Wiped clean like chalk from a board.
Lyric’s voice returned, smooth and eerily pleased.
“Emotional interference resolved. You may proceed to Level 4.”
I sagged in place. Hawk caught me instantly, arms wrapping around me with fierce, protective force.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured into my hair. “You hear me? I’ve got you.”
I held onto him, breath still shaking. “I hate him for this.”
“Good,” Hawk said softly. “Hold onto that. We’ll need it.”
The lift doors opened again, waiting.
Level 4.
Decisions.
Hawk’s hand slid into mine.
“Ready?” he asked.
I wiped my eyes. “Let’s go finish what he started.”
Together, we stepped into the lift—leaving our ghosts behind us.
But Reese was waiting to unleash far darker ones below.
33
Hawk
The doors closed behind us with a soft hydraulic sigh, sealing us into the lift once more. The lights dimmed to a faint amber glow as the room began its descent.
Neither of us spoke at first.
Julia’s breathing had steadied, but I still felt the aftershocks in her body when she shifted closer to me—small, involuntary jolts of memory. Reese hadn’t just poked old wounds; he’d torn at them with a surgeon’s precision.
My hand slid into hers.
She didn’t pull away. In fact, she squeezed tighter.
“Thank you,” she murmured quietly.
“For what?”
“For seeing me. When I didn’t want to be seen.”
I turned my head, meeting her eyes. “I’ll always see you.”
Before either of us could say anything more, a tone chimed overhead:
“LEVEL 4 — DECISIONS.”
The lift stopped.
The doors didn’t open immediately.
