Page 4 of Meet Me In The Dark

“You fucking idiot,” Kara cried. “We are not leaving you. We won’t let you die here. You don’t get to play the martyr. You don’t get to die. You’re not my hero. You never have been. Don’t start acting all gallant and sacrificial now.”

In what seemed like minutes but was probably only a few seconds, the three soaked, shivering men stared at each other, some silent conversation passing between them.

“You sure?” Micah said to Luke.

“You’re not the only one who’s good at planning,” Luke said. “I’ll figure it out. You take her.”

“Time for you to be the boss,” Conor said, and the sad smile on his face terrified her.

Micah shut his eyes.

Darkness grew around them, but the sun was putting up a good fight as it sank, resisting the night.

“What’s going on?” Kara asked, trying to stave off the panic. “Tell me.”

Conor cupped her cheek. “I need you to listen closely to me. In a moment, you’re going to follow Micah. Go wherever he takes you, do whatever he tells you to do.”

“And what about you two?”

On her other side, Luke stroked her hair. “We love you, sweetheart. Please believe us. We’re only men, and often bad ones, but we’re yours, and we love you.”

“Luke?” her voice sounded frantic. “Conor?”

Conor buried his face in her neck. Luke hugged her waist, kissing her above her ear.

Then they straightened, pulling away at the same time.

“Go.”

“But—”

Conor’s voice was so rough, it hurt her ears. “There’s no time for this. Kara, we meant it when we said without you, there’s no living for us. We know we’ve taken so much from you, but give us this one, final thing—go.”

And then she was being carried back down the beach and into the water.

“No,” she yelled at Micah, trying to fight him as he began to swim, dragging her with him. “I won’t leave them.”

“Kara.” His voice was harsh. “We stay, we all get taken. This is our only shot. And theirs.”

At that moment, she heard propellers chopping through air. Lifting her head, she watched as a helicopter descended on the beach.

“Is that…”

“Not anything good.”

“Oh god, oh god, oh god.” She couldn’t stave off the panic anymore.

Micah pulled her hair, hard, the sting snapping her out of her spiral.

“None of that. You need to be strong now, baby.”

She watched as Conor stood, his hands raised. He was shouting something but she couldn’t hear him. The helicopter landed, and two men dressed in all black hopped out. One took off toward Micah and Kara, but Conor grabbed him and swung. They grappled on the rock, but even though Conor had the opportunity to smash the man’s head against the rocks, he didn’t.

“What’s Conor doing? Why isn’t he?—”

“He’s not going to kill him because he’s acting as a distraction,” Micah said roughly. “He’s saving us.”

The orange sun gave up its fight, sinking below the water, and as it disappeared, darkness fell over them, casting the beach and rocks in shadow and hiding them from whoever else might be searching for them. And making it harder for her to see what was happening to Conor and Luke.

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