Page 69 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

"What thing?"

"That thing where you go off somewhere." She pours two cups, sliding one my way. "Want to talk about it?"

I wrap my hands around the warm mug. "Just feels different this time. Before, I was always running from him. Now I'm just standing here waiting for him to come get me. It feels wrong."

"I know sweetie. There's something to be said though for having an entire army of hot, armed men between you anddanger." She winks, but I catch the tension in her shoulders. She's scared too.

The sound of boots on hardwood makes us both turn. Chase strides through, tablet in hand, muttering about encryption protocols. Dark circles shadow his eyes—he's barely slept since the breach.

"Any progress?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

He shakes his head. "Whoever helped him get in knew what they were doing."

My stomach twists. The thought makes my hands shake.

"Angel." Zane's voice cuts through my spiral. He stands in the doorway with Levi and Colt. "We need to talk. You and Jade both."

Something in their expressions sends a shiver through me. Jade and I follow them to Zane's office. Levi closes the door behind us, and I find myself sandwiched between him and Zane on instinct.

"We've reset all the override codes," Colt says, perching on the desk edge. "Changed every protocol we have."

"And you need to know them," Levi adds. His hand finds mine, thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Both of you."

"Why?" Jade asks.

"Because, as much as we want to be able to guarantee that we’ll be with you in any of the hundred scenarios that can happen, we can't." Zane's voice is steady, but his grip on my waist tightens. "Last time we thought we had everything under control, and… "

The words die in Z's throat and I can hear Levi grinding his teeth before he speaks. "The last thing we want is our security measures to end up being used against you. To trap you instead of protect you."

They walk us through the codes—numbers and sequences that could mean life or death, the difference between beingtrapped or escaping. I memorize each one, saying them over and over to myself until there's no way I could forget.

"The most important one to remember," Colt emphasizes, "is the main override code. 7—2—5—9—4. If anything, um, catastrophic happens, and you put that code into the main panel, it will shut down everything and give you at least a few minutes to get out."

"Nothing's happening," Levi cuts in sharply.

"Ifanything happens," Colt continues, giving Levi a look. "Ifyou ever need that code for anything, and can't reach the main panel, you can input it to an access point and it'll work on that system. No heroics after though. No waiting. You run."

I lean back against Zane's chest, feeling his heartbeat against my spine. "You really think he'll try something here?"

"I think he's showing us he can," Zane says quietly. "The power outage was a message."

"He's playing with us," I whisper, the realization settling over me. "Making sure I know he can just reach in here and pluck me out any time he wants."

The words hang in the air, and suddenly everything feels very far away. The room blurs at the edges, sounds becoming muffled, like I'm underwater. Like I'm watching myself from somewhere else, somewhere safer. Somewhere where his hands can't reach.

I know Levi's saying something. I can see his mouth moving, feel Zane's hand on my back, but it's all distant. Disconnected. Like watching a movie with the sound turned down.

It's familiar, this floating feeling. This quiet emptiness where nothing quite touches me. I haven't felt this way in so long, but my mind remembers. My body remembers.

All it took was three minutes of darkness to remind me—I'm still not free, I'll never be free.

Zane crouches in front of me, his face swimming in and out of focus. His mouth forms my name, but I can't seem to make my lips move to answer. Everything feels heavy. Distant. Safe, in the worst possible way.

"She's gone," I hear Jade say, her voice drifting from far away. "Just give her a minute."

Strong arms lift me—Levi. I know his touch, even through the fog. My head rolls against his shoulder as he carries me up the stairs, Zane's footsteps close behind. The familiar path to our room passes in fragments. Hallway. Doorway. Bed.

They move around me, speaking in low voices. Sheets rustle. Someone—Z, I think—pulls off my boots. Levi's hands guide me to lie down. I let my body follow where they lead. It's easier this way. Quiet. Empty.

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