“If she were alive, I have no doubt, she’d be really proud of the man you’ve become.” I squeeze his fingers.
“I hope so … because I wasn’t always the man I should’ve been. When my parents died, I let anger consume me. I didn’t care that what I was doing was wrong or that good people were getting hurt or killed.”
“Making mistakes is part of growing up. You’re a better man than you were before, and that’s what matters,” I say.
He laughs weakly from the other side of the wall. “Here you are, stuck in a partially collapsed building, giving me a pep talk.” He locks his fingers with mine.
“What would you say to your dad if you could?” I ask, often wondering what I might say to mine if he were still alive.
Cole clears his throat. “I’m not angry with my dad anymore, because now I understand why he did it.” Cole pauses for a minute and takes a deep breath. “When you love someone as much as he loved my mom, you can’t possibly go on living without them. And for all intents and purposes, I belonged to the regime, to the Commander. I was lost to him. I get that now.”
“What made their love so strong?” I ask.
“I was just a kid myself, so I can’t really say. But if I had to guess, it was that they always supported each other and talked about everything.”
“So, they didn’t keep secrets from each other?”
“No, and I know where you’re headed with this … ”
“Cole, come on. You know truth is the foundation for every relationship,” I say. “And I remember when you were angry at me before for not telling you the entire truth about my stepdad.” I hesitate, wondering if pushing Cole now is the right thing to do. “You said, ‘What is a relationship if we can’t trust each other?’ And now, here I sit, waiting for you to open up to me.”
“I’m afraid to tell you,” he says, his voice breaking.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because it’s going to break your heart.”
All I want to do is look him in the eyes and read every expression on his face. Instead, I have only walls with soft moonlight filtering in through the cracks.
“Tell me. Please, I can handle it.”
“Lexi, I—”
The sound of footsteps cuts him off. Zeus growls.
“What are you doing in my building?” a male voice hisses.
I whip my head around too quickly at the sound of the voice. Dizziness sets in as I try to figure out what’s going on based on what I hear. “My building.” It’s certainly not a guard. A guard would shoot first and ask questions later.
“We’re stuck,” Cole says.
Their footsteps circle each other. They must be eyeing each other up and down as they talk, evaluating whether or not it’s safe. Zeus growls, planting himself near the small hole. I try to look through it, but his giant body blocks the view.
“Well, I guess I have you to blame for them bringing my building down.” The man seems angry but pensive.
“Why are you wearing lab clothes?” Cole asks.
Lab clothes? Why would Cole be so worried about what the man is wearing? I’d be more worried about his weapons.
“What’s it matter to you? And get that gun out of my face; there’s no need for it,” the voice says. “And by the looks of it you’re not stuck. So get out!”
“It’s not me that’s stuck,” Cole says. “And I’ll keep my gun where it is, for now.”
“Then who is?”
“Do you work in the lab?” Cole asks.
“Why do you care?”
“It’s not a tough question—yes or no?”
“I do.”
“So you work for Wilson?”
“Not by choice,” he says. “I despise that asshole.”
“Can you tell me what’s going on in there?”
“Why would I tell you anything? Talking to you can get me killed.”
“Because I need … we need your help.”
“I’m not sure I can help you.”
“I bet you can. I need to know about experiments being conducted there. Can you tell me about that?” Cole asks.
“Experiments?” The person sighs with frustration.
“Yes. I need to know what kind of experiments are being conducted on Sinners in the lab. The lab where you work,” Cole demands.
“We give them shots. They take them. Some get sick. Others don’t. That’s all I know. You honestly think Wilson would expose his secrets to Sinners?”
“No, I guess not,” Cole says.
“So would you mind explaining to me why you are in my house?”
“We needed somewhere to hide,” Cole says.
“Look, I know who you are,” the voice says.
I suck in a breath and bite my lip. All he’d have to do is call the guards, and we’d be screwed. There’s no way I’m getting out of here without help.
“You can’t stay here. Your presence has done enough damage.” They’re both silent for a few seconds. “But I’m willing to help you get her out. Now move so I can take a look at the wall.”
I hear feet shuffling. Zeus barks. “Easy there, killer,” the man says.
A few minutes pass, and I hear things being moved around. “Yeah, she’s jammed in there all right. Let me see if I can round up a few buddies to help.”
“No way,” Cole says.