"Did you ever love me?" Stefan whispered.
Sawyer stopped. His shoulders slumped. "Yes," he answered honestly. He could at least give Stefan that. "I loved you more than my next breath."
"Then why, Sawyer?"
Sawyer turned to answer Stefan only to find the entire unit standing right behind him, waiting for his reply. "It's too dangerous for me to stay. If the mechs learn I'm here, they'll stop at nothing to get me."
"Why?" Roark cocked his head. "Does this have anything to do with where you've been the last two years?"
"It does."
Roark's eyebrow arched up. "And where have you been?"
Sawyer clenched his jaw, then swallowed tightly before answering. "Killing every damn mech I can find."
Chapter Six
Stefan wanted to beat Sawyer over the head for his pig-headedness, then kiss him until the man couldn't breathe. He was equal parts stunned that he was actually looking at Sawyer after all this time, and pissed that the man had allowed all time to pass without contacting him.
"If you leave," Stefan snapped when Sawyer took a step back, "I swear to god I will follow you until I get some fucking answers, even if I have to tie your ass down and beat you with something to get them."
"Stef—"
Stefan narrowed his eyes.
Sawyer signed. "It's not safe. Don't you get that?"
"The world hasn't been safe for ten years, Sawyer," Stefan countered. "How is that going to change just because you're here?"
"It just will, okay?"
"No, not okay." Stefan realized he was almost shouting, but he was getting angrier with each passing second. Sawyer was just going to leave, even after he promised not to. "You owe me an explanation, damn it."
Sawyer's jaw firmed.
"Sawyer," Roark said, "if something is going on, let us help you."
"You can't. No one can." There was heartache in those words. Heartache and pain and so much anger, it almost clouded everything else.
Stefan grabbed Sawyer's arm before the man could turn away from him. "Please," he whispered. "Let us help. Let me help. Don't leave again."
Sawyer's eyes briefly closed. He leaned toward Stefan, almost as if he couldn't stop himself. Stefan reached up and curved his hand around the side of the man's face. He didn't like that he had to do it with a piece of cloth between them, but the mask seemed important to Sawyer. Stefan wouldn't remove it until Sawyer allowed it.
"Please stay, Sawyer."
Sawyer gripped the wrist of the hand Stefan had pressed to his cheek. His eyes darkened as he stared at Stefan. "If anything happens to you because of me, I couldn't live with myself."
"Then stay, protect me. Keep me safe." Stefan was pretty good at keeping himself safe, and had been for a very long time. He'd learned a lot in the two years they'd been apart. But if Sawyer needed a reason to stay, Stefan would give him one.
"I don't want you to hate me," Sawyer whispered. "And if you knew…"
Stefan frowned. "Knew what?"
A muscle ticked in Sawyer's jaw. "What they did to me."
Stefan sucked in a painful breath. "What did they do to you?"
Sawyer's hand shook as he reached up and pulled the mask down under his chin. Stefan couldn't prevent the small cry that fell from his lips when he saw the scar that went down the side of Sawyer's face.
