Page 75 of Hidden But Not Safe

Then he typed out the question pressing at his throat.

‘Did I hurt you?’

Her eyes widened. “What? No!” She moved closer, curling toward him. Her head leaned on his shoulder.

“You didn’t hurt me. You saved me.”

The lump in his throat fizzled away.

“So you don’t remember what happened?”

He shook his head, bumping it against hers.

“You switched off so fast,” she said softly, remembering. “Your body was moving, but you weren’t really there.”

Naz shook his head again.

“Why do you keep saying no? You said you don’t remember.”

He stared down at his phone. Then he began to type.

‘It’s still me. I’m a killer.’

Meg made a frustrated noise in her throat. “You kill. I’ve seen you kill before that. But you’re not some killing machine. I mean, not usually.” The frustration seeped out of her voice, making it soften. “You were intent on killing them. And you moved so fast.” She swallowed, pressing into his side tighter. “Your eyes looked blank, and you attacked them with your bare hands. It scared me when you were shot and acted like you didn’t even notice. I thought you’d—”

Her hand clutched at his shirt, and he nuzzled his head against the top of hers.

Meg let out a breath, then extended her arm, studying the bruise on her skin.

Naz hated seeing it there, hated that he’d failed to protect her.

“I was so focused on you, I forgot Julio had been coming for me. It’s all muddled in my mind, but I know I screamed. Then you were there, and I was scrambling away, and Julio was the one screaming.” She shivered. “He screamed louder than I did.” She huffed out a breath. “I’m such a bitch. Remembering that is so satisfying now. At the time, I crawled under the table, hiding like a terrified child. So pathetic.”

He went to shake his head, but it still pressed against hers. “No,” he said instead, the word sounding stronger and not as jarring as his voice usually sounded.

“I was pathetic. I knew exactly what I was doing, but I couldn’t let them—” She groaned, her arm dropping into her lap. “I should have just fucked them instead of almost getting you killed.”

He pushed her away from him so he could see her face. She wasn’t crying. It was worse than that.

She was hating herself.

Her eyes were dull, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“No,” he said again.

Her head snapped up, and she glared at him. “Don’t you understand? I wasn’t thinking about you at all! I didn’t care if you died, as long as—”

He pushed her back into the cushions, hovering over her as his eyes glared back into hers. “No—”

“Yes! I didn’t—”

“—die,” he finished.

Her mouth snapped shut as her eyes widened in shock.

“No…die,” he said, the words faster the second time.

Naz understood the path she’d chosen. She’d taunted Julio using him, hoping that he’d kill her instead of what he’d wanted to do. She’d decided it would be better to be killed.

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