Cap’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Good.”
After he left, the adrenaline finally drained out of me completely.
Exhaustion settled deep into my bones.
Wrecker helped me lie back against the pillows, staying close, his hand warm where it rested over mine.
“I’m scared,” I admitted quietly.
“I know.”
“But I’m not done,” I said. “Not anymore.”
His thumb brushed over my knuckles. “Neither are we.”
I stared up at the ceiling, listening to the steady sound of his breathing, my body still sore, still shaken, but alive.
And this time, when I closed my eyes, I didn’t see the warehouse.
I saw the list.
Scout’s name.
And the fight that was still coming.
24
WRECKER
I didn’t leave her room for more than the time it took to wash my hands.
I stood at the sink in the attached bathroom, water running hot over my knuckles until my skin went red. The blood had already started drying under my nails. It took longer than it should have to get it all off. Not because it was stubborn, but because my hands kept tightening into fists without permission.
Every time I blinked, I saw her pinned against that wall.
I saw the shard in her hand.
I saw the way she looked at me when I came through the door, like she had already decided she was going to keep fighting even if no one made it in time.
I twisted the faucet off. The silence that followed was loud.
When I stepped back into the bedroom, Amanda was propped against the pillows, blanket pulled up to her chest. Her hair was still a mess, dried blood at her collarbone, eyes glassy with exhaustion. But she was looking at the door, not the floor. Tracking sounds. Listening. Present.
That mattered.
I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle her. She didn’t flinch, but her fingers tightened around the blanket.
“Doc checked you?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“How bad?”
“Mostly bruises.” Her voice was steady, but thin. “My arm hurts. He wrapped it.”
I reached for her hand slowly, giving her the chance to pull away. She didn’t. Her fingers slid into mine and held tight, like she was making sure I stayed real.
“You need water,” I said.
