“Koa—”
“Fuck!”
Another mile. The engine coughs. Sputters.
“Shit,” Oxy mutters.
One more turn, and then it dies completely.
The silence that follows is mocking. I was so fucking mad at her for stealing my car and she brought it, guilt swam in her eyes, and now she’s taken by two fucking Reapers.
We sit for a long moment on the side of the road. Just breathing.
“Fucking hell,” Oxy says quietly.
I force the door open. My body’s shaking—half adrenaline, half rage.
I step onto the road, looking down the black stretch ahead. Nothing but stars and asphalt and the memory of taillights disappearing into the dark.
Oxy leans his head back against the seat. “You’re not thinking straight.”
“I’m not thinking at all,” I snap, running a hand through my hair. Blood comes away on my fingers. “That’s the problem.”
He sighs, reaches over to rummage through the glove box. Pulls out a half-empty pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Tosses one to me.
I catch it. Light it. Inhale until my lungs burn worse than my ribs.
“You got a plan, boss?” Oxy asks.
I laugh whenever he calls me boss. “Yeah.” I glance down the empty highway, fists clenching around the cigarette. “I’m going to find her. And when I do—”
He cuts me off. “You’ll what? Kill them?”
I meet his eyes. “If I have to.” I inhale a smoke and then howl, “Fucking Reapers!”
“Fuckin’ Reapers!” Oxy echoes, shouting out. “They won’t know what’s coming for them.”
I take another drag. “No.”
The wind howls through the open door, cold enough to make me shiver despite the heat still radiating from my bruised skin.
The night feels endless. Somewhere out there, she’s in that car. Terrified. Thinking I let her go. Thinking I didn’t fight hard enough.
She’s wrong.
Oxy groans, but he’s already getting out. “Guess we’re walking.”
“Guess so.”
We start down the road swallowed by darkness. The only sound is gravel crunching under our boots and my heartbeat pounding like a war drum in my chest.
Every step hurts. Every breath feels like a reminder of how fucked this is. I’ve been given orders to steer clear of Reaper territory. We don’t interrupt each other’s operations, but taking Lexi… that’s crossing the line.
28
Lexi
The moment the impact hits, I know he’s gone.
