adjust the hat until the logo is centered on my forehead. Iâd feel off balance otherwise, and Kyle chuckles when he notices what Iâm doing. I like hearing him laugh. It almost makes everything feel normal.
âSoph, can I ask a question?â
There goes normal. The Kyle I remember from a mere four days ago would never have sounded so tentative around me. âAnything.â
Iâll even answer honestly. I kill the joke on my tongue because itâs hardly funny under the circumstances.
Kyle picks up the flashlight and shines it on the floor. âWhatâs with you and Cole?â
âWhatâs withâ¦?â Oh. My insides constrict, as if my emotions have tangled up my organs. The harder I try to unknot them, the worse it becomes. âNothing. I mean, Coleâs like a brother. So are Gabe and Lev. Weâre the only family we have.â
Liar, my conscience whispers. You told Kyle you were done with the lies.
I swallow, glad Kyleâs directed the flashlight at our feet and not my face. My conscience deserves a good punch. Itâs not a lie, not anymore. Once there might have been something more between me and Cole, but that ended when I met Kyle.
Coleâs clearly not so certain of that. There goes my conscience again, annoying me. After all, I canât help whatever Coleâs feeling. Weâve been on the run. This isnât the time or place for those sorts of discussions.
Kyle stares at me like heâs hearing my inner monologue. âReally? It doesnât always seem that way.â
âIt is that way. I promise.â
âGood.â
I bite my lip, waiting to see what happens next, but the answer is nothing. I canât be too upset about it. He cared enough to ask. To sound concerned. Just knowing that is enough to warm me down to my toes the entire way to the truck stop.
Chapter Nine
Sunday Morning: Present
Malone is pleased I shot Kyle. I wish I could say the same. Maloneâs approval, however, does forward my goal. Whether Kyle would believe it was worth it is anyoneâs guess.
Instead of being sent back to my cell, Iâm permitted to go to the music labs and practice piano. Cole is even allowed to escort me, rather than the armed guards, since heâs also scheduled for practice time. Piano practice is not going to help me find the answers I need, but Malone is showing trust in me, so I must be patient. Frustrating as it is, ninety percent of gathering intel has always been about biding your time, waiting for the right opportunity to be revealed.
âYou okay?â Cole asks as we step off the elevator.
âFine.â I clench my teeth together. Gunshots still ring in my ears, and Kyleâs pained face hovers in front of my eyes. My fingers continue to tremble.
Iâm fine. Heâll be fine. Everything is fine. The lies are getting laughable.
âCan we walk outside? I want some fresh air.â I donât wait for Cole to respond, just take off, confident he wonât object.
The icy wind slaps my cheeks and tweaks my nose when I open the door. Itâs bracing, and bracing is what I need. I can fixate on the cold. Itâs only too bad that I have to go to the music labs rather than, say, the gym.
Some peopleâlike Coleâcan lose themselves in music, but Iâm not one of them. Iâd much rather have been sent to the gym where strenuous exercise could help me sweat off my tension and ignore my memories of Kyleâs pained expression and bloody torso.
Cole kicks a chunk of slush out of our path, and it leaves a watery trail in its wake. Though the temperature is below freezing, the sun is strong in the clear sky, heating the asphalt. Piles of melting snow shine in the bright light, as blinding as the walls belowground.
âSo how much do you remember?â he asks.
I stuff my hands in my pockets while I debate what to share. Malone knows my memories are faultyâor not faulty, as it
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