Chapter 21 Fractured Plans – Belle #2
Then Max carefully withdraws, turning me to face him. His hands are gentle now, a stark contrast to moments before. He cups my face, thumb brushing over my swollen lips.
His own lips are swollen from kissing. His chest bears the scratches I left, angry red lines that stand out against his skin. His eyes are dark with satisfaction and something else. Concern, maybe.
“You okay?” he asks, his voice soft now.
I nod, not trusting my voice. My legs feel unsteady. My body aches in the best way. There’s a pleasant soreness between my thighs that I know I’ll feel tomorrow.
He pulls me against his chest, one hand stroking my hair. “We’re going to make it through this. All of us.”
I want to believe him. I want to trust that determination and planning and strategy will be enough.
But I’ve learned the hard way that sometimes wanting something isn’t enough. Sometimes the bad guys win. Sometimes good people die.
“We should clean up,” I say, pulling away. “Then talk to Luna and the others about tonight.”
He catches my wrist before I can move. “Belle. I love you.”
The words make my throat tight. “I know.”
“Do you? Because sometimes I think you believe everyone who says they love you is lying. That it’s all manipulation and control.”
“Isn’t it?” The question comes out more vulnerable than I intend.
“No.” He cups my face, forcing me to look at him. “What I feel for you isn’t manipulation. It’s not control. It’s just love. Messy and complicated and real.”
“Even when I scare you?”
“Even then.” He kisses me softly. So different from the brutal coupling against the wall. “Because you scare yourself too. And I want to be there when you figure out that being strong doesn’t mean being cold.”
I don’t know how to respond to that. Don’t know how to explain that cold is safe. That feelings get you killed or controlled or broken.
Instead, I kiss him again. Pour everything I can’t say into the press of lips and tongue. Let him taste my fear and desperation and the love I’m too afraid to voice.
When we break apart, we clean up in silence. Get dressed. Prepare to face whatever comes next.
“Ready?” Max asks, his hand on the door handle.
“No. But we’re out of time.” I straighten my shoulders, pulling on the mask of control I’ve perfected over years of survival. “Let’s go ruin Luna’s night.”
We find her in her and Erik’s room, sitting on the bed and staring at nothing. She looks hollow. Empty. Like someone carved out her insides and left only a shell.
Max sits beside her. I take the desk chair, needing the distance to maintain my composure.
“We’re leaving tonight,” I say without preamble. “Max knows the tunnel routes. We’ll make it to the north shore by dawn, and meet David’s team on the mainland.”
Luna’s emerald eyes focus on me slowly. “No.”
“It’s not a debate.”
“I said no.” Her voice is flat. Dead. “I’m not leaving without Erik.”
“Erik might be dead.” The words are cruel but necessary. “And if you stay here waiting for confirmation, you’ll be dead too. Or worse.”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do.” I lean forward, making sure she’s listening. “Erik risked everything to get that footage out. To expose Selena. If we waste his sacrifice by getting caught, by letting Selena kill us or offer us at The Harvest, then everything he did was for nothing.”
“Don’t talk to me about sacrifice.” Luna’s voice rises, emotion finally breaking through the numbness. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you love.”
“You’re right. I don’t. Because I’ve never let myself love anyone enough to lose them.” I glance at Max. “Until recently. And that’s exactly why I’m not letting you throw your life away on the slim chance Erik is still alive.”
“Fuck you, Belle.” Luna stands, her hands balling into fists. “You don’t get to make this decision for me.”
“Actually, I do. Because you’re too emotional to think straight. Too desperate to see that the best way to help Erik is to get off this island, regroup with David, and come back with enough force to shut Selena down permanently.”
“And if Erik bleeds out while we’re running away?”
The question hangs in the air. Max looks between us, clearly torn.
“Then at least we’ll be alive to make her pay for it,” I say coldly.
Luna moves so fast I barely see her coming. Her palm connects with my jaw, snapping my head to the side. Pain explodes through my face, sharp and immediate.
I don’t hit back. Don’t even defend myself. Just let her rage burn itself out.
“I hate you,” Luna spits. “I hate that you’re right. I hate that I can’t argue with your logic. I hate that Erik would tell me the same thing if he were here.”
“I know.” I touch my throbbing jaw, tasting blood. “Hate me all you want. But we’re still leaving tonight.”
Max stands, moving between us. “Enough. We’re all scared. We’re all angry. But turning on each other accomplishes nothing.”
“Of course,” I say. “But the answer is still yes. We’re leaving. Tonight. All of us.”
“Either way, the plan doesn’t change.” Max looks at each of us in turn. “We leave tonight. Meet David. Come back tomorrow with enough firepower to storm this place and find Erik. Agreed?”
Luna hesitates. I can see the war on her face. Love versus logic. Desperation versus strategy.
“Agreed,” she finally whispers.
Relief floods through me. We have a plan. A way forward. A chance.
Now we just have to survive the execution.