeting. “Izzy, we need to talk.”
She nodded. “Go on.”
“You betrayed our trust,” Sophie said immediately.
May nodded. “We thought we were friends.”
“We are!” A sharp sting poked at her conscience.
Kennedy’s deep brown eyes held a trace of hurt. “You didn’t trust us to tell us what was happening.”
She spread her hands. How to make them understand? “I did it for all of you. He was going to kill everyone!”
Alyssa bowed her head, dark hair swinging forward to conceal her face. To Izzy’s dismay, she sniffled. In the gray light coming through the window, she caught the glimmer of a tear dropping from Alyssa’s eye.
Unable to bear that she had caused her friend so much pain, she wrapped her arm around Alyssa’s shoulders.
“Please believe me. I wasn’t trying to frighten any of you or hurt you in any way.”
Alyssa looked up. “It felt like the thing with Kennedy all over again. Talk about a trigger…” She coughed a teary chuckle.
