Page 69 of Raze
I nod my head, fighting my eyes to stay open as sleep calls to me.
“Get some sleep, little one.”
“Are you going to leave again?”
His fingers stop their movements so he can tuck hair behind my ear. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I can’t stay until I’m done.”
“Will you tell me what you’re doing?”
“No.” I frown when he doesn’t hesitate. He softens it by adding, “Not yet. It’s almost time.”
Almost time. For what?
“Go to sleep. I won’t leave for a few hours still,” he promises me.
I fight back a yawn and close my eyes, but try to keep our conversation going. “I shouldn’t have killed him. Aiden’s going to be mad at me,” I mumble.
“He deserved worse.” He kisses the side of my forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
Chapter seventeen
Raegan
I make it throughtwo days without seeing anyone. Well, for the most part. I sneak into the kitchen for the replenished bowl of strawberries and sandwiches and smuggle them back to my room while everyone is asleep, then lock my door and close the curtains.
Kellan comes knocking first about our training session, but I’d only just woken up after falling asleep with Jackson, and I was not in the mood. I tell him I’m out of commission for girl reasons. He promises light exercises instead, but I snap at him to leave me alone, and he thankfully gets the hint.
Dane tries next, saying he wants to talk to me. He is theexactperson I’m hiding from right now, so I tell him I don’t feel well. Thankfully, he doesn’t push it and leaves without a fuss like Kell.
Aiden comes the next day and even unlocks my door to peek inside. As if he thinks I have a recording or something in here. I chuck a book at him and yell at him to get out.
Kellan tries again, and through sheer force of my will over his, I get him to leave me alone.
It seems like they have no idea why I’m hiding, which means Dane hasn’t said anything to them yet, but I’m too scared to test it. I’m too ashamed to face Dane and see the look on his face. I’m not even sure what I’m imagining. Disgust? Fear? Loathing?
Maybe a combination of all of it.
Whatever it is, I don’t want to see it. Over the last month, I’ve worked hard for the begrudging acceptance from Dane. He still doesn’t trust me, or believe me, or…likeme, but he isn’t going out of his way to be a dick to me either. If anything, he’s quiet around me. Observant. Like he’s measuring my every action and word against his previous vision of me.
Once he tells the others, and I know he will, then I won’t be able to look any of them in the eye. It’d be better to skip out now before that happens. Then I can still remember the good times before it all went to hell. I can remember the way Kellan looked at me, teased me, and made me feel like I was strong. A fighter.
I don’t think I can keep them back another day, or if I’ll have the answer on what to do by tomorrow.
So, I do what I do best, and I run.
I stuff my backpack with as many clothes as I can fit. It’s the middle of the night now, so I open my window and gently drop my backpack first, then carefully crawl out and hop down.
I creep out of the yard and down the drive, then relax once I’m on the road.
I walk toward the city while working on a plan as I go. I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave this city yet, not when all the GE activity is happening here. I tell myself it’s not out of fear of Dane being takenand wanting to be close by, just in case. This city is just a hotspot right now.
Next is where I’m going to live. I could check for any hostels in the city and, if not, see if the bar owner where I work owns the apartments above it or knows who does. It’s backward from how I usually barter, where I trade my off-the-books employment for the room. He’s already getting that, so I’m not sure what else I could offer him. I can’t give away my tips since that’s my only income.
I hear a car motor behind me and dash behind the nearest tree. It slows and then stops on the road right where I was.
