Page 73 of Carved in Ice (Made of Steel 3)

I ignored her.

“You can’t love someone that you don’t even know.”

“You were in love with him just a few days ago, remember? Besides, I do know him.”

“Nobody knows him. He wears a mask for God’s sake.”

I continued knocking.

She grabbed my arm again to stop me. “Do you know who he is?” Her eyes bulged. “Summer, you have to tell me if you know.”

“It’s Miles. He’s Miles.”

“Miles your friend from when you were little?” She shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yes, what other Miles is there?”

“There’s approximately 25,000 in the US alone…”

“Liza, can you please just tell me where he is?”

“And if you factor in his last name too, that narrows it down, but it’s still…”

“Liza! Please just tell me where he is.”

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “It’s his night on surveillance.”

I turned toward our command center.

“But he’s been going on the roof to do it lately.”

I smiled and walked past her toward the window. “To look at the stars.”

“What?”

“He’s looking at the stars.” He’s waiting for me. My whole body felt warm, and it wasn’t because I was wearing a winter coat indoors. I felt alive. I felt whole again.

“There’s something else I need to tell you, Summer. We got a better angle of the people that have been hanging out with Mr. Crawford. At least one of them. And you were right. They’re not new recruits. I…” her voice trailed off. “I’m trying to talk to you, where are you going?”

“Liza, I’ll be back soon. You can fill me in then.” I climbed out the window before she had a chance to reply. I ran up the emergency escape ladder. How was I going to do this? Tell him I knew everything? Attack him in a bear hug? I smiled. I’d tell him he was right. That rocks don’t have brains. That hot chocolate is better with whipped cream. That mint chocolate chip is the best ice cream. And that my life isn’t complete without him.

I stepped onto the roof of our building, but he wasn’t there. I pulled out my phone and clicked on V’s name. Each ring made my heart race. I had been waiting my whole life to tell him how I felt. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could wait. I was about to burst.

The ringing stopped but all I heard was silence. “Hello? V?”

More silence.

“Are you there?”

“I’ve been here the whole time,” he finally said. And then the line was dead.

I’ve been here the whole time? Did he know that I knew? I looked up at the sky. The snow had stopped and the clouds had parted. There were two places I would go on a clear night to be closer to the stars. The observatory or the roof of our old dorm building. And he’d be dressed like V if he was on surveillance. Which ruled the observatory out.

He knew. He absolutely knew. And he was waiting for me. I had told Miles that I loved him when I was Sadie. He wanted to go back to that moment. He wanted us to do it right this time.

I took a deep breath, ran as fast as I could, and leapt off the edge of the building.

Chapter 31

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