I nod. "We've known each other too long for you to hide it."
"I just—" He hesitates, frowning at his plate. "What if it's not enough? What if we can't beat him? I feel like I’m reassuring everyone else, but I’m human. I have my own doubts, too."
"We will beat him." I speak with a conviction I don't entirely feel, hoping to reassure him as much as myself. "Tane has no idea what he's up against. We're smarter, we're faster, and we've got way more to fight for. And we’re just as strong as he is."
Brick looks up at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "And you always know just what to say."
"It's a gift." I lift my glass in a mocking toast. "And don't you forget it."
The tension in the room breaks as Brick laughs, the sound ringing out through the empty hall. I join in, the two of us chuckling like idiots over our makeshift dinner.
In this moment, Tane feels far away.
I wake with a start, my heart pounding as wisps of a nightmare fade from memory. Beside me, Angel stirs but doesn't wake.
The room is dim, shadows flickering in the corners. Moonlight streams through the window, pale and milky. I turn onto my side, studying Angel’s profile in the darkness. Her chest rises and falls with the steady rhythm of sleep, her lips slightly parted. God, she’s gorgeous.
My pulse slows as I watch her. There's something calming about her presence, as if the chaos and violence that surrounds her in waking hours can't touch her here. I reach out, brushinga stray lock of hair off her forehead. She leans into my touch with a soft sigh.
The mass graves flash behind my eyes, and I squeeze them shut against the memory. I can't escape the knowledge of what's waiting outside these walls. The war isn't over, and more bodies will pile up before the end.
"Hey." Angel’s voice is thick with sleep. "You okay?"
I open my eyes to find her gazing at me, concern etched into her features. There's no hiding from my Angel.
"Just thinking about the graves again." I lace my fingers through hers, holding on like she's the only thing tethering me to shore. "I can't get the images out of my head."
"I know." Her thumb rubs slow circles over my knuckles. "But we'll make him pay for every single one. For now, try not to dwell on it."
"Easier said than done." I stare up at the ceiling, watching shadows dance in the dark. "I keep seeing their faces. Wondering who they were, how they ended up there. What kind of lives they might've lived if—"
"Shh." Angel pulls me against her, wrapping her arms around me. She’s warm and cozy. "You'll drive yourself crazy thinking like that. What's done is done. But we can still avenge them, bring their killers to justice. Focus on that."
I exhale, relaxing into her embrace. The steady beat of her heart drowns out the whispers in my mind, at least for now.
"You're right." I tilt my head up, finding her mouth in the dark.
The kiss is slow and deep, a tangle of lips and tongues that leaves me breathless.
When we break apart, her eyes gleam down at me. "Feeling better?"
"Getting there." I smile, the shadows in my mind receding to make way for her. "Keep going."
Angel chuckles, rolling me onto my back to hover over me. "With pleasure."
The nightmare slips further away with each kiss, each caress. In the shelter of Angel’s arms, the darkness holds no power.
The mass graves can’t get me. Here, I'm safe.
Here, I'm home.
Chapter forty-one
The next morning
We're gathered in the courtyard to discuss our next moves. "We need to put him on the back foot now," Slade says, cracking his knuckles. "Then we can sit back and watch as he begins to unravel."
"I agree." Angel nods, her eyes hard as flint. "Messing with his meat supply on the other island really got to him. It made him vulnerable. We can do it again. We need to fuck with his business, for sure.”