Page 60 of Glass Rose
It’s a small gesture, but in this blood-soaked world, it’s monumental.
I interlace our fingers and let him guide me.
After a few minutes, he clears his throat. “Military brat wasn’t the whole truth.”
I glance sideways at him, careful not to break whatever spell has him talking. “No?”
“Foster care, mostly. Bounced around until I was sixteen, then enlisted.” He crosses over a fallen log, helping me across. “Army first, then private security. Black-Ops-type shit.”
“That’s how you ended up investigating Green?”
“Started as a standard corporate espionage gig. Some whistleblowers claimed they were developing illegal bioweapons.”
“They were.” I kick a pine cone, watching it tumble across the forest floor. “Though compliance tech was the primary goal.”
His laugh carries venom. “Found that out the hard way.”
“These blackouts you have. Are they from Green or?”
Gavin’s stride falters, almost imperceptible.
I step in front of him, blocking his path. “Three nights ago, you zoned out for five full minutes while sharpening that knife. Yesterday, during dinner, you disappeared somewhere in your head when John mentioned the military checkpoints. And?—”
“Sofia—”
“I know what dissociation looks like.” I place my palm over his heart. “Some things fester if you ignore them. What happens during these episodes? Do you remember anything?”
He looks past me toward the warehouse. “Fragments. Flashbacks to what they did to me. Injections. Surgeries. Broken bones to see how fast they’d heal. Sensory deprivation until I couldn’t tell if I was awake or dreaming. Other times… nothing. Just blank spaces.”
“Does it scare you?”
“Only what happens if I lose control. If it takes over, and I’m just living on borrowed time.”
I peer at our interlocked hands. “You told me once to put you down if you became dangerous. Remember? But how am I supposed to know where Gavin ends and whatever they created begins if you won’t let me in?”
His fingers twitch against mine. “Chili.”
I tilt my face up. “What?”
“I like my pizza spicy. With Chili.” His lips curve into a beautiful, genuine smile. “And dogs. Had a German Shepherd named Rex growing up at the compound we lived. And I do have people I want to check on. My team.”
My heart skips. “Have you been trying to contact them?”
“Every night.” A muscle ticks in his cheek. “Using John’s radio setup. Military frequencies, encrypted channels we established.”
“Any response?”
“Nothing. Doesn’t mean they’re dead. Just means they’re smart enough to stay off the grid.”
I process this, poring over his profile. The hard line of his jaw, the careful blankness he’s trying to maintain. “You want to go find them.”
His silence confirms it.
“Where would you start looking?” I ask.
“We had rendezvous points. Three of them. Spread across the state.” His voice turns detached. “Standard protocol if communication went dark for more than thirty days or something went wrong.”
“So go. What’s stopping you?”
