Page 15 of Raze
“You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought if you really think I would let her live after what she did to me. I’m not going topretendanything. Either I kill her, you kill her, or I’m leaving.”
Fuck. I knew this was going to happen, but I thought she might look past it enough just to see each other again. I’ve underestimated her level of hatred for Raegan.
“Please, Vera. I thought you were dead for years. I need to hold you to know that it’s really you. We need to talk about everything that’s happened. I’ll do anything. Just leave Raegan out of it.”
“Fine. Come with me then and she stays here.”
I close my eyes to get ahold of my emotions and then open them again. “I can’t do that.”
Vera scoffs and walks away.
“Vera!”
She pauses at the edge of the roof. “Either bring me her dead body next time or be prepared to come with me. Think it over and decide. Don’t reach out to me again until you’ve made your choice.” With that, she hops over the edge of the building.
My lungs seize. I leap up and race over to the edge. She’s gone. There’s no sign of her on the fire escape or on the ground. I breathe a sigh of relief and then collapse to the ground against the edge of the roof.
She wouldn’t even talk to me. All because Raegan was here.
Raegan slowly moves until she’s squatting in front of me. “I’m sorry. Dane, we’ll figure this out.” She reaches for me, and I knock her hand away.
“Don’t,” I snarl and then push to my feet. I shouldn’t have agreed for her to come with me. Or I should have had her hide so she could have my back like she wanted. Then Vera might have been willing to talk. How am I supposed to save her, to remind her of who she is, if she won’t let me talk to her?
“We’re leaving.” I start down the fire escape without another word.
She drops from the last ladder right after me and silently dons the helmet and mounts my bike behind me. The drive back is miserable in my head because I can’t see any way out of what Vera wants. I don’t want to give her either option, but I’m also not going to give up on her. I know I can get my sister back no matter what GE may have done or said to make her believe she’s on the right side.
I try to ride my anger out on the rest of the drive, but it does nothing to temper my mood. I practically throw the boxes and tarps back over my ride to hide it while Raegan stands back and just watches me. I can’t imagine what she’s thinking as she sees me right now, but I'm too fucked to care.
Once we’re back in the apartment, she pauses on her way back to Aiden’s room. “Dane, we should talk about—”
“Nothing,” I interrupt harshly. “There’s nothing to talk about. I need some sleep and the others will be up soon making a ruckus.”
“Are the others going to know we went out?”
“No. They’ll never know.” They don’t need to know about our deal or about me trying to get Vera back. She nods and retreats to Aiden’s room, closing it softly behind her so that I’m left alone in the living room where the sun has breached the horizon and is already brightening the apartment.
Fucking perfect.
Chapter four
Raegan
They’ll never know. Famous last words.
The loud and angry swish of blinds being yanked up followed by harsh sunlight instantly wakes me up.
“Get up.” Aiden’s voice is low and dangerous, like he’s trying to keep this quiet, but I have zero intention of listening to him when I feel like I’ve just fallen asleep. I turn over to put my back to the window and then tug the blankets over my head. “Not only did you free Dane, but both of youleftthe safe house last night. You need to explain what you were thinking. Now.”
My eyes remain sealed shut and I try to find the thread of sleep that still lingers in my mind. If I can find it and tug on it, I’m sure I’ll be able to fall back asleep. I may have taken a nap yesterday, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
“Answer me. They could have killed you. Dane could have been taken. We don’t just run around doing whatever we please here.”
When I still don’t answer him, though I’m loathe to admit his words are keeping me from being able to return to sleep, he snatchesthe blankets and sheets and rips them off of me. “Get—”
My body curls in on itself on instinct from the bite of cold that’s only there because I’d been so insulated beneath the covers. I realize then that he’d stopped talking and slowly peek one eye open over my shoulder. He’s staring at me with an odd expression. Then he blinks, and it hardens.
“Is that my shirt?” he asks coolly.
