Page 123 of Us Dark Few

Judging by the intensity in his cool glare, the vulnerable parts of him were scattered across the floors of the prison, too.

“What?”

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Her hands grew clammy against the bars.

He stepped closer, wariness apparent in the rigid set of his frame.

“Do you mind coming in here? No one else listening,” she mouthed those last words.

He hesitated but pulled out the touchpad.After a moment, the bars slid open, and he walked through. Takeshi’s large frame occupied her entire cell, completely dominating the space. He crossed his arms over his chest, muscles taut with caution.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as his jet-black eyes pierced hers, nerves tingling through her skin. But she didn’t have time to contemplate the consequences if Takeshi said no to her request—or worse.

Khalani took a steadying breath, straightening her spine and staring back at him with a fierceness that made his eyes narrow.

“We’ve decided to leave Apollo.”

Takeshi didn’t react, but a static tension was present in the air, a harrowing pressure that made her suck air in a little faster.

“We talked to Brock. They’ve been lying to us, Takeshi. About the radiation on the surface. The crops. Everything. But we have a plan to escape to Hermes. There is a secret entrance to the surface not far from Braderhelm. But for us to escape, we need your help…Ineed your help, Takeshi,” Khalani whispered, her heart fracturing at the distance in his eyes.

His gaze hardened. “You don’t listen to me at all, Kanes. What do you need my help for?”

“You’re the Captain. You know every guard rotation and hallway in Braderhelm. You’re our best chance of survival, because if we stay here, we die. And I have to believe that a small part of you still cares enough to stop that from happening.”

Takeshi’s forehead creased as he pondered her words.

“What makes you think I won’t tell the Warden about your plan? I had a hand in killing those prisoners. You already see me as a cold-blooded murderer.” The ire in his tone thickened with each word, and her lips parted at the harsh bitterness in his expression.

“Maybe I do. Nothing will ever excuse what happened to those prisoners, but a part of me hopes that the person who tried to save his mother, who saved me, is still there. That despite the bad choices you’ve made, you are still capable of doing something good. And Iknow it’s all over now, but…” Khalani hesitated, a knot lodging itself in her chest. “But I don’t want to lose another person in my life who once cared about me.”

The furrow between Takeshi’s brows grew deeper, and a strange emotion flickered in the black depths of his eyes.

Out of all the threats and adversaries he’d faced, he stared at her like she was the most dangerous.

“You’ve already forgotten one of the first lessons I taught you.” Takeshi slowly inched forward.

Her brows drew low. “And what’s that?”

“Not wasting your time hoping for things down here.”

“Is that your answer then?” Her glare matched the intensity of his.

“Depends.”

“On. What?”

“Escaping Braderhelm won’t be easy, even with my help. And that will seem like a cakewalk compared to traveling the surface. Dying is the most likely outcome, quicker if Brock is lying about the radiation.”

“He’s not.”

“Even so, the risk is there.” His head lowered. “Are you prepared to face those dangers and come out alive? Or are you merely searching for a better way to die?” Takeshi was so close she could almost taste the warm, earthy scent coming off his skin.

Khalani’s eyes narrowed as the question sliced through her, taking her back to that fateful afternoon in the pit all those months ago, the first time Takeshi asked if she wanted to die. He saw the truth, even then. Surrendering to the unfairness of life by escaping in death.

Thoughts as dark and cruel as the number on her wrist.

But she resisted. Sheremained. And Khalani finally realized there were things worth bleeding for.

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