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Lucia gasped for air and opened her eyes to the starry night sky. Landon was shaking her. “Lucia! Come back!”
She choked on the smoke that filled her lungs, coughed over and over. He rolled her onto her side, patted her back. “Fuck, Lucia, are you okay?”
Terrified, she looked around and took stock of where she was—back of Landon’s truck, air mattress, no clothes, cold wind, no ashes, no embers, no smoke.
Landon yanked her upright and gripped her shoulders, made her look at him. “Tell me you’re okay!”
“I’m…” her throat hurt from the smoke. Her heart hurt for what he would do to her people. “I’m fine! I want to go home.” She hadn’t meant for it to come out as a sob, but she was angry.
Angry at what he would do.
Angry at whatever she did that would cause him to do it.
Angry that she’d finally opened up to someone who was made to destroy what her people were building.
It wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t fair!
All those visions of the fires in Smashland, and this was the first time the cause had been revealed. The cause was the only man who could bring her peace.
Peace to her, destruction to her people. Fuck!
She shoved him off her and wiped her eyes. “I want to go home,” she repeated.
“What was it?” he asked, backing off a few feet to give her space. “What did you see?”
“You set the fires!” she screamed. Stupid burning tears. They hurt worse than the flames licking her skin. “You’re going to do it!”
“Why would I set any fires?” he asked, baffled.
“You tell me!” she stood in a rush. “You’re the one holding the fucking torch!”
He shook his head, eyebrows furrowing.
Another sob escaped her throat, and she hated the sound. Hated her weakness.
She wiped her damp cheeks again and hopped over the edge of the truck. “Please leave.”
“Lucia—”
“Leave!” she screamed.
He hopped out of the back of the truck and slammed the tailgate shut. “You’re making me pay for something I didn’t do!”
“Yet! Yet! That you didn’t do yet, but you have it in you, don’t you, Landon Fuller?” She inhaled hard past her tightening vocal cords. “Of course I fall for my destruction.”
“Your destruction?” he demanded, and she could see it now—his building anger. “I wouldn’t hurt you!”
“But you’ll hurt my Crew! You don’t have a Crew, so you don’t know how it is.” Yep, low blow, but she was scared and furious. “And when you do, you should know I’ll kill you.”
He huffed a breath and backed away, nodded. “Go home, Lucia. I’ll accept your apology when you realize your visions are fucked. I healed Kru! Do you remember that? You were there! You watched me working over his body as he bled out. I did that! Why would I save him just to return and burn him? Why would I help your Crew and then burn them to the ground? It doesn’t make any goddamn sense!” He yanked her phone from the back of his truck and tossed it to her. It landed right at her feet, glowing screen facing up. “Call me when you get your damn mind back.” He made to get into his truck, but then stopped and rounded on her. “Someday you’re going to figure out that you’re the one holding the damn torch, Lucia.”
He hopped into his truck and turned it on, then gunned it down the road.
Lucia watched until his taillights disappeared. She stayed long enough to hear his truck peel out onto the main road and out of her territory.
Tonight had been an absolute roller coaster. She’d lived a lifetime of emotion in one night with him.
