46 - Theo
THEO
The house felt totally different knowing we were leaving it. Not empty, really. Just… finished.
For once, there were no screens. No code. No numbers scrolling by, for me to analyze. Nothing but the well-insulated silence I’d grown to love so much, for the better part of two weeks.
And that wasn’t all I’d grown to love.
I turned to find Peyton, bent at the waist, pulling on her boots. She caught me staring, and flashed me a smile. I smiled back and she slapped her own ass, playfully.
She was so damn perfect it felt like a pressure in my chest.
“You said you wanted to tell us something?”
Colson grunted the statement with no gravity whatsoever, as he zipped up the last of our bags. Behind him, Ripley muttered some complaint about the cold, as he reluctantly slipped into his jacket.
“Yeah,” I fumbled awkwardly. “It’s about Roman. Finding us, the way he did.”
I looked away, because I couldn’t look directly at them. Something burned, in the pit of my stomach.
“What about—”
“That was on me.”
None of them said a word. I just heard boots, scuffing against the floor. The sound of more zippers being pulled tight.
“On you how?”
I turned back to face them, because it was the right thing to do. Anything else would’ve been cowardly.
“I compromised the masking.”
None of them reacted. Except for Ripley, who rolled his eyes.
“Wanna say that in English?”
“The satellite routing, that keeps us safe,” I started again. “The one that’s secure as long as we keep within certain parameters.”
“Yeah? So?”
God, why was I so bad at this? They wanted the simple answer. The one they could all understand.
“I called my father,” I blurted.
The zippers stopped. Ripley and Peyton stood straight again.
“You did?”
I nodded, solemnly.
“When?”
“A few days ago. I needed to make sure he was… still…”
I didn’t have to finish. They knew what I meant.
“He is, by the way,” I exhaled. “Still with us, I mean. But I screwed up the encryption pattern and the masking failed. It was only for a span of fifteen or twenty seconds, but that’s all it really took.” I shook my head in disappointment. “And that’s how Roman found us.”
There were no words of admonishment. Just soft, sympathetic expressions.
“Did you hear what I said?” I repeated. “Roman showing up was all my fault. I’m the one who brought him here.”
“We heard you,” said Colson. He bent back to the task at hand, and started zippering bags again.
My brow furrowed. “But—”
“So you called your sick father,” Peyton began slowly.
“Yes,” I admitted, adding a miserable nod.
“To make sure he was alright.”
I nodded again.
“And you’re apologizing to us for that?”
She moved on to folding a few things into her carry bag. Her nonchalance had me incredulous.
Behind her, Ripley actually laughed. “Are you serious right now?”
“I could’ve gotten us killed!” I protested.
“But you didn’t,” shrugged Ripley.
“I broke the one cardinal rule we made, the second we started running: No outside contact. Not ever.”
“You did what anybody would do,” explained Peyton.
“Yeah, seriously,” Ripley huffed. “You don’t get to be perfect.”
“I have to be perfect, though,” I countered. “Especially once we get to New York. Because if I’m not—”
Someone grabbed me by the shoulder. Colson’s voice cracked as he pulled me close.
“You’re the one who cracked the locket,” Colson said coolly. “You disabled the tracking device, enabling us to stay hidden. You’re the one who kept us alive.”
“Multiple times,” added Ripley.
“You called to make sure your sick father was okay,” Colson went on. “So fucking what? You took a chance.”
“An unnecessary chance,” I added miserably.
“Everything we’ve done has been one big chance,” Peyton piled on. She moved closer, and there was no doubt in her expression. Her pretty blue eyes held no judgment, only admiration.
Admiration, and love.
“Besides,” said Colson, “Roman showing up worked out for us.”
“Yeah,” agreed Ripley. He made a quick fist and then palmed it. “I got to put him right on his fucking ass.”
“That you did,” smirked Peyton.
“I just wish you hadn’t stopped me,” he nudged Colson. “At least not for another ten or twelve seconds. It would’ve been more fun to bloody him up a bit.”
“It’s probably better that you didn’t,” I agreed, finally cracking a smile. “But for what it’s worth, I won’t make any more mistakes.”
“Yeah, right,” Peyton chuckled. “This coming from the guy who smacked his head into the grotto’s ceiling.”
“Twice,” ribbed Colson.
I felt myself turning bright red at the recollection. Still, I knew what they were doing, and I appreciated it greatly. Only the best of friends could downplay a near-fatal mistake that easily could’ve cost all of us our lives.
But damn, if it wasn’t good to hear my father’s voice again.
“I promise, we’re gonna get you back to you dad,” said Ripley. He clapped me so hard on the shoulder, I almost tipped over. “And when we do, trust me; we’re gonna tell him all the silly shit you did.”
I smiled back at him in gratitude. I was beaming now. Inside and out.
“But for now…”
A duffel bag, thrown by Colson, hit me full force. I caught it against my chest, then watched as he nodded in the direction of the front door.
“It’s time to go.”