Page 101 of Fractured Allegiance
Reads.
Tension bleeds into his face.
I whisper, “Is this Drazen’s handwriting?”
I already know the answer before he says it.
“No.”
“Then who?”
His eyes meet mine. And for the first time since I’ve known him, I see something that looks like fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
"Must be someone who's been watching you, us," he says carefully. “They knew exactly when to deliver this. Right after I arrived." My stomach lurches.
We both look toward the monitor again.
Still normal.
Still looping.
But suddenly, I don’t trust it at all.
I take one breath. Just one.
Then I speak, voice steady. “You said I wasn’t safe.”
“I meant it.”
“Prove it.”
He nods.
Chapter 12 – Silas - The Skin Between
The moment she shuts the door, I know everything’s changed.
It’s not the note.
It’s the way she closes it. One-handed, no second glance, not even a breath to fill the space behind us. She just moves, like her body’s still catching up to the moment.
She crosses the room. That envelope is still in her hand, and I can tell she hasn’t blinked since opening it.
I stay near the door.
It’s instinct. Not just a habit. It’s the line, the one I’m no longer on the right side of.
I collect the envelope from her.
The message is short. No flourish. No name.
You don’t belong to him.
She asks if it’s Drazen.
