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“This is taking care of me… I’ve never seen you like this. It’s cute.”

“Like what?”

“In charge, the ‘boss,’” I say, quoting the name her colleagues have given her.

“Well.” She nuzzles into my side. “With you I didn’t have to be…”

I like that. That’s what I always wanted to provide for her. But I catch on to the past tense… Once I’m up and running again, I’ll show her exactly what we are.

I didn’t survive this to lose her.

Cain

Chapter 28

“Chalk!” Dean’s voice calls from below. I shake my head, my breath whooshing out in a puff— the closest I ever come to laughter.

“You never plan enough for anything.” I remove my chalk bag from my harness, clip it to a loop on the rope between us, and lock it. “On rope!” I call before lowering it down.

“And you think about everything far too much!” He smiles up at me, a wide white grin stretching from ear to ear. We have about a quarter of the climb left, and my muscles are screaming. The mandatory rest I’ve been under while learning to walk on my new leg has set me back. My biceps are pumping through my sleeves, my stump feeling like it's bleeding against the pressure of my prosthetic.

That’s okay, though. I like the pain.

“Yeah, you’ve said that!” I gulp down a few sips of water, then pull back my chalk bag when Dean tugs at the rope.

“You need to just dive in. Everything will work out. You’ll make it work out, because you’ll have to.”

“That’s what I’ve decided to do, smartass.” We continue our ascent at a snail’s pace. The smartass that he is, Dean is incredibly patient as I navigate climbing with the prosthetic. I made this one specifically for climbing, but this is only my second time taking it on a cliff like this. It’s the highest peak we can do without getting frostbite by the time we reach the top. “Speaking of my Flower. You going to confess? I’ve been to that prison,” I huff a breath, then focus on my inhale. “She’s not at the manor, the Petrov’s, or at Lucy’s.” My exhale leaves me in a puff. “No sign of her…”

“Can’t say, druzhishche, I’m sworn to secrecy.”

“She’s with you.” I pause, feeling out a good edge for my new foot. “I showed up last night, you changed the lock on your fucking door.”

I brace my grip, the pads of my fingers digging into the cold, rough, jagged granite. The arctic breeze rushes against the cliffside, tossing my hair and fluttering my shirt against my chest in rapid pulses.

“You good?” Dean calls up when I pause to take a few slow, focused breaths.

“Yeah!”

Yowp! Yowp! Yowp!

Bonnie yips and yops from the edge of the cliff as I approach, her wild half showing through. Between the roar of the wind and Bonnie’s high-pitched yipping, Dean’s lack of response to my question hits louder.

“I’m coming for her, Dean. I’m not hiding her anymore. Don’t mess with this,” I say, lifting myself over the edge, turning and bracing myself to support Dean summit as well. Bonnie waits impatiently, sitting to my right. Her body is vibrating as she starts and stops herself from coming to my side.

Placing his hands flat on the edge, Dean lifts himself up and over. He watches me for a beat, his brow furrowed.

Dean worries a lot more than he ever lets show. Humor, mischief, and alcohol are his go-to coping tools; they spike whenever his inner chaos stirs.

“There’s only one way she’d be allowed to live with you,” I say, focusing on my breathing. My body still exhausted from the climb.

“Ty znaesh’, ya tebe tol’ko luchshego zhelayu, druzhishche. I’ll always help you… And Violet.”

You know, I only wish the best for you, Brother.

“I’m coming for her tonight. She’s mine. You better change the lock back on that fucking door if you don’t want me to break it down.”

“Noted,” he says, then gulps from his water bottle.