Kayne admired the way she said we, even when the ground had just been ripped out from under all of them.But his attention stayed on Evan a second longer, filing the look away.
He was concerned, sure, but maybe something else too.
He’d learned the hard way that lines blurred under pressure had a way of turning ugly fast.
Evan exhaled slowly and stepped back to rejoin the rest of the stunned team.When Chloe finally pulled away, she squared her shoulders with that stubborn resolve he was starting to recognize as her version of armor.“I need to go to the club.”
He blinked.“Now?”
“More equipment deliveries are scheduled.If I don’t place them today, it’ll back everything up.”She huffed a weak breath.“And I can’t just stand here.”
He studied her, then nodded.“Okay.”
The gym smelled of rubber flooring and fresh paint when they arrived.It seemed normal and blessedly ordinary, a welcome change from the smoke clinging to their clothes.New equipment lined the walls like soldiers waiting for orders.Chloe moved among them with quiet determination, placing treadmills, aligning racks, and answering questions.
Kayne stayed close, always close, watching the doors, the shadows, and the corners where danger tended to linger.
Still no sign of Danica.His phone stayed stubbornly silent.There was no dramatic entrance, cloying concern, or performative tears.That worried him more than her presence ever had.
“She hasn’t called,” Chloe said at one point, almost to herself.“Not even a text.”
He kept his tone casual.“She could be busy.”
“Danica?”Chloe snorted softly.“Busy usually means shopping or stirring drama.”
Kayne didn’t smile.
He followed her to the far corner, where she gestured for a row of machines to be shifted.She was good at this, and someone had already tried to take too much from her.
As she stepped back to assess the layout, she glanced at him.“You really think the fire had nothing to do with me?”
There it was.The question she’d been holding back.
He met her gaze, steady and warm.“I think right now, what matters is that you’re safe.And I’m not letting that change.”
It wasn’t an answer, but it was a promise.And promises, Kayne knew, were only worth making when you were prepared to bleed to keep them.
As he scanned the shadows between the machines, his mind still circling fire, ash, and the possibility of a missing chain link, he knew whoever had lit that match hadn’t finished burning things down.
