Page 85 of Barinov

“She helped me through everything. Cleaned me up when Luca beat me for the stupidest shit.”

“Like what stupid shit?” she asks.

“He wanted me to upgrade the collars. Make them shock and poison whoever it was on. Had me test it on innocent people. But I tried to tell him that I was just a hacker and—”

The memory flashes. The smell of charred flesh. Their screams begging me to turn it off. What I did to those poor, innocent people.

I shake out of it.

“Every time I failed, his anger grew. Until one day I finally got it right.” I scratch at my neck under the collar. “Only to be rewarded with the upgraded version of the collar strapped to mine and Claire’s neck.”

She sighs. “Zeke.”

“I know.” I reach out for her hand, she takes it. “She talked about you all the time.”

She tries to smile through the tears. “What’d she say?”

“That she loved you more than anything in the world. That she was proud of you. And that she hoped he’d never get his hands on you.”

She nods.

“Claire was,” I say, blinking fast. “She was an amazing woman. Saved my life in here. More than once.”

I look down at the letter, catching another tear before it falls to it.

“Relax.” Luca says, his breath hot against my neck. “You can do it. I know you can.”

“Please,” I whisper as the sting grows. “Just… just stop.”

“Now why would I do that?” he laughs in my ear. “We’re just getting to know each other.”

“No.”

“One day soon,” he grunts. “You’ll be begging me for this.”

“No.”

♥♥♥

BELLA

Day 22 in Eden

“Zeke,” I say, shaking his shoulders. “Zeke!”

“NO!” he yells as he finally snaps out of whatever nightmare he was just tangled up in. His whole body is shaking, sweat dripping from his forehead. Aunt Claire’s letter is a crumpled up mess in his fist.

“Shit, I’m s-sorry,” he rasps, trying to flatten it back out on his jeans. “I didn’t mean to ruin—”

“Hey,” I cut him off, my hands reaching up to cup his face. “Zeke, just breathe.”

He flinches at my touch and I hate it. I’m going to take my time filleting Luca for everything he’s done to my big brother.

“You’re fine,” I whisper, even though I don’t believe my own words. “I’m here.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I’m nowhere near fine.”

“You will be.” I grip the back of his neck and yank his head down until our foreheads collide.