Alice steps in my arms, giving me a warm hug with tears in her eyes. “I’m going to be okay, Alice.” She squeezes me harder.
“You don’t deserve this, Oak.” There’s pain in her voice and god, it fucking pains me to hear it. “You deserve to have your peace. You deserve to be happy.”
“They’re not going to keep me from having it, Alice. I promise, okay?”
Pulling back she looks in my eyes trying to detect a lie. And after a moment of studying me there’s a breath of relief from her. “Pinky promise?”
Pinky promise.
Promises she started with Snake when she was just a kid who had wished upon the stars with him.
And even though it may seem ridiculous I hold out my pinky and intertwine it with hers. “Pinky promise.”
She takes a step to the side and Snake and I embrace in a hug, clapping one another on the back. “I’ll break you out if I have to.”
I laugh but the funny part is he isn’t joking. Snake will literally blow a hole in the joint to get me out. “There won’t be any need.”
He hits me not so lightly on the shoulder. A dark glint in his eyes and a mischievous smile on his face. “You depriving me of explosives, Oaky boy?”
“Never.”
“Don’t go missing me. I know you can’t be without me for too long,” he teases and for the first time since the feds arrived outside those doors I let out a genuine laugh.
Only Snake can joke around in serious situations.
He winks at me and I clap him on the shoulder one last time. Stepping back he pulls Alice to his front and wraps his arms around her.
And then there’s one.
Nora stands with her arms protectively wrapped around herself. Her head is downcast. Her foot tapping restlessly against the hardwood floor.
I know she seconds away from losing it. And I refuse to let that happen.
Crossing the room I take her by the shoulders and force her to look at me. Her eyes meet mine but they aren’t focused, they’re far away. “Nor, you’re safe, you’re okay. You’re here, you’re okay.” Her choppy breaths start to come in more evenly. Finally, the distant look in her eyes disappears. “There you are.”
“Sorry,” she breathes.
I shake my head. “Don’t ever apologize, Nor. You feel what you feel and don’t let anyone shame you for it.”
A small smile tugs on her lips. “You’re always protecting me.”
“And you’re always saving me.” God knows how many times I was close and I just couldn’t do it because of her.
“But I can’t save you from this,” she says sadly.
“You know how you always tell me that I’m your hero,” I say to her. She nods her head. “I’ve never told you that you’re mine.”
“Ethan.” She holds back tears.
“Because you are. You’re my fucking hero. I admire you so much, Nora, and I hope that one day I can have as much courage and strength as you do in just your finger. You’re fearless, brave and so fucking resilient. You’re unstoppable, Nor. A fucking force to be reckoned with. And there is no one on this god dammed Earth who is prouder of you than me. You’re the true hero.”
“You’re wrong.”
I balk. “Nor-”
“You’re wrong,” she repeats. “He’ll never be able to do that to another girl ever again. He’ll never be able to come near me again or touch me again and that’s because of you. You killed him for me, Ethan. And by killing him you don’t know how many other girl’s lives you saved.”
“But I didn’t save you. What he did-”
