Page 123 of Ramshackle
Kellan offers me a grin, but Aiden speaks up behind him in a hushed tone. “Hallway.”
We walk quietly down the aisle, the five of us moving as one until we’re standing outside of the medical wing.
Dane slides his hands into his pockets and asks me, “How did it go?”
I shrug. I’m not sure what I expected, so how do I say if I think it went well or not? Considering he wants to know more about me, that should be a good thing, but I feel…uncertain. Why? “It went okay. He is my dad from the sounds of it. How long were you guys standing there?”
“The entire time,” Aiden answers.
Kellan grins. “And you thought we couldn’t be quiet.”
Jackson turns his face in the direction of Charles, though we can’t see him from here, but it’s clear something is on his mind.
“You don’t trust him,” Aiden surmises aloud, his eyes pinned on Jack.
He looks back to us, but Jack’s stare settles on mine when he answers. “No.”
That uneasiness grows. “Why not?”
“It’s just a feeling.”
Aiden looks at his phone. “It’s almost lunch. We’ll let him eat, and then I’ll introduce myself and see what more I can learn about him. He’ll be staying on the quarantine floor with the others for the time being, and that’s secure and separate from the rest of the bunker. That gives us time to keep an eye on him until we know more.” He looks at me like he’s checking in, and I give him a small nod.
Knowing that he’s not wandering freely around the bunker gives me a small piece of comfort until I can wrap my head around everything. I’ll keep my promise to visit him and getting to know him a bit more might clear up our concerns. We all have some trust issues, so hopefully, that’s all this is before we let him into our lives.
Chapter thirty-four
Dane
“What’s taking him solong? He’s twenty fucking feet away,” I snap, jumping to my feet in preparation to storm over there and drag him out. I’d say do the plan without Reid, but he plays a key role. Particularly with me.
Kellan steps between me and the door with a stupid grin. “Relax, Rapunzel. We’ve got time.”
I don’t get what he’s so excited about. He’s fought with Thorne twice before, but since finding out hiszombiestatus, it’s like he’s been itching for a rematch.
I’m the opposite.
I’m secretly dreading the fight with the undead wind master. I know it needs to be done, though. I just want to get it over with already.
“What time did your buddy agree to meet with him? Isn’t it in five minutes?” I argue back.
If we miss this window, what are the chances Thorne will take the bait again? This is our chance to make a bigger move on GE.I’ve been waiting for this moment since Raegan told us about Royce and Jackson started following the wind psycho again.
Kell shrugs, smirking.
“It’s all right, Dane,” Aiden intervenes, as he always does. Normally, his involvement would mollify me enough to keep my mouth shut. He’s done more for me than anyone—aside from Rae, now that I know about it.
She’s sitting in one of the sofa chairs, practicing twirling and catching her knives. Jackson pinches a blade mid-spin between his finger and thumb, and she cranes her head back to look at him. He’s sitting on the back of her chair with his boots perched on the arms, his head leaning into one fist as he smiles at her. They exchange words in a hushed conversation, completely oblivious to the rest of the room.
It’s fine.
This burning in my chest won’t kill me.
Drama king.
Fucking Kellan.
“Thorne isn’t going to leave just because this guy he’s meeting is a few minutes late. It works in our favor to be late so he drops his guard,” Aiden continues, and I force my stare away from Raegan and back to him. “He’s the one who bumped the meeting time up with short notice, so he can’t expect punctuality.”
