Page 69 of Wreckage

Her hands gripped his sleeves, and I saw the hesitation in her eyes. She was clearly running the possibilities and dangers over in her head, too. After a moment, she nodded, relenting.

I handed Troy the backpack of supplies I had thrown together and we hooked pinkies.

He took it the bag, clapping me on the back.

“Take care of her.”

Then, voice lower, he added, “Inallways.”

I swallowed hard, nodding.

If that’s what Elena wanted, I would. I wouldn’t push her on it.

We watched him go, disappearing into the trees, and when I turned back, I saw the worry still etched into her pretty face.

I went to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” I promised.

I didn’t know if it was true.

But I’d do everything in my power to make sure it was.

Chapter 25

Troy

The forest was eerily quiet. The only sound was my boots crunching over the frozen ground as I carefully walked through the dense trees.

I kept my focus sharp, marking my path as I went, dragging my gloved hand over rough bark, kicking over small stones, leaving a trail to find my way back.

I had been walking for hours.

Longer than I should have.

But I couldn’t stop.

Not when I needed answers. Not when I needed to know if there was a way out of this hell. Every step I took, my mind spun, thoughts spiraling faster than I could catch them.

Elena. Adrian. The future.

Did I even have one?

Would we even make it home?

And if we did…

What the hell was I going to do with the rest of my life?

Everything was different now.

The thought of returning to my old life and pretending to be the guy I had been before the crash was impossible.

I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to do it. My future had changed the moment I kissed Elena.

The moment I admitted what I wanted. She was it for me. And Adrian, too.

Not in the same way, but in a way that mattered just as much. I wasn’t going to walk away from this. From them. That meant making some hard choices.

---