Page 45 of Vengeance of the Gods

Alive. We’re alive.

Bridger spun in his seat to inspect Vega for injuries before glancing down at himself.

I’m fucking fine. His attention had only left Vega for a second.

Her eyes were wide, and her hands still clutched the wheel, but she was unharmed. “Alright, I think it’s time to pull over for the night.”

Joking? At a time like this? Vega was fine.

“You think?” Bridger gestured to the ditch they were in.

Somehow, luck was on their side, and Vega was able to get out in a few tries without either having to brave the cold. She pulled into the far right lane when it was safe and got off the next exit.

They had barely said a single word to each other since Chicago, giving Bridger all the time in the world to get lost inside his head—his thoughts ranged from Marlena and his deal, and how torn he was about how to tell Vega, to the unresolved resentment he had for the girl he once loved.

What Marlena had become wasn’t Vega’s fault.

Falling in love with Vega had been the reason Bridger broke though… If it weren’t for Vega, Bridger never would have suffered two years of torture, he never would have known what losing love felt like. He never would have⁠—

“Hello?” Vega’s voice dragged him out of his head.

“Sorry, what?” His vision refocused, and Vega’s tired eyes were the first thing he saw. They were rimmed red from the strain of driving. “You almost killed me. Again. I was just spiraling a little.”

Vega didn’t laugh, and the sneer on her lips wasn’t a smile. “And you have killed me, so almost is better than the alternative, don’t you think?”

Snappy—just like the Vega he’d once known, but did she really have to remind him every chance she got about the whole him-killing-her thing? As if he could ever forget… I’ve tried.

“What were you saying?” he asked, batting his lashes sarcastically.

Vega’s jaw tensed. “I said,” she drew out, emphasizing the last word, “would you like to come in or are you planning on staying in here tonight?”

Bridger realized they were parked and the car was turned off. A bright neon sign reflected off the hood, indicating the motel had vacancy. He quickly leaned into the backseat, grabbed his bag, and followed Vega through the brittle cold and into the reception area.

“Cold out there?” the older woman behind the counter asked. “I bet you two are looking for a room to get off that nasty highway, aren’tcha?”

Bridger ruffled his hair, knocking the thick snow off. “How’d ya guess?” He gave her an endearing smile, but the undertone of his words sounded more like duh.

The lady wagged her finger as they approached the counter. “You’re in luck. I have one room left, and it’s a king size bed. Only problem is my card machine is down… so I’ve gotta do things a little differently than normal.”

“You have nothing else?” Vega asked, her tone on the side of pleading.

The old woman’s eyes darted between the two. “Uhhh, no, I’m sorry. Just the one room left.”

Vega sighed. “It’s fine. We’ll take it.” The woman held on to the card Vega gave her, completely unaware it was stolen from a woman’s purse at a gas station outside Chicago.

Vega closed the curtains to their room once inside, resting her hands on her hips as she turned and took in the rather unsightly room. “Gross, but it’ll do.” She sighed, and with her breath, Bridger found himself relaxing a bit too.

“I really want a shower. Think you can handle grabbing some food at that diner behind here? It looked like it was still open.” Vega flung her coat on the bed, not waiting for an answer as she let the braids around her face free, weaving her fingers through to untangle what she could.

“Food? Yeah. I can definitely handle food.” And because watching Vega run her hands through her hair, letting it loose like she had in front of him hundreds of times before, made him want to wrap his hand in⁠—

“You’re looking at me funny again.” Her voice was softer than the first time she’d called him out for staring like a horny teenager.

Gods, Bridger, get yourself together. He was giving himself emotional whiplash.

Bridger huffed. “I can’t help but think of the people we were the last time we were in a room alone together where we weren’t trying to kill each other.”

Vega pulled cash out of her pocket. “Who says I won’t test another theory while we’re here? We’ve never seen what happens if one of us dies in this realm.”