Page 34 of Rupture

The silence stretched between them. His fingers uncurled from her wrist one by one, like a reluctant surrender. The absence of his touch left her skin cold, the memory of his grip still burning.

“That simple?” He pinned her with a gaze dark as an ocean rift.

“It can be.”God, I want it to be.

With a soft grunt, Finn turned and stalked from the room, leaving her swaying between relief and loss as the door hissed shut behind him with cold finality.

19

That was too fucking much.

Finn strode down the oppressive corridor, his boots echoing against the metal flooring. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but the pitch-black presence of the lake was suffocating from behind the glass walls. His mind churned with the heated exchange he’d just had with Rose, replaying every accusation he’d hurled at her.

As the adrenaline of confrontation ebbed, a creeping sense of unease settled in his gut. He’d pushed Rose hard, probing for weaknesses. It was a tactic he’d employed countless times in the field, but this was different.

He came to a halt, splayed his hands on the glass, rested his forehead against the smoothness. He’d crossed a line. Rose wasn’t a hostile combatant to be interrogated or judged. She was a civilian, a scientist, and more importantly, his task was to protect her.

“Shit.” His breath fogged the glass. He’d let his frustration and experiences with the OSC cloud his judgment.

He pushed away from the window and turned on hisheel. He needed to make this right. The comms in his ear hissed.

“Rose. This is Duke. Med bay. Now. Your sister’s awake.”

Her sister.Awake.

Ahead, Rose exited the lab, her gaze fixed on the floor, the line of her shoulders stiff.

She turned away from him, heading up the corridor.Fuck. His fault. His aggressive questioning had rattled her.

“Rose. Wait.” He hustled to catch up with her.

“Yes?” Wariness filled her eyes. “I’m heading to the med bay. My sister’s awake.”

He had to make this good. The urge to reach out and comfort her was strong, but he held back, uncertain of his welcome. Instead, he fell into step beside her, their feet tracking the blue line on the floor that would lead them to the med bay. “I owe you an apology. I came on way too strong back there and I was out of line.”

Rose slowed, but she didn’t stop or look at him.

“In my line of work, incomplete intel can get people killed. I’ve lost teammates because the OSC didn’t give us the full picture.” He tugged at his hair, the confusing urge to drag her into his arms and smooth the worry from her forehead running molten through his blood. “You should have told us. But I overreacted.”

She came to a halt and planted her hands on her hips. “You were right. I should have told you. I’m not sure why I didn’t. This place.” She gestured at their surroundings. “It has me on edge, and I don’t even know why.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for how I handled it. You deserve better than that.”

Rose nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”

“So. Thea’s awake. Do you want me to come with you to the med bay?”

“Sure.” A small smile tilted her mouth. He’d take that as a win.

Rose began to walk again. “Thea and I, we weren’t always like this.” She sighed. “Estranged, I mean.”

He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt.

“Years ago, we were both working on a research project in robotics, but the concept was mine. A breakthrough in adaptive AI for deep-sea exploration drones. I poured everything into it. We both did. Late nights, missed meals, endless simulations. And then...”

The corridor ahead split two ways, and they took the left together.

“Thea published our research. As her own. Without telling me.”

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