The wind had died, but the air felt thicker.
Luciano stood outside the cabin, barefoot in the cold mud, arms crossed as he stared down the gravel road. He hadn't slept. Not since the confession. Not since Grace had looked at him with those maddening eyes—eyes that didn't judge him, didn't pity him... just saw him.
That terrified him more than any bullet ever could.
Grace watched him from the porch, one hand curled around a mug, the other gripping the railing. "You shouldn't be out here."
"I heard something," he muttered, his gaze locked on the distant treeline.
"It's just wind. Squirrels. Maybe a deer."
"No," he said, jaw tightening. "It was a car."
Grace's stomach flipped. "You're sure?"
"Someone was watching the cabin last night. Headlights stayed too long past the bend. They didn't drive off until I came to the window."
He turned back to her slowly, his eyes colder than she'd ever seen them.
"They know I'm alive."
---
Inside, the energy shifted. The safe illusion Grace had wrapped herself in began to crack.
"How bad is this?" she asked as she locked the cabin door behind them.
Luciano ran a hand through his damp hair. "If they know I'm alive, they'll send someone to finish the job. Or to finish you, in case you know something."
Her blood ran cold.
"I'll leave," he said. "Today. I'll draw them away."
"No," she said too quickly. "You can't just walk out of here still bleeding."
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not your responsibility, Grace."
"No, you're not," she replied, stepping closer. "But you bled all over my floor, shook up my entire life, and now you want to vanish like none of it matters? Like I haven't risked everything by keeping you alive?"
Luciano stared at her.
"You won't make it two miles before they catch you," she added. "And even if you do... they'll come back for me. So stop pretending like your death solves anything."
He cursed under his breath. "I should've died that night."
Grace stepped even closer, angry now. "But you didn't. And you're here. And now, so am I."
Silence. Heavy. Final.
Then he whispered, "You're not built for this world."
"And you weren't built to be saved," she fired back. "And yet, here we are."
They stood in the middle of the room, breathing hard, staring each other down like enemies in a war neither of them wanted to win.
Then the sound came.
Knock. Knock.
Grace froze.
Luciano moved so fast she barely saw it. He grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him, gun drawn, eyes blazing.
A voice called from outside.
"Gas company. We heard there was a power line down. Just here to check the lines."
Luciano didn't move.
Grace's heart pounded. "Do gas companies show up armed and knock with two different rhythms?" he whispered.
"No."
"Then they're not here to fix anything."
Grace swallowed hard. "What do we do?"
He looked over his shoulder, his voice low, calm, dangerous.
"You stay behind me. And whatever happens next, don't scream."
---