Page 128 of Gambler's Fallacy

I shake my head. “I don’t want to be alone.” I would drag one of them into the shower with me, but considering the size of the room and the motel in general, I doubt two of us would fit. “Can someone…” I trail off. It’s needy and stupid.

“I’ll keep you company,” Vortex says. “Caleb and Havoc can sort out food while they wait for their turns.”

I nod gratefully and strip down in front of them. The clothes are disgusting, and I don’t know how I’m going to put them on again afterward.

Vortex strips down to his boxers and follows me into the small bathroom. He turns on the shower, testing the water for me.

“The water pressure sucks, but I think anything will do at this point,” Vortex says with a small smile.

“I don’t know how you’re even going to fit in here,” I say, trying for levity, too.

He laughs. “Carefully. I know not everywhere has the kind of showers the Roi de Pique does.”

I get into the shower, breathing out a sigh of relief. I should feel guilty for taking the first shower, but I’d been itching to get the desert off of my skin.

While I shower, I hear Vortex on the phone with Connie. The water drowns out most of what he says, but his tone of voice seems calm. I use the flimsy bar of soap the motel had provided to scrub off the dirt and blood, and by the time I step out, I’m feeling slightly better.

“How’s Connie?” I ask.

“She’s fine. Nothing serious. She called a friend to take her home from the hospital and she’s taking it easy for now,” Vortex says. “She was worried about you, too. She’s glad you’re all right.”

“Oh.” I don’t know what to make of that. I didn’t think Connie liked me at all, and I would’ve thought she’d like me even less becauseVortex had left her behind to find me. Maybe she meant it when she’d said she was only ribbing her brother.

I take the towel Vortex hands me and step out of the shower stall so Vortex can get in.

I dry off and sit down on the toilet, forcing myself to focus on thenow.

“I guess it’s good I had the tracker,” I say, loud enough to be heard over the water. I’ve been going back and forth about saying something, but I might as well admit it.

Vortex turns to look at me, his large body almost comical in the small shower stall. “I don’t know if we could’ve found you without it,” he admits.

A chill runs through me at the thought of being left out there without anyone coming to save us. They’d have killed Caleb, probably, and I would’ve been on my way back home.

No, nothome.

Calamity City is my home now — with Caleb, and Vortex, and Havoc.

I am never, ever going back to New Bristol.

I would rather die.

“But you’re safe now. And we’ll have a chat about what to do in a similar situation when we’re all back,” Vortex says, his voice taking on a stern edge.

I squirm, wrapping the thin towel around my body. “I know I should’ve gone to the security room,” I say. “I was so scared, and I didn’t know what else to do.”

He nods. “I know you were afraid, Seven, but when there’s an active threat, we need to think of ways to get you to feel more comfortable going to safer places.”

“Yeah,” I say, feeling awkward.

I know that going to the garage had been beyond stupid, but all I’d been able to think about was getting to someone safe — to Caleb — as fast as possible.

I hadn’t thought someone would be waiting right outside.

Now I know better.

Vortex turns the water off, stepping out of the shower, and he makes a face at the tiny towels in the bathroom. “I’m going to need six of these to dry off,” he says, deadpan enough to make me smile. “Havoc?” he calls out, opening the bathroom door. “Did you have those extra clothes for us?”

“Yeah,” Havoc calls back. He opens the door wider, not concerned about our nudity. “There was a small gift shop next door. Caleb bought souvenir shirts for all of us.” He wrinkles his nose. “Actually, wait. It was my credit card, so I guess I bought them for all of us.” He passes sweatpants and t-shirts and an unwrapped set of underwear to us.

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