Page 26 of Burn Like An Angel

He steps closer, what appears to be genuine concern shadowing his eyes. “Because I care.”

“You just admitted that you manipulated me to score yourself a star witness. Bet it came with a juicy bonus from the boss too, right?”

Focusing on anything but Langley, my gaze collides with two seafoam orbs daggering into me from across the room. The pale, blueish-green hue is as captivating as the arrogant son of a bitch daring to look at me.

Lennox is awake.

He screams something unheard without ever opening his mouth. Any remaining air is sucked from my lungs as we communicate silently, the horrors we endured together snapping between us in lingering looks.

“We can still help each other,” Langley attempts.

I forcibly tear my eyes from Lennox, pulling in a deep breath. “Forget it.”

“Listen to me, Rip!”

“Never again.”

Inching away from him, I’m suddenly itching for an escape. Somewhere to hide, far from these men. Their newfound kindness and concern expose the raw fault lines cracked across my fractured soul.

“The riot will end, and Incendia’s days are numbered,” Langley continues urgently. “You need to cut a deal while you still can.”

“Numbered?” Xander repeats. “Do you know something that we don’t?”

Langley seems to beg with his eyes. “Sabre will expose the corporation. You’ve heard what happened at Blackwood. Now this? It’s only a matter of time.”

“Good.” I hold back a violent sob.

“Who exactly do you think they’ll blame, huh?” Langley shakes his head. “I know the truth, but that won’t stop Incendia from taking down everyone with them when they go. Stooges included.”

“No one could ever blame Ripley,” Raine protests.

“You think that’ll matter to them?”

“It should!”

“We’ve all done things we’re not proud of.” Lennox speaks for the first time, his voice flaying my soul down to its bare bones. “Are you saying all our necks are on the line?”

“This will turn into a blame game very fast,” Langley confirms in disgust. “My team is already working with a group of ex-patients from Blackwood. There are criminal charges on the table.”

The white walls of the medical wing bend and contract, creeping ever closer like the bars of a prison cell slamming shut for an eternity. Terror curls in my lungs, filling them with acrid smoke.

“They’re going to bury me,” I whisper in horror.

“Not if you cooperate with us,” Langley says emphatically. “We can offer you protection.”

“She’s not going anywhere without us,” Xander announces.

His words have the impact of a killer blow to the solar plexus. I feel like I’ve been shoved into a freefall. The shock of his declaration only accelerates my rapid plummet into the bottomless pit I hoped to avoid.

I’ve gotten this far by compartmentalising the real Ripley into a deep, silent part of my mind. That mental prison is failing now. The unstable walls are collapsing with each realisation.

Worst of all? I hate how the sick tendrils of Xander’s obsession wrap around me, forming a safe cocoon. I’m not alone in this. We’re all implicated and caught in the firing line.

“Pretty sure that’s her choice.” Langley scowls at him. “Not yours.”

Xander glares back, unfazed. “You think we’re giving her a choice?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

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