Page 160 of Fractured Allegiance
Only when the room finally empties do I dare to move, picking up the tray like I’m cleaning up. But I’m not. I’m scanning, eyes flicking toward the hallway where I saw Silas last.
He’s not there.
But when I turn toward the far stairwell, the one that leads to the rooftop level, I feel something shift. A presence. That’s when I spot him. He’s leaning against the frame of the exit door like he’s been waiting for hours, even though it’s only been minutes.
Our eyes lock.
Again.
And I realize something dangerous: He’s not trying to disappear anymore.
He’s waiting for me, this time.
He doesn’t say anything at first.
Just watches me approach with that same wired stillness that’s never just stillness. Like every molecule in him is asking for permission to erupt.
He’s not pretending anymore.
Not lurking in the edges of a room. Not pretending his eyes don’t find me first. Not hiding the storm curling behind his jawline.
I stop three feet away.
No words. Not yet.
Just… space. Buzzing. Loaded.
Then his hand comes out, palm up. Empty. “Come with me.”
My fingers flex against the tray I’m still holding. I set it down on the side table like it burned me.
He tilts his head, waiting for me to respond, say something, or react.
I don’t move.
Because I remember what Drazen said.
I’ll send Dom to get you when it’s time.
I don’t know what the “delivery” is. But I know Drazen doesn’t ask things twice. And he doesn’t forget when you pretend.
So this? Standing here now, staring down the man who keeps peeling back pieces of me I thought were cemented shut? This is a decision.
He sees it, too.
His voice drops, but not soft. Never soft. Just lower, tighter. “I don’t have time to make you promises. But I can get you out of here.”
I meet his gaze full-on.
“Is that what this is?” I ask. “A rescue?”
“No,” he says. “It’s me refusing to leave you behind.”
The walls feel closer than they should. My skin’s too hot under my clothes. I don’t know if it’s anger, or attraction, or the terrifying thought that I might be ready to let him pull me out of this.
“You don’t understand,” I whisper. “He told me to wait.”
“I heard. He told you to leave, but when he got to me, he dismissed me.”
