Page 306 of The Lies We Play

So are mine.

“There you are,” he says again.

“I came back.”

“You came back.”

“Hal?”

His face shifts.

Not enough to look fearful.

Enough to tell me fear is nearby.

He shakes his head. “Not sure where he’s at. They’re going to extract him, but I don’t know the details.”

“Why?”

“We’re still in danger, Liv.” His arms tighten around me. “I’m doing my best to protect you guys, but until everyone is dealt with, we have to be cautious.”

“Okay,” I say.

I'm not surprised.

The accident was not an accident.

My parents insisted I remembered wrong. They told me the trauma had damaged my memory. They told me I was confused. Maybe I wanted to believe them for a while because if there was no one left to fight for, I didn’t see the point in fighting at all.

“You’ll be safe,” Finnegan says from behind us. “Sorry to interrupt, but I want to assure you our team is trained to ensure your security.”

“Thank you,” I say.

Finnegan tilts his head toward a dark SUV idling near the edge of the tarmac. “You might want to go home. We’re good, but we don’t like sitting ducks.”

“Thank you for bringing her safely,” Creed says.

“It was a pleasure.”

Creed keeps one hand at the small of my back as he walks me to the SUV. His body is angled slightly toward mine, not blocking me exactly, but close enough that anyone watching would understand he is aware of every inch between me and the rest of the world.

He opens the door himself.

I slide in.

He follows, and the door closes with a sealed, expensive sound.

The driver pulls away from the plane.

For a moment, the car is quiet.

Too quiet.

I look out the window as the runway lights slip behind us. Creed sits beside me, close but not touching now, as if the kiss was something we were allowed on the tarmac but the car requires a new permission.

That makes my chest hurt.

So I move first.