“No.” Her voice emerged as a whisper, her brain reeling.
Too many ghosts. She was clearly seeing things.
“Harley.” He said her name softly, almost broken, as if trying it out.
And all she could think of was the box. The one in her closet.
“No!” Now the word ripped from her throat as she stood. “No. This isn’t—you’redead.” Her voice, her entire body, started to shake. “I have yourashes.”
“Gabe?” Sunni’s voice cracked as she limped into the room, catching herself on the sofa.
“Sunni.” He crossed the room in three long strides, boots leaving wet prints on the wooden floor, past Harley right to—
Hisgirlfriend. Gabe’s arms went around Sunni, crushing her against his snow-dampened coat.
Something wild and sharp clawed up Harley’s throat watching their embrace. “There was a toxicology report—what was that?”
“Harley.” Jericho’s voice, but it sounded far away, almost an echo, as if she’d stepped out of herself.
How could this be—how, what—“I don’t understand. How are you here? I don’t—youdied!”
Winter’s feet pounded down the ladder, and Topher stood at the open door to his room. Their twin gasps cut through the roaring in Harley’s ears.
“What the—?” Topher said.
Winter landed on the floor. “Gabe?”
“I promise, there are reasons.” Gabe’s words muffled against Sunni’s hair as he held her, as she sobbed into his chest.
“You’d better start talking, and fast.” This from Jericho, his voice low. And then his steady hands slid onto Harley’s shoulders.
For a second she wanted to turn around, put her head in his strong, flannelly chest, or maybe just circle back to the pocket of time where she’d been kissing him, holding on to the other man she’d thought she’d lost.
This couldn’t be real.
Gabe released his hold on Sunni, who stepped back, gripping his jacket as if she’d never let him go. Yeah, well, Harley didn’t blame her.
“I worked for the DEA as an informant.”
Silence, and Sunni looked up at him with a somber expression.
Wait—
“I had no choice,” Gabe added. “Mars was going to kill both of you.”
“Both of who?” Harley stared at him. “Sunni? Me? You faked your death to ... protect me?”
“I had to, Harley. Mars had already—”
“Had already what?” Heat rose in her chest, burning awaythe shock. “Already destroyed enough lives? Already left enough bodies? I had amemorial servicefor you!”
The fire in the hearth snapped. The wind hurled ice against glass. Normal sounds. Cabin sounds. But nothing about this moment felt normal.
“I know you’re angry.” Gabe helped Sunni to the sofa. “You okay?”
She shook her head, then nodded.
Yeah, exactly how Harley felt. Gabe unzipped his coat and shrugged it off, revealing a thick, ratty sweater underneath, along with insulated pants. His coat dripped melting snow, and he hung it up on the hook.