Page 115 of Breaking Point

“How are you holding up?” Skar says over the earpiece, and I snap out of my daze to see the road in front of me.

“This never should have happened.” My words trail off, but I haven’t yet resolved myself to pity.

“What’d you say?” Harvey looks up, and I shake my head as I explain,

“Earpiece.”

“Oh.”

Silence fills the car again. We have a few miles until we get to the hotel. The plains outside are barren, the city long behind us. I’ve yet to give Harvey any gear- partially because I don’t trust he’ll know what to do with it. Partially because I don’t think I can handle talking to him yet.

Since I dragged him along with us, he’s yet to look up from his hands. Or acknowledge anything, really.

“There is nothing you could have done.” I’m surprised when I hear Charlotte’s voice over the earpiece.

I thought they would have split up by now, but it’s possible she, Skar, and Ricky will be sneaking in just minutes ahead of us. Her next words are soft- softer than I’ve ever heard her:

“There’s nothing any of us could have done.”

I can’t find it in myself to respond. I know it’s not my fault. But it wouldn’t have fucking happened if she was with me. I reach into the pocket of my suit, feeling the weight of the pistol in my sheath.

“We’re here,” Skar announces, which means Char and Ricky will be splitting off.

“Good luck,” Char says quietly, and I know she’s talking to me, but it’s Skar who responds,

“We’re not relying on luck for this.” He lowers his voice for only her to hear. “I’ll see you after. You hear me?”

She hums, and I hear them kiss. “Getting protective of me, Benenati?” she whispers.

“I’ll give you two a minute,” I say, tugging the earpiece out with a sigh.

It leaves me painfully aware of the fact that Harvey’s still staring at his lap. Wearing that same frightened look on his face since the moment I told him Olivia was gone.

We need to talk about this, I decide.

Two tortuously long moments pass, but he beats me to the punch.

“What happens now?” He tugs at his suit nervously.

I focus on the road. “Taylor got us fake security clearance. Once inside, I’ll walk you through finding the hotel booking system. We’ll figure out where Olivia and Aleks are and get them out before anyone realizes they’re gone.”

“As for Skar and the others?”

Truthfully, I don’t know what Charlotte and Ricky have planned. They’ll be sneaking in, and once they give us the go-ahead, our real plan will be set in motion.

“We’ll be fine,” I tell him, meaning it. “We stick to the plan.”

For a few more moments, it’s quiet again. The silence is easier than trying to digest the fact that there’s no easy way out of this.

“I know the coke is bad,” he starts with a sigh, but I shake my head.

“I’m not judging you, Harvey. I’m angry about the situation.”

“I never would’ve-“ He swipes at his eyes in my peripheral. “This never should’ve gotten this far. Now she’s…” He doesn’t finish, but I know the sentiment there. I feel it in my chest. “I can get clean for her.”

I want to trust him, but if this has made anything clear, it’s that I don’t know Harvey like I thought I did. Things are hard to do alone.

“You know, I got wrapped up in some nasty stuff a few years back,” I admit aloud. I feel him look at me. “Not personally. My… My girlfriend at the time kept her addiction private. I didn’t know until it was too late. She owed some money. I went to pay off her debts, but my head wasn’t in it…”

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