AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Here is the deal, Droga,” Crone says from his boat. “You come back—I will get Bo the best doctors. I will bring the Eastside to Ayana. There is a storm coming, and they might not make it if they stay where they are.” He leans on the railing, his gaze wandering about the deck like he is lost. He is oblivious to his shoulder wound. “You and Callie will have everything you need. We’ll make arrangements with work and stuff. I won’t bother you.”
It might be the first time he actually said her name.
I give him a backward nod. “You know you canmakeus go back to Zion,” I say. I shouldn’t have. But we both know it. It’s another moment of truth. Too many for one hour.
He nods. “But I won’t, Droga.” His gaze locks with mine again, and for the first time, I know he won’t. “I promise. I am offering peace.”
“I was never at war, Crone. All I wanted was a fucking acknowledgment of what you’d done. A proper apology would’ve been a bare minimum.”
“So I gave you one.” He nods at Callie without looking at her. “In the best way possible.”
True.
“You decide, Droga.”
I step back.
Callie looks up at me, but I take another step back, shielding her as I do.
I don’t answer, just watch Crone to make sure he sees my answer.
My heart seems still.
I hold my breath.
Even the guards are so silent that you can hear the occasional sound of the guns rubbing against their duty belts.
I don’t look away from Crone—I hope that whatever he sees on my face is enough for him to let us go.
He nods slowly, then looks at one of the guards and motions with his head. “We are going back.” Then nods at our captain as he pushes off the railing. “Carry on. If they have a problem entering the coastal area without papers, contact the Coast Guard, tell them those two are from Zion. I’ll send a message to the Secretary.”
My heart lets go gently as I take shallow breaths.
Callie and I don’t move as the boats on both sides of ours rev up the motors and idle away like it’s a routine patrol check and not something that just decided our fate.
I watch the boats pick up speed, see Crone turn as he meets my gaze across the water one last time until it’s too far to see his face.
Our boat’s engine starts.
“Finally,” one of the crew guys murmurs under his breath.
But somehow, the word “finally” doesn’t carry the relief that I thought it would.
It’s like seeing the stage curtains close after the most dramatic performance you’ve seen, and all you feel is drained and somehow empty knowing it’s over.
Callie presses her face to my shoulder. “He let us go, Kai,” she whispers. “He let us go.”
I nod, wrapping my arms around her and bringing her tight against my chest.
“You shot him,” I say with a chuckle, kissing her hair.
“I lost you because of him. Several times. I wanna say he deserved it.”
She pulls away, and I cup her face, studying her eyes.
“We are alright,” she says with a weak smile.
I kiss her lips, then brush my nose against hers.
