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Chapter Fifteen
Trust
Thehandleofthedoor moves, and we both jerk toward the noise, letting out the breath we’re holding when Alex walks toward us.
“Time to go,” he orders.
Sam gives me a quick kiss and wraps me in his arms. “Just worry about today, Row. We’ll figure this out.” He pulls away and looks me over, his face flinching when he lets me go.
I reach for his arm, stopping him from leaving. “Don’t leave me like that. What is it?”
Sam’s eyes meet mine, and the happiness that filled them moments ago is gone. “Whatever you have to do… to get back to us. I understand.”
“Sam, now,” Alex orders. “We talked about this.”
Before I respond, Sam slides his hand from mine, and he’s out the door, gone as quickly as he came. I rush after him, only to have Alex’s arm wrap around my middle, yanking me back. “Don’t make me regret this, Lawson.”
I try to resist his hold, pushing his arms off of me, but my heart isn’t in it. Alex did us a favor by bringing us together. It hurts, but I let Sam leave, accepting defeat.
“Does he know that the Eminent put me with you?” I ask. “Why did he say that just now?”
“He knows his wife isn’t back with him,” Alex sighs. “He’s been here a month. Doesn’t take long to figure out the ropes of this place.”
“I don’t want him to hurt anymore. I don’t want to cause more pain.” It’s a shy admission to Alex that I haven’t told Sam about our living arrangements, and one he understands by the way he offers a quick squeeze around my waist.
“You aren’t with the Eminent,” Alex reminds me. “Anywhere is better than that.”
I want to scream, but the drilling isn’t loud enough to drown it out. “Right,” I huff. Sam’s a father and knows we’ll both do whatever it takes for the kids. This isn’t like before with Dean, where Sam thought I had a choice about what man to be with. I’m not with Alex, but it feels close to betrayal.
I brush my sweaty palms down on my clothes. “Time for us to go too, then.”
Alex nods and looks into the hallway, then motions for me to follow.
“How much did you hear out here?” I whisper.
Alex tilts his head and offers a half smile. “Um, not that much,” he smirks.
I shake my head and smack his arm. “Sam said no one’s leaving the underground. Is he being overly pessimistic or does he know something we don’t?”
“Somethingyoudon’t,” Alex answers.
My stomach sinks, and I think I might get sick. “People will want to go back to the surface,” I argue. “That was the last global killer.”
“According to who?” Alex taunts, his voice tight. The sounds of the construction grow louder in the empty hallway. “No one knows that. They don’t know the truth about the swim, and you think they have the weather channel down here?” He presses a finger to his lips, signaling the time for questions is over. “Mouth shut the rest of the way.”
I nod, not because I’m obedient, but because he’s right. If anyone heard anything about what we said or did in the last hour, we’d all be in the same place as Theodore.
It’s a slow trek back, but we don’t end up in Alex’s cabin. We enter another ornate room with tables, music, and the smell of hot food. My stomach growls, and I shoot Alex a look of confusion. We only just left the brunch, but it hits me these people have nothing else to do but mingle, drink, and eat.
“It’s three full meals a day for the adherents,” he snips. I rub my stomach in response, empty already after the uncomfortable breakfast, and we take our places in line.
I’m reminded my family lives on meals a step above cardboard, and guilt washes over me as I look out at the buffet.
“This feels wasteful,” I mumble.
“Because it is,” Alex hisses.
“Isn’t your workday over?” I whisper, careful to keep my voice low.
