Page 46 of Dissent

Wes’s eyes grew huge, and then he tipped his head back and howled in more laughter, both his hands flying to his stomach as he did.

I could feel my cheeks flush with heat, but the embarrassment slowly subsided as I became infected once again by Wes’s laughter.

It felt good. It feltso goodto laugh. A medicine I hadn’t felt since Chase died. And it was so…healing.

The laughter flowed through us for another minute before we both quieted down, settling back into the relaxed, tired state that follows such a cascade of belly laughs. We both looked back out toward the sunset, the sun almost down over the horizon. I took deep even breaths, enjoying the cool air that filled my lungs, and the sense of calm that spread through me, bringing comfort. And then Wes spoke.

“Thank you.”

I turned to look at him, surprised by his words, and caught his steady gaze on me. The look on his face, for once, was light. Unburdened. Soft and warm and—dare I say it—endearing.

And this version of him…

This side I had yet to witness…

God, it was stunning.

He was so handsome, so absolutely gorgeous. And at that moment, I saw Wes for who he truly was. This was therealhim…not the cold, hard block of stone that he walked around as. This was the real Wes. And I smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Silence fell between us again as we both looked back out over the land. Rubbing my lips together, I reveled in my little discovery, relishing this new sense of calm—peace—that I was finally feeling in Wes’s presence. It felt good…so, so good.

“Mara?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know how the REG figured my brother out?”

My stomach dropped, tanking hard, as a cold sensation climbed up my spine like ghostly fingers. It was déjà vu. I’d been here before. Me and Wes in an abandoned hallway with the same loaded question hanging between us.

I knew he blamed me this whole time for Chase’s death, or at least I suspected it. But now he was asking me…again. Which meant he hadn’t bought my lame answer before,orhe knew the truth and wanted me to confess it to him. But the thought of saying those words out loud seized the beating of my heart. Just like before, the little voice inside me urged,Tell him, Mara. Just tell him the truth.I just didn’t know if I could do it, so I deflected.

“Why do you ask?” I didn’t look at him, but I kept him in my peripheral vision, watching how he reacted. This was the elephant in the room, the main obstacle that stood between Wes and me from the first day we met at the river.

He was still for a moment, but his energy shifted, stiffening. “I just need to hear it.”

I swallowed again. I wanted to say it…to say that it was my fault.

Tell him! You owe him at least that.Time felt as though it stood still, suspended in the balance.But what if he doesn’t forgive me?

I couldn’t. I was too much of a chicken. Too worried about what would happen to this new fragile alliance we had formed. My chest tightened as I opened my lips. “I-I…” I stuttered.

Wes rolled his shoulders back as he pivoted to face me. “How did they find him out, Mara?”

I took in a deep breath as I looked at him, our eyes locking as I tried hard to muster the courage I needed. And then…I failed. “There was a guard, an Enforcement officer. The guard was disciplining a Subclass, and Chase got in the way. I don’t know for sure, but I think the guard figured out who he was and turned him in to the REG.”

Wes’s eyes glinted, emotion passing through them too fast for me to catch what was there. And then it was gone again, emptiness returning. He cleared his throat as a stoic expression swept his face. “It’s getting dark. We better get back.” Then he veered and stalked off, heading back to the trail.

I blew out a breath, feeling my nerves on end. I knew I screwed it up. I had no doubt. The question was, how badly?

22: Trouble in Wonderland

Well,asitturnedout, I was right. And Ihatedbeing right. I had screwed things up with Wes, and I wasn’t even too sure how to fix it. He reverted to being cold, with that stupid scowl planted across his face. And my training sessions with him felt weird and awkward, like the elephant in the room had grown four times in size and had a bad gas problem, causing wrinkled noses every time it passed by. But it was weird, because even though Wes was being a hardass again, it wasn’t quite like before. And frankly, it left me confused about what the hell was going on between us. Truth be told, I was growing tired of it.

It had been a week since our encounter at the Rock. That was seven days of nothing but getting my ass handed to me in the gym and odd, stiff interactions that left me unsure of myself or where I stood. And, if I were to be totally honest, I wanted the tension to pop. And I had every intention of making that happen.

***

“Again,” Wes growled, stepping away from me on the mat where I was lying flat on my back once more.

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