Liz looks up so fast it hurts.
“She’s not fucking going with you,” Riley snaps, stepping around her and closer to Alex.
She looks at Tyler and Mikey who are looking at each other uncomfortably. Realizing, maybe, she should not have tuned them out, she stays quiet, waiting to hear what they are arguing about.
“Don’t pull this overprotectiveshe’s minebullshit right now, Ry. It was your idea to split up,” Alex barks.
“Since when does splitting up mean she is going with you over me?” he asks.
Liz closes her eyes, silently begging Alex not to be stupid enough to answer that question.
“Since she is safer with us,” Alex snaps back.
Liz lets out a long exhale, knowing it can only get worse from here.
“My girlfriend is safer with you? I gave my fucking life to keep her safe,” Riley states.
“And look where that got you! Got both of you!” Alex shouts back. “You were captured and she spent weeks having panic attacks, knowing exactly what the fuck was happening to you.”
Riley recoils as if he had been hit. Liz drifts closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Riley opens his arms for her, pulling her against his side.
“Everyone makes bad calls, Alex. That’s not fair,” Liz snaps, defending Riley. He may have made a mistake, but she won’t sit by and listen to anyone use it against him. “What is the big deal with me going with Riley?”
“I already explained this to him,” Alex says, glaring daggers at Riley. His grip tightens instinctively around her. “If you are together and get caught, they will use you against him.”
“And if one of us is caught, they will use that to get to the other one,” Riley snaps.
Liz looks to Mikey and Tyler for backup, not realizing they snuck away at some point as the argument grew heated.
“No one is going to tell me who I am driving with, for one,” Liz starts, hoping to put an end to their petty squabble. “For two, it literally does not matter, and you both are being stupid. If I go with you and we get caught, they will use me to get to Riley,” she explains to Alex. “If we are together and get caught, they will use me to get you to cooperate” Liz says looking up at Riley. “Badpeople will do bad things, regardless of what precautions we take. I’m sorry, Alex, but if shit goes down, I need to be with him. I would rather be taken together than be used as Riley bait again.”
“Suit yourself,” he grumbles, walking away to join Tyler and Mikey who quietly raid the gun safe. Riley drops his arms, snapping a photo of the map laid before them.
“I’ll be right back, I have something for you,” Riley says.
She watches, confused as he rushes away. Liz turns to the map, running her finger along one of the bright red lines leading to their next hideout. The thought of them splitting up has her stomach in knots. While it makes sense logistically, the last thing she wants is to not be together. Every time they are forced apart, something bad happens.
She continues eyeing the lines, a deep sadness settling into her soul as she does, knowing this very well may be the last time she sees two of her friends. She turns to watch Mikey, Tyler, and Alex load up as many weapons as they can into bags, anxiety creeping in.
Packing more weapons is a waste of time. If Scott has men on their way to look for them, they should already be on the road. Footsteps approaching from behind eases her tension, only slightly, but enough to stop thinking about everything that could go wrong.
“Put this on,” Riley says, shoving something hard into her hands.
A squeal escapes her lips. She bounces on her toes looking at the mask she’s holding. A skull mask like his, modified for her, sits in her hands. Large, pointed ears top it while long sharp teeth jut out of the bottom. Small metal plates adorn the sides and top, matching it perfectly to Riley’s favorite mask. The smile fades from her face. She pieces the color scheme together. With a look that could kill, Liz turns to Riley and asks, “What the hell is this?”
A wide smile spreads across his face. A smile that, for thefirst time in a long time, reaches his eyes. Liz almost drops it right there and throws herself into his arms, just happy to see him smile again, but she holds firm. She glances at the mask again, knowing if she looks at Riley any longer, she will break.
It’s the perfect mix of beautiful and terrifying, if only he hadn’t painted it to look like a honey badger. The colors are muted and far darker than the animal, but the pattern is there. And, based on the look plastered on his face, she knows she is right.
“I’m sorry, princess. I hate him just as much as you do, but I can see it,” he says, wrapping his muscular arms around her.
“Of all the things you could have made it look like, you just had to go with the fucking badger?” she questions.
“Love... youaresmall and scary. You have been known to try to fight men four times your size just for looking at you wrong, and you fear nothing. Even you have to admit it suits you. But, if you hate it, I can make some changes,” he starts, reaching out to grab the mask back.
“Don’t you dare!” she shrieks, gripping the mask to her chest like it could disappear at any moment. “This is my new favorite thing.”
Her grip loosens. Liz slides the cool, carbon-fiber mask over her head, settling it perfectly on her face. The immediate confidence has her ready to take on the world.
