Page 103 of Resurgent

“Nobody’s murdering anybody,” I mutter.

Theo glances at Matt’s expression in the mirror. “Mm. I don’t know. He’s been looking at me like he’s deciding where to hide my body for the last twenty miles.”

Matt doesn’t even blink. “I already have a location picked out.”

I choke on a startled laugh before I can stop myself, earning the faintest smile and a wink from Matt.

“You know, her dad might’ve just wanted to spend a little alone time with her. Maybe everyone is just overreacting.”

The truck goes dead silent once more as Matt’s eyes snap to the rearview with such wrath, I can’t help but flinch on Theo’s behalf.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, from his perspective—”

“From his perspective?” Matt cuts in sharply. “Her father drugged her, forced her out of the gala against her will, and was intending to drive away with her in the bed of the truck to only the gods know where—”

Theo’s expression hardens slightly. “You don’t know what he was planning.”

“I know enough.”

The words crack through the truck hard enough that even I flinch.

Theo leans back against the seat, flexed arms crossing so tightly the seams of his suit might rip at any second.

“You’re acting like he was trying to kill her.”

Matt lets out a humorless laugh. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Matt—” I start quietly.

“No.” His voice drops lower, which somehow makes it more menacing, “I trusted him to keep you safe, but he was too busy brown-nosing to notice your obvious unease all night.”

Theo’s jaw tightens. “Oh please, you don’t think I noticed? Of course I did, that’s why I was working so hard to make a good impression. We weren’t prepared for an impromptu meet-the-parents date.”

“You might actually be the stupidest mo—.”

“Enough. Both of you. Theo, even if this was a date—which I made very clear that it wasn’t—crawling up my dad’s ass all night would not have earned you any points. And Matt, he doesn’t know the history, so you can’t hold me being kidnapped from the gala against him.”

Both men immediately break eye contact, their desire to argue their sides suddenly replaced by a suffocating silence all the way back to campus.

Throwing the pickup in park and killing the engine, Matt finally breaks the silence, “Want to go for a walk?”

“Yeah, I could use some fresh air.”

Theo starts to move like he’s coming too, but Matt beats him to it. “Alone.”

The pointed look he gives Theo leaves absolutely zero room for interpretation.

Lifting both hands in submission, Theo mutters a quick “Message received. I’ll see you Monday, Annalise,” before pulling me in for a quick hug and taking off for the barracks.

Silence follows us across campus, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves and the faint, familiar beat of Tyr's wings overhead, Matt's suit jacket still warm around my shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, head hung low as we step onto the running path that leads to Korr’s house.

“I know you didn’t just try to take the blame for The Sheriff trying to kidnap me.”

“Annalise—”