"Inside," I say. My voice comes out rough. Raw.
"Yeah." She's trying to pull the dress back up, but the zipper's stuck halfway.
I shouldn't help. Should keep my distance. Should let her figure it out.
But I step close again. Turn her around. My fingers find the zipper.
"Hold still."
She does. Doesn't say anything. Just stands there while I work the zipper back up, my knuckles brushing against her spine with each inch of skin I cover.
It's more intimate than the kiss, somehow. Quieter. More deliberate.
When I'm done, she doesn't turn around immediately. Just stands there, facing away from me.
"Thank you," she whispers.
"Don't thank me."
"For the zipper—"
"Don't." I step back. "Just...don't."
She turns then. Looks at me with eyes that are too knowing. Too honest.
"We should go inside," she says quietly.
"Yeah."
Neither of us moves.
The air between us is charged. Electric. One word. One touch. And we'd be right back where we were.
I turn away first. Head toward the house. Fish the keys from my pocket.
Behind me, I hear her footsteps on the gravel.
The door opens with a groan. I flip on the lights. The safe house is exactly as I left it. Sparse furniture. A place designed for hiding, not living.
Aoife steps inside. Wraps her arms around herself like she's cold.
"Where's Reilan?" she asks. Her voice is different now. Guarded.
"Different safe house. About twenty miles from here."
"Why aren't we there?"
"Security protocol. Don't put everyone in the same location." I close the door. Lock it. "Aidan coordinated the evacuation. He split everyone up. Different safe houses. Different routes. Makes it harder for Viktor to find us all at once."
She nods. Processing. "When can I see him?"
"Tomorrow. After we're sure it's secure."
"I want to call him."
"No phones. Viktor might have compromised the networks."
Her jaw tightens. "He thinks I'm dead."
