Page 41 of Meet Me In The Dark

“Kara, you don’t have to do this.”

Kara, we don’t have to do this, Conor had said so long ago.

“You can stay back with Billy and I can go in and get them on my own.”

We can go to the mainland. Get fro-yo. Get to know each other.

Back then, she’d gotten angry at the implication that she would ever do something she didn’t want to do. She hadn’t been willing to admit to herself that physical risks were easy stand ins for emotional ones. Or that she wasn’t making her choices—her inner demons were. She hadn’t had anyone to say “stop.”

And now that Kara had people to grab her by the shoulders and stop her from falling off a cliff, she was about to jump out of a plane, something she desperately didn’t want to do. But recently, Kara had been doing a lot of things she didn’t want to do, because you sacrificed for the people you loved.

Was that what love meant? Sacrifice?

Risk?

She’d learned one thing: love might be a risk, but it wasn’t reckless when you were loved back.

“I’m doing this,” she told Micah. “You need me for the plan, remember? I’m the bait, I’m the decoy. I’m the one who’s going to take Chris down.”

Micah shook his head. “Baby, you don’t want to do this. I can tell. You’re afraid of failing, aren’t you? Panic attack afraid?”

“Goddamn it, how do you know everything?” she muttered, frustrated.

He smiled. “I don’t know everything. I knowyou.”

“And you’re trying to manipulate me into staying on the plane,” she continued.

“I am. Is it working?”

“We’re doing this,” she told him, resolute.

God, part of her truly didn’t want to, wanted to take the escape hatch he was offering and get out of this. But there’d been a reason she’d manipulated Billy into taking her to Micah. There was a reason she’d touched another man’s disgusting penis and hadn’t flinched when Micah had killed him. There was a reason she was here, and it was because she wasn’t letting Micah out of her sight. If something happened to him and she wasn’t there, she’d never forgive herself.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t be vulnerable with him, share a little honesty. “You’re right, I’m fucking terrified of failing today. But I’m not going to let my fear or the panic attacks beat me. Not today.”

“Little warrior,” Micah murmured, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. “You amaze me with your bravery. I’m in awe of you.”

“Let’s do this,” Kara said. “Besides, you’ll be with me the entire time. I’ll be strapped to you, won’t I? You’ll keep us safe. I have faith in you.”

He kissed her again. “I willalwayskeep you safe.”

Billy exited the cockpit, catching Kara’s eyes. They hadn’t spoken when they’d met him at the private airstrip, so Kara didn’t know where she stood with him.

“Hi, Billy,” she said.

“Troublemaker,” he greeted her.

“I’m sorry about guilting you into taking me to Micah.”

He grinned. “No, you’re not. But I’ve forgiven you for feminine wile-ing me. Micah told me you’re going to make itup to me by giving me your friend’s number. Seems like a good apology.”

Fuck.Lola was going to kill her.

Still, Kara laughed, feeling lighter than she had since the day Luke and Conor had been taken. “I’ll give it to you when we get back.”

“Good.” He turned to Micah, all business. “We have a slight problem.”

Micah straightened. “How slight?”

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