Page 57 of Say You'll Stay

His own body temperature is as frozen as hers, so she feels downright cozy when she’s not. It might be too late, he worries. They’re at risk of losing fingers or toes in this awful little gas station, or, even worse, falling into the kind of dangerous sleep that’s already pulling at his eyelids.

Olivia lets out a pained cry, tucking her face into his collarbone, her hands curling into stiff fists between them.

“I know. It’s the circulation coming back. It’s a good sign even if it hurts. It won’t last long,” he soothes, feeling his own fingers start to burn and cramp.

“You jumped in the water for me,” she chokes out.

“Of course I did.”

“You hate the water.”

“No chance I wasn’t going in after you. Fuck, you scared the shit outta me. I thought—”

“It’s alright, we’re okay. Should we bring Lucy up here? Isshe cold?”

“Nah, she’s warmer than all of us. Flower is keeping her toasty. You must’ve tossed that cat right before you fell in. Saw her flying past my head.”

All at once, her body tenses again and her voice goes shrill. “Oh my god, they’re coming for us! They could find us here… what if those men find us?”

She’s still disoriented, fearing their attackers who are long gone, and he hugs her a little tighter. “They’re all dead, remember? Got what was coming to them.”

He’d been in the middle of a fistfight, his ears ringing and blood coating his mouth while she was pinned to the floor across the room. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to will the image away. He should have kept in what he asks her next. “Did they… are you hurt? Did they—”

“No. No, I’m fine. They didn’t get the chance.”

She is far from fine, but he accepts her answer as truth for lack of any other option. He certainly isn’t going to interrogate her about it.

“Your friend’s alive,” she says softly, finally relaxing against his chest, her face nuzzling his pulse point.

“Should have known he’d be making enemies.”

“Those men would have done what they did, regardless. It’s who they are. It’s only good news that Wade’s still out there. You have a real chance at seeing him again.”

“He’ll be going to the farm. If he makes it, then we’ll find him there.”

Cole really fucking hopes Wade shows up, not only because he’s family, but because he can’t keep Olivia and Lucy safe alone. There’s safety in numbers and the world is still ripe with people like those assholes in the cottage. He needs hisfriend, his brother, as backup.

“All I care about right now is that I’m seeing you,” he murmurs. “Don’t fall asleep yet. Keep talking, we’re still too cold. Are your fingers still numb?”

“Oh yeah, they feel huge, like sausages.”

He huffs. “Mine too.”

She’s quiet for a moment and he’s about to nudge her to wake up when she speaks again. “You saved my life. That’s twice now, at least.”

“We’re not keeping score.”

“You could have died, too. I’ll keep putting a target on your back, no matter where we go. I’m so sorry, Cole. If I wasn’t so selfish, I’d tell you to leave us and save yourself, but I am and I hope you won’t.”

It takes him a moment to understand. She is a live woman in a world filled with the dead. The vast majority of men they come across will want her for themselves, more than willing to kill Cole to take her. “Don’t you dare apologize for people being animals.”

“Animals behave better.”

“I don’t wanna hear any more talk of splitting up either, alright? Those fuckers would’ve killed me anyway for my shit, even if I were by myself. You’re not a liability, you hear me?”

“I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t do anything but lie there.”

He cringes at the mental image of her struggling on the ground with the baby wailing in the background. “Only the dead could stop them.”

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