Chapter 24
Liz sits in silence, staring out the windshield the entire drive back, replaying the night over and over in her head.
The sound of the gunshot and body falling to the ground plays on a constant loop.
She’s relieved when they finally pull up to the large gate and it groans open.
As soon as the truck is parked, Liz jumps out and heads to the door, waiting for Mikey to swipe his access card and let them in.
They walk down the hall, side by side, completely silent until they reach the door.
Mikey punches in a code and pushes the door open, the cool air and familiar smells of the apartment making Liz feel slightly less nauseous.
“You did great tonight, darlin,” Mikey says, closing the door. “But you should try to get some rest. If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be here all night.” He pulls her into a small hug that she’s quick to return.
She stays silent, too much going through her head to respond. She simply trudges to her room and closes the door behind her, leaving Mikey standing alone in the middle of the living room.
Sitting on the shower floor, she brings her knees to her chest and rests her forehead.
Tears flowing freely, she stays in the shower until the water runs cold.
She stands, turning off the shower, and wraps herself in a towel, forces herself back into her room and sits on her bed.
With no energy left, she simply sits, staring into the void of the dark room.
The sound of boots stomping and people talking pulls her from her own head.
She gets up and drags herself to the door, making her steps as silent as she can, hoping to hear what they are saying.
“It’s done, I’ll brief the general in the morning,” Riley says, pacing to the fridge to grab himself a much-needed drink.
“Then what? Are we letting her go?” Mikey asks, voice full of concern.
“I don’t know, I found her way out. We can’t force her to stay any longer but if we let her go…” He opens his beer and takes a long drink. “If we let her go, she’s either going to kill herself or Dmitri finds her, and she made it clear she would die before she goes back.”
“You need to figure it out, Ry,” Mikey says, flipping through channels on the TV. “The general is going to make it your call. He knows how protective you are of her and he’s going to use that to force your hand.”
“How was she?” Riley asks, eyes flicking to her door.
“Didn’t say a word to me. She showered and went to bed, but I could hear her throwing up.”
Riley sets his beer on the table and strides for her door. As soon as Liz hears him approach, she sprints to her bed and throws the blanket over herself, not ready to see him.
Riley gives the door a soft knock, and when Liz doesn’t answer, he opens it and walks in.
He tries to be as quiet as he can, not wanting to wake her, but his footsteps cut through the silence.
He sits on the edge of her bed, hoping his weight doesn’t shift it too much.
He doesn’t touch her, doesn’t say anything, just sits in the dark with her for a few moments.
Standing back up, he turns to look down at Liz curled into a tight ball.
“Please don’t let this consume you, princess,” he whispers into the empty room before turning and walking out, gently closing the door behind him.
“She good?” Mikey asks as soon as Riley emerges from her room.
“She’s asleep,” he responds, shrugging his shoulders, not sure what else he can say.
“She didn’t wake up when you went in?” Mikey asks, shock plastered on his face.
He knows all too well she wakes up at any little sound in the room, but he also knows she has learned their footsteps.
They made a silent agreement to pretend they didn’t know if she was awake or not, assuming her little charade just made her more comfortable.
It only took a week for her to learn their footsteps, freaking Mikey out the first time she knew it was him from his walk alone.
Mikey checks the time, groaning, and forces himself up off the couch and walks to the door.
“She really trusts you. You need to talk to her, help her figure things out,” Mikey says, before walking out, leaving Riley alone to think.
Liz spent that entire night lying awake, content to rot there until she heard Mikey come in and Riley leave.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she climbs out of bed, still clinging to the towel she fell asleep in.
She trudges to the bathroom and inspects the mess of tangles that is her hair and the large bags under her eyes.
She sighs, putting her hair into a messy bun before getting dressed.
She slips into the pair of Riley’s sweatpants she refuses to give back and a plain black tank, and heads to the kitchen.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Mikey says, flipping something in a pan.
Liz looks at him, narrowing her eyes, noting something is off but can’t figure it out. He flips whatever is in the pan again and again. “How are you cooking with the stove off?” she asks, eyeing the knobs on the stove.
He flips it one last time before sliding it onto a plate. He walks it over to the table and sets it next to the rest of the feast he’s laid out. Liz looks at the table overflowing with food. She can’t hide her stomach grumbling.
“I can’t cook,” he says, chuckling to himself. “But you deserve a big breakfast today, so I improvised.”
“You’ve cooked for me before,” she says, confused.
“Wrong. I have pretended to cook for you before,” he jokes back.
“Where’s Riley?" she asks, rolling her eyes and sitting down to eat.
“He had to meet with the general, should be back anytime.” Mikey pulls two plates out of the cabinet and sets them on the table.
She eyes the plates for a second before getting up and pulling a third one from the cabinet.
Liz turns back to the table and starts piling the plate high with food.
Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, everything she can see.
She carries the plate to the microwave and sets it in before turning back and sitting at the table.
Mikey watches her the whole time, a knowing grin spread across his face, but the look Liz shoots at him has him thinking twice about saying anything.
They sit and eat mostly in silence, both making a few sad attempts at small talk, the events the night prior weighing heavy on their minds.
They are almost finished eating when the door opens and Riley strides in, looking defeated.
He isn’t standing as tall, normally bright eyes seem duller, the confidence he usually struts around with is missing.
Liz notes the disappointment that flashes across his face at the sight of the empty containers on the table, and it’s gone before she’s even sure that’s what she saw.
She slides out of her chair and goes to the microwave, pulling out the plate she saved.
She sets the plate at the empty seat at the table.
“I don’t know what you like so I took a little of everything. I hope that’s okay.”
He looks down at her, trying not to get lost in her shining emerald eyes. “Thank you,” he says, eyes still locked on hers. The look in his eyes says he’s smiling under his mask.
Mikey clears his throat in an obvious attempt to remind them they aren’t alone. Riley turns and glares at him before pulling out his chair and sitting.
“Go get dressed. I’m working you out today,” Riley says to Liz, causing Mikey to choke on the last bite of his breakfast.
The soft giggle Liz lets out makes the whole shit show worth it. Riley looks over and winks at her behind his mask before she prances to her room to shower and get dressed.