Page 85 of Pyre

Her pulse slammed against her ribs.

Jonah.

Unshaven. Dark circles under his eyes. It had only been two weeks since she last saw him, but he looked like hell.

He stood, eyes drinking her in, a man desperate to memorize every missed detail. “Hey, Rubes.”

Her fingers twitched at her side, itching to punch something. Maybe him.

She bristled. “Why are you here?”

Jonah straightened, taking a hesitant step forward. “I have new information on the TCA.”

“Why would I need that? What information could you possibly have that Lucas doesn’t?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “He isn’t as informed as you think. They started to suspect him a few months ago. I stole files yesterday that I need the two of you to see.”

The ceiling groaned, chunks of support beams splintering to the ground. Emerald-colored phlogiston floated through the ceiling. Ruby couldn’t resist the deep inhale, body warming and strengthening, before asking, “Why would they trust you more than Lucas? Because you’re their uncaring little puppet?”

Jonah flinched but didn’t step back. “I care, Ruby.” His throat bobbed, like he swallowed something painful. “I know I should’ve told you. I should’ve stopped you the day you found out and told you everything. I should’ve—” He exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. “I thought I could protect you from the truth.”

Ruby stared at him, her fury ice-cold now.

“You knew about the cure,” she scoffed. “And you didn’t tell me. Didn’t even fucking hint at it. You let me help the TCA kill all those thermophiles while you played bounty hunter. You’ll never understand what that feels like. Every time I blink I see their faces behind my eyes. Every time it’s quiet I hear Gerald’s screams. I will have to live with that for the rest of my existence.”

Jonah sucked in a breath like she’d gutted him. His shoulders curled inward, fingers twitching at his sides. “I didn’t—I didn’t think—”

“No,” she cut him off. “You didn’t.”

Silence stretched between them, thick as smoke.

Jonah broke first. His voice was raw, wrecked. “I had no way to get it without them, Ruby. I thought—I thought if we kept going, if we just powered through for a few years, we would getthe cure and move on and you would never have to know what it cost. When they gave you the cure, I thought I’d let you believe—” He sucked in a sharp breath, squeezing his eyes shut. “I was going to let you believe it was something new, something they had just discovered. With everything that’s happened to you, everything you had to do to survive, I wanted you to have a chance at something normal without the guilt.”

Ruby’s nails dug into her palms.

“I’ll never be able to undo this, Ruby,” Jonah said hoarsely. “I know that. But let me help stop the TCA. Please.”

She could hear it—the pleading, the guilt, the way his words wavered under the weight of what he’d done.

Good.

She wasn’t ready to forgive him. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

She shouldered past him and wrenched open the car door, setting the bag in the backseat.

“Drive,” she ordered, climbing in without another word.

Jonah hesitated only a second before obeying.

The road stretched ahead of them, dark and empty. City streets faded into suburban roads. They took an exit, then another, making their way to the neighboring smaller town where Lucas waited.

Forty-five minutes in and Ruby couldn’t stand the silence any longer. She had so many questions, ones Lucas probably could have answered. A small part of her wanted to wait for Jonah himself, hoping she would see him again. Maybe Kavya had been right. Maybe there really was a thin line between love and hate.

“How long was your sister a thermy before they gave her the cure?”

Her sudden question in the quiet car startled Jonah. He whipped his head toward her, a hesitant hope falling over his features.

He cleared his throat. “Only a few days.”

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