Page 82 of Citadel

Cole didn’t chase after Mark. He didn’t choose his brother.

He’s still there, holding the survivors off so Breanna and I can get away.

He let his brother go to save us.

Saveme.

So Breanna and I run. I take the lead since I’m the one who knows where we’re going.

Breanna won’t let us stop even though half my instincts are screaming at me to find Cole, help him, make sure he’s okay.

But he’s doing this for us, and we can’t let it be for nothing.

After a while, the darkness of the night is broken as dawn approaches.

It’s almost a new morning, and the world gets remade again.

12

Breannaand I run for hours, occasionally shifting into a fast walk so we can catch our breath but then picking up the pace again.

There are no signs of anyone following us, but there’s a real possibility that Cole will have died or taken off to follow his brother, leaving whoever was left alive to chase us down again. That possibility spurs us on, and we don’t stop or rest until I see an ancient RV on the side of the old highway and then a tree split in two like it had been struck by lightning. Just a few minutes into the woods and we’ve reached the sheltered cove where Cole and I arranged to meet if we got separated.

We both collapse onto the ground in complete exhaustion. I’m drenched in sweat, and my hair has come out of my braids and is sticking to my cheeks and my neck. Every inch of my body is dirty, and my shoes are held together by a couple of slivers of leather.

I’ve got Breanna back.

And Cole is gone.

I burst into tears.

“Shit, Del.” Breanna scoots closer and wraps an arm around me. I slump over onto her, weeping helplessly, completely unable to stop.

It’s a long time before I pull myself together. Breanna holds me, rubbing my back and not saying a word until I’ve finally fallen into battered silence.

“He’s strong,” she says at last, her throat sounding as raw as mine feels. “He’s the strongest man we’ve ever known. He’s going to be okay.”

I nod. I hope she’s right, but I’m not as confident as Breanna. It feels like everything fell apart back at the camp. The universe fell apart. “He was shot.”

“Yeah. But it looked like it was just his arm or shoulder. I don’t think it will kill him. He’ll be okay. He’ll be here soon. He won’t be far behind us.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You really think he’s dead?”

“No. I think he made it. But he’ll go after his brother. One of those guys who came later was his brother, and he took off into the woods. It’s the closest Cole has ever been to catching up to him. He kept us safe, but now he’s going to go after his brother.”

Breanna doesn’t reply immediately. “Maybe.”

“He’s been searching for him for years. Ever since Impact. He’s never been this close before. He’s not coming back to us.” I gulp, trying to clear my mind enough to think rationally even though emotions are churning, rising, screaming at me. “It’s okay. He could have taken off after his brother right away and left us to fend for ourselves. He didn’t. He protected us, even though it lost him his advantage. He can do what he needs to do now.”

If Cole is still chasing his brother, it means he’s not yet ready to start his own life. He won’t settle. He won’t commit. He’ll keep leaving.

He might love me, but he doesn’t want the kind of life and relationship I need.

It’s okay. That’s who he is. But it does mean I’ll never have him the way I want.

“Okay,” Breanna murmurs. “We’ll see. If he doesn’t show up in a few hours, we’ll figure out what to do then. We can even go after him if you want.”

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