Briar closes her eyes, her expression anguished. The last thing I want to do is leave her when I just got her back, but I don’t have a choice.
“Listen,” I say. “You three are the ones I trust the most. I want you to lead together while I’m gone. We’re on dangerous ground, building the bridge and trying to replenish the garden and farm. Don’t let petty bullshit divide you. Rely on each other. Theron can walk back into this camp anytime he wants. Protect this camp.”
“We will,” Stella says. “But what happens if you don’t come back?”
“I will.”
“Trust me, I want that. But we need to plan for contingencies. So if you don’t?”
Briar turns away. Stella is right—we have to remove the emotion from this situation.
“If I’m not back within a week, Nova’s the new leader here. And I want you two to have her back. Always.”
Briar nods, her back to me.
She’s upset, and I get it. If she was leaving this place and I thought she might be in danger, I’d feel the same way.
“None of this information leaves this room,” I say. “I need to decide what to tell the others about this, and we don’t need people panicking. Promise me.”
Nova nods, and Stella says, “I promise.”
I exhale through my nose and say, “Give us a minute alone.”
Nova and Stella leave the room, closing the door as they go. Briar turns to face me, tears shining in her eyes.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” she says softly.
“I don’t want to go. But I have to.”
“I didn’t need anyone before.” She blinks and tears fall onto her cheeks. “But now?—”
It guts me, seeing her so upset. I wrap my arms around her, the mossy scent of the cave still in her hair.
“I know,” I say. “I need you, too. I know how to take care of myself, B. I’ll come back to you.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Be careful.”
“You know I will. Don’t worry about me and forget to keep your guard up. Be careful who you trust.”
She pulls back and looks up at me, a wrinkle between her brows. “Why? Is there someone you’re suspicious of?”
“No, but it’s easy to get complacent and put your life in someone else’s hands without realizing it. Keep a gun on you all the time and watch your back. Watch Nova’s too. I know she can be abrasive, but I trust her with my life.”
She nods, her earthy eyes solemn. “I will.”
I cup her cheeks. “This won’t take long. I’ll probably only be gone a few days.”
She furrows her brow, but says, “Okay.”
I lean down and touch my forehead to hers. “This is our chance. I live with the weight of what I could’ve done but didn’t every day. If there’s a vessel hidden somewhere on this island that I didn’t know about, what else is here? We’re going to have the power to end Rising Tide and save everyone in our camp. I’ll find a way to get us home.”
She sighs softly. “We can find Mae.”
“And then we’ll find that monster who hurt you and I’ll show him what hurt really means. We’re going to burn this shit to the ground. This is our opening.”
