Pyro

Chapter 36

The car ride was awkward, to say the least. Parker strolled in after we'd kissed, failing to witness our moment, but Zoe was adamant: Keep this between us. So, she sat in the passenger's seat, occasionally shooting me glances and staring out the window, leering at the night sky, gray clouds sprinkled above.

Parker, squirming in the driver's seat, squinted at the road. The tenseness crackled in the atmosphere, sparking Parker to ask, "Is something wrong?" with furrowed brows.

I sobered. He could sense something off with us. "No, nothing's wrong," I said. Skepticism creased his face and I added, "Just thinking about how badly we're about to screw this up."

Parker guffawed and his hard features softened. I itched my arm, guilt gnawing at me; Parker deserved to know about us-he exposed me to my feelings for Zoe, after all, and convinced me to avoid that drink at the bar-but...

"Wais gets here with the truck and bodies in a few hours. Unless he screws that up, we'll be fine," he assured.

"So then we're screwed." Zoe twined a strand of hair around her finger, grimacing.

I couldn't help a nervous laugh. "Wais may be pretty inept, but he won't mess up when it comes down to it."

Parker added, "Plus, Miranda's with him."

"Thank God for Miranda," Zoe muttered.

The atmosphere relaxed, and faint smiles lingered on our faces.

The car rounded a corner. We raced under street lamps, light briefly illuminating the car. Splashing a wave of water onto the sidewalk, Parker cleared his throat, recounting the plan. "Hui's sequestered on the top floor penthouse. I'll set up my rifle on the closest building where I have a clear shot. Zoe, you sneak in and grab her. Henry, you'll be a few blocks away. If either of us call you on your burner phone, something's gone wrong and we need you to divert the police. Alright?"

I sighed, securing a tuft of loose hair behind my ear. Affirming my confirmation, the car decelerated and faltered by a building where people inundated the sidewalk. I paused, wishing I could speak to Zoe privately, but before my courage faded, I flashed them a grin. "Good luck, both of you. Let's get Hui and our loved ones back."

Parker nodded, but Zoe went stoic, as if just realizing why we were packed in this car, headed to Hui-as if remembering why I was here: to revive Rebecca.

The desire to pull Zoe aside, attest to the way her presence stirred my body, how her touch deliquesced me, dithered on my tongue; I decided against it. Advising them to remain cautious, I leapt out of the car.

They sped off faster than Zoe had pulled away from me.

A chill infusing my clothing and swept in a swarm of people hitting the town for a night out, I wrapped my arms around my body, happening upon an alley nestled between two towering skyscrapers. Shadows shrouded the alley, and I slid against the wall, reclining my head. Snippets of passing conversations filling my ears, I steered my thoughts to this afternoon.

I replayed the kiss with Zoe. Her touch lingered on my skin, hours later, and my stomach churned. I hoped she wouldn't be injured, that I wouldn't lose her: That singular wish stabbed me as agonizing seconds blended into minutes. The minutes stretched into a half hour, then an hour, and a voice pervaded my mind. Something's wrong, Wais shouted, jolting me.

My pulse skyrocketed. W-what? I sputtered. Shooting up, I swiveled my head left and right. Wais, what're you doing here? You aren't supposed to be back with the bodies until later. What's going on? Did you screw up?

God, of course he screwed up!

We rushed here, Wais said. We finished early. Cal said the future's changed, and that Proditio and Alke getting involved with this whole thing with Hui.