Page 129 of Encounter

I closed the door behind us. Chast sat limply at the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped, arms resting in his lap, face pale and emotionless. Worry passed through me once I realized I had no idea how to soothe him. I had no idea how to evenbeginto empathize with the pain he must have felt. All I knew was I needed to be there for him—to not let him go into the dark place I knew called to him.

To my surprise, he lifted his arm when I got closer, pulling me to sit next to him. I expected to fight for him to open up to me, but as soon as our shoulders touched, he leaned into me, resting his face in the conjunction of my neck and shoulder. His hand held mine with a straining yet shaky grip. The control he had over his breathing began to falter.

I could tell he resisted the tide of emotion, but eventually surrendered, and when I heard his broken voice, my heart ached.

“She was all I had left of Lydy...” As if he truly realized the meaning of the words after he said them, Chast quivered convulsively. Letting him nest his face against my skin, I took my hand and gently ran it through his short hair. “She must have been so scared,” he whispered, pausing when his voice broke. “S-She didn’t know what was going on, and she was alone when—”

“I’m sorry, Chast. D-Don’t... try not to think about that.”Shit, you’re not supposed to be the one crying!

When he abruptly pulled away, I blinked at him, confused by the wide-eyed stare he gave me. “You... you could’ve been there. You could’ve waited for me when they got in, and—”

“I wasn’t.” I didn’t need him to worry about me on top of everything, even if his concern warmed my heart. “I wasn’t, and I’m okay, just... Let’s lay down, alright?” Smiling, I forced him to move up the bed. Sleeping through it had always been the way to go when I felt like the world was crashing down on me. Chast went through too much—he needed some rest, at least until Gregory came back with more information.

Hesitant at first, Chast relented and locked into a hug with me, squeezing our bodies tightly together.

For once, I am the one to protect and support him. And I’m going to do everything in my power to do that.

?

The relentless buzzing of my phone finally made me open my eyes. Reaching for the spot next to me only to find it empty, it gave me a jolt, fully waking me. Sitting up on the bed, I looked around the room, but Chast wasn’t there.

“Oh no.” As I jumped off, my mind was filled with all the grim scenarios of Chast disappearing to act his revenge and dying.

I took out my phone. To my surprise, it was already the noon of the next day, and the call was yet another from the long line by Dad.Goddammit. I missed school.

I ran out of the room in a frenzy. The painful knot in my stomach loosened up once I heard voices coming from the living room—one of them being Chast. He and Gregory stood near the door, discussing something. Kitty and the dagger weren’t on the table anymore, and Mia just walked out of the kitchen with a cup in her hand, pausing when she saw me.

“Oh, hey.” She smiled, but the low mood still hung over her; showed in her eyes. “Was bringing you this coffee.”

As grateful as I was, all I cared about was Chast.

When my eyes found him, he already looked at me. His expression was tender, somber, and the nod he gave was an unspoken thanks. I accepted the coffee, flashing Mia a smile, and went to stand with them.

“What’s going on?” I asked Gregory.

He glanced at Chast like he was looking for permission to tell me about it, and eventually Chast was the one to speak. “We heard back from a contact. The people I dealt with—who did it—are an independent, small branch. They’re trying to establish themselves. I touched theirproduct, so they retaliated as aggressively as they did. There ain’t many of ‘em, but apparently they’re pretty fuckin’ hellbent on making a name for themselves.” Chast sounded understandably disgruntled, but calmer than I expected. Maybe more dull than calm.

“We got a word on their primary location,” Gregory added, eyeing Chast hesitantly.

Oh no.“Please, don’t tell me you want to—” My whole body tensed when my phone vibrated in my pocket again. I grabbed it nervously, declining the call.

“Your father?” Chast asked.

I shook my head, resisting the urge to throw the phone against the wall. “Yeah, it... It doesn’t matter.”

“He’s been callin’ you all morning. Now’s not the time to fight him. You sh—”

Not thisreasonableapproach again.“I shouldwhat?” I snapped. “You can’t expect me to go about my day like nothing happened!”

“I have to go and deal with them, Galen.” Chast locked his eyes with me, trying to seem tough, but I knew he was in no shape to go on that mission. He might have pulled himself together a bit, but he was still not himself. Those people nearly killed him once, so how was I supposed to be content with him going after themnow, especially when they fully expect him to? “This ain’t me going on a revenge spree. They have to be dealt with fast, while we have their location and the upper hand. They’re tryin’ to start up a sex-trafficking operation, so—”

“Upper hand?” I raised my voice, helplessness quickly spreading through my body. “How doyouhave the upper hand right now? How could alone—”

“He won’t go alone,” Gregory interrupted me with a firm, controlled tone. “Another merc’ll go with him. John. He’s experienced. Like Chast said, these aren’t people you want running around with a grudge against you, or runnin’ around in this city in general. You saw yourself. The sooner this is done, the better.”

Chast made a step toward me, wanting to hold my hand, but I moved away, drawing my brows together in desperation.

Why can’t someone else deal with this? Another gang or the fucking police?!

---