Page 179 of Scarlet Wars
James let out a quiet snort. “I think you’re the only one who’s still unsure about it.”
I shrugged, not taking the bait. “I can only tell you what I know right now.”
James nodded, something akin to understanding in his eyes. “You never were the best at confronting your emotions.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, hello pot? Kettle here, you’re black.”
James smiled for a beat before his whole demeanor changed, regret simmering beneath the surface.
“I’m sorry about how I acted at the border,” he started, his apology weighted with quiet sorrow. “I acted on instinct, hardwired into me… I know it’s not an excuse, but…”
His gaze flicked toward mine, cautious. Vulnerable.
I nodded. “I understand.”
His eyes lit up in surprise. “You do?”
I smiled, a thin, brittle thing, but it reached my eyes. “The United Chiefs made a compelling case. Did I wish it wasn’tenough for you to doubt me? Of course, but I still understand why you did.”
The tension in his shoulders sharpened, his mouth parting like he might argue, like he might try to explain. But there was nothing to explain.
We both knew it was true.
He sighed, dragging a hand down his jaw like the conversation already wore him out. “I’m done fighting you, Emma. I just want to finish this mission, lift the damn bubble, and go home.”
He looked at me then—really looked—and his voice softened. “To Cyclos. Where you’ll still be welcome. If that’s what you choose.”
Wow. That was…unexpectedly kind of him.
“We still have a lot to talk about,” he added, sounding almost hesitant. “I don’t want to rehash all this again, but we still have to figure things out. The Chiefs… The future… Alek.”
That last word hung in the air like smoke.
“I still haven’t been able to reach Stephen,” he went on. “And trust me, I’d love to wait for his take on all this. But time is ticking, and we need to…decide what we’re doing.”
I nodded. “We will. We need to figure out how to handle those Chiefs, but I meant what I said at the border, James. You are not Alek’s father, and there is no doubt about it in my mind. If you’re willing to accept that, I’m sure there’s nothing we can’t handle.”
His stare didn’t waver. It wasn’t guarded the way it used to be. There was softness there now. Sadness, maybe. Regret too. But mostly…defeat.
“Friends then?” he asked with the barest trace of hurt threading through the words.
I smiled without hesitation. Small. But real.
“Friends.”
And for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel impossible.
I took a step toward him, ready to hug James goodbye, and start mentally bracing for my next disaster of a conversation, when the door slammed open, the hinges shrieking in protest.
Rachel burst in, hair wind-whipped, and chest heaving like she’d sprinted the whole damn building.
“Emma! There you are! You’re never going to believe this!”
James and I both instinctively braced like we were about to be attacked instead of…Rachel.
She didn’t give us even a second.
“The US just lifted your arrest warrant.”
