“You can hate me now.”
Her chest rose, shaking.
“God knows I hated you.”
“Seph—”
Her eyes were glassy, haunted, so full of pain I could barely breathe.
“Harrin! You’re excused to go with Dr. Marr,” Radley yelled.
She flinched—not at Radley, but at him.
Marr’s attention snapped to her like a magnet finding metal.
That small smile—clinical, satisfied—made my blood run cold.
He extended a hand.
She ignored it, but she still followed him.
Too obedient.
Too resigned.
Too used to being told what to do.
Dev had Ash in a chokehold, but Ash looked wild, feral, thrumming with agitation—eyes locked on Seph like he might tear free and chase her.
Sable is dead.
The words hammered through me again.
Fuck.
I turned to Dev, who had heard every word, understood more than he let on.
“Do we have comms with Elliot?” I muttered.
“I believe so.”
“I need to make a call. Cover for me.”
“Yes, sir,” Dev said immediately.
Even Ash—still half-restrained—looked over at me with a flicker of something like concern. Or suspicion. Hard to tell with him.
“What’s going on?” Ash asked.
Before Dev could answer—
Ash rolled his shoulders, twisted, and effortlessly flipped Dev over his own back.
Dev hit the ground hard.
Ash dropped an elbow into his stomach for good measure, laughing like a maniac.
“Goddamn it—ASH!” Dev wheezed, gasping for breath.
