"But he'll sell her."
"Yes."
The word lands like a punch.
I stop walking, my hand tightening around the cigarette.
"How long do we have?" I ask quietly.
"I don't know," Silas says. "But we're working on it. Jace is monitoring communications. We'll find her."
"And Inez?"
His jaw tightens.
"Same situation," he says. "Moved after the breach. We're tracking her too."
I close my eyes, the weight of it all pressing down on me.
Two of my friends.
Out there.
Alone.
And I can't do a damn thing about it.
"I hatethis," I whisper.
"I know."
"I hate feeling helpless."
"You're not helpless," Silas says quietly. "You're healing. There's a difference."
I open my eyes, looking at him.
"Is there?"
"Yes."
We start walking again, slower now. My ribs ache with every step, but I push through it. The pain is grounding. Real.
"Why did you move the timeline up?" I ask after a moment. "You said you weren't ready. That you didn't have full intel. So why risk it?"
Silas doesn't answer right away.
When he finally speaks, his voice is so low I almost don't hear it.
"Because I couldn't let them have you."
The way he says it makes my chest tighten.
NotI couldn't let them take you.
I couldn't let them have you.
Like I'm something he's already claimed.
