“And he didn’t say it back.”
It’s not a question, but I answer anyway.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Hm.” Her red fingernail taps the steering wheel. “And that’s why you were trying to murder the concrete wall at Sloane’s?”
“Look, I don’t regret saying it," I groan. "I just thought that maybe...he was close. And then after last night...”
I’ve never told anyone about Maksim’s nightmares, but I know I don’t need to elaborate with Remi. She gets it.
“So you expected him to say it back?”
“No.” I shift restlessly in my seat, hating how unsure I sound. “But I wanted him to.”
She nods slowly. “Val…men like Maksim don’t say ‘I love you’ like normal people.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means someone like him, who grew up in hell, doesn’t trust beautiful things. And you’re a beautiful thing. A weakness, something to lose. Something that makes the world suddenly feel like it has too much to take away.”
Her words touch me so much that I have to blink hard just to process them.
“And if he didn’t love you, he wouldn’t have asked me for that pretty piece of ink. I’m quite proud of that, by the way.”
My mouth drops, and I rake a rough hand across my face. “Oh, myGod, Remi. I haven’t even thanked you for that. How are you even speaking to me right now?”
She chokes on a laugh. “I’m sorry to inform you that you’re stuck with me.”
“Please, don’t threaten me with the time of my life.”
Remi reaches across the console and takes my hand. “He’s already yours, Val. The words will catch up.”
“Yeah,” I sigh and lean my head back. “Rem, are you sure you’re only eighteen and not some forty-five-year-old relationship guru with a trail of broken hearts behind her?”
“Psh, I got the broken hearts part down already.”
“That’s not what I saw the other day on that track with Kuroda. Who’s the leg-humper now?”
She smirks. “Oh, I did more than just hump his leg.”
We erupt into another round of laughter, my mood already lifting. When I look out the window, I catch the familiar landscape rolling by.
“Are we going to the garage or am I helping you bury a body?”
“The night is young, so option two is still on the table. But yes, that’s where your surprise is waiting.”
The rest of the drive passes in a comfortable silence, Remi humming along to whatever is playing, and me staring out the window, lost in thought as the world rushes by.
When the metallic door of the garage rolls up, the lights spill over the concrete and my breath catches. Poison Ivy sits there, gleaming and looking brand fucking new.
“You put her back together that fast?” I circle the car, palms gliding along the flawless wrap.
“Did you ever doubt me?”
“Never.” I crouch, checking the bumper where Balterra clipped me. Not a scratch. “Perfect.”
“I called in some favors for parts and gave her a little upgrade for tonight.”
