Malcolm looks away, jaw locking hard. “Yeah,” he rasps. “Yeah, he was my brother.”
His eyes shine with something he’d never admit to. “I wish… I wish I’d had another shot. To talk to him. Help get him clean. Pull him outta that hole before it swallowed him.”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “Losing him still eats at me.”
For a second, we’re both standing in the wreckage of our ghosts.
“You’re right,” he says quietly, stepping closer. “We owe it to him to finish this.”
My breath shudders out in relief.
“Come on,” he murmurs. “You need to rest. Tomorrow… you’re calling Tony, and you gotta be sharp.”
“Yeah. Okay,” I say, exhaustion hitting all at once.
NINETEEN
LONDYN
Climbing into bed,Malcolm pulls me into his chest, arms locked like he’s holding back the whole damn world. I fall asleep tucked against the steady rise and fall of him, his breath warm against my hair.
For a while, it’s peaceful.
Then the screaming starts, scaring the living shit out of me.
Turning on the bedside lamp, I watch as he jerks in his sleep, body rigid, drenched in sweat. “Samir…!”
The name tears out of him, broken, and gutted.
He thrashes, eyes shut, lost somewhere I can’t reach.
“Malcolm,” I whisper, grabbing his face. “Night. Baby, wake up. It’s me. I’m here.”
But he doesn’t hear me. He’s back in that tunnel. Back in that moment that broke him.
“Samir, no… don’t… please, God, no!”
His voice cracks.
My heart does too.
“Malcolm! Please, wake up!” I say, leaning in close, cupping his cheeks.
His eyes fly open, wild and unfocused. He reaches for me like he’s drowning, pulling me against his chest.
“You’re here. You’re safe. It’s just me,” I promise against his skin, holding him tight,
Cupping the back of my neck, his fingertips dig in, holding me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear.
I hate that you saw that,” he says, his forehead pressing against mine. The shame in his voice… God, it breaks my heart in half.
“I’m glad I saw it,” I say. “Now I know what you’ve been carrying.”
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “I don’t want to scare you.”
“You don’t,” I say, sliding closer, straddling his lap. “Not even a little.
His hands tighten at my hips, mouth close to mine, searching, desperate. “I need you to be safe,” he murmurs, voice raw. “I can’t let them...”
