“Whatever. We’re going.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “You’re on my car.”
“O-Oh. Right.” Daniel clambered forward, stumbling to his feet. Leon grabbed his arm, hoisting him up, and James lumbered in closer.
“Later.” With a final wave, the telepath followed her into the car. The doors slammed shut. The engine turned on.
“S-So,” Daniel whispered as the car tore off down the driveway, clinging to Leon. His legs shook. He forced them to stop, taking a deep breath. He refused to toddle around like an invalid any longer than necessary. He was a grown-ass man, damn it. “This...This is, uh. Where are we?”
“My apartment,” Maya said. “It was, uh. Closest. And I still need to feed my cat.” She drifted closer to the door. “So, uh. If you don’t mind?”
“We’ll rest for a bit,” Leon said, tugging him forward. “You look like death warmed over. Gotta be honest.”
“I know,” Daniel mumbled. “I feel like shit.”
“Y-Yeah,” Leon said. “Take it easy. And then, after…” He trailed off, and shrugged. “We’ll figure out what comes next.”
What came next, eh? Daniel nodded, following Leon to the entrance, but his thoughts were elsewhere. The three friends knew about him. What would he do? Where did he go from here? The thought occurred to him that someone else knew about him. He opened his mouth, turning to-
Empty air waited alongside them.
“Uh,” Daniel said.
James stopped, halfway through the door. “No,” he groaned. “No ‘uh’s. None of that shit.”
“Daniel?” Leon said.
Daniel shook his head, looking around. “W-Where…Where’s Olivia?”
The others turned to statues, frozen horror on their faces.
But there was no one else there.
“She took off,” James said. His expression turned dark, stormy. “That bitch. We’ll find her, and-”
“And what?” Leon snapped, releasing Daniel’s arm. He was twisting and turning, as though Olivia was going to pop out from behind a car. “Shit. She probably knows all sorts of stuff, too. Come on. We’ll-”
“Let her go.”
James and Leon skidded to a stop. Then, they looked back to Daniel—who smiled. “She was no ally of Indira’s, before the end,” he whispered. “She was helping me to the last.”
“That doesn’t mean shit,” James said. “Don’t be an idiot. She still-”
“She’s got no one left,” Daniel said. The words came out sadder than he expected. “Indira’s...gone. The Booklenders are going to be in shambles. She wasn’t our enemy, not really.” He shook his head again. “Let her go.”
The others stood frozen, looking around. James moved first. He shrugged, throwing up his hands, and turned back toward the building. “Whatever. Suit yourself.”
Leon watched Daniel a moment longer, unsure. Daniel smiled. “It’s fine,” he said. “Trust me. She won’t be a problem.”
Leon groaned, deflating. “I’m not coming after you a second time,” he muttered. Rolling his eyes, he trudged ahead of Daniel—who only smiled, trailing after him.
The building was tall, he discovered. He also discovered that Maya’s apartment was on the third floor, and the only way up was a staircase. His leg was healed. That didn’t mean he liked climbing all the way up.
But there was a smile on his face as he slipped into Maya’s too-small student apartment. Her cat nuzzled at his ankles, yowling its displeasure. Sticky notes covered the wall above an overloaded desk, and run-down, beat-up thrift store furniture surrounded a TV.
Maya waved them toward it, fishing a tub of kibble out of the cabinet. “Blankets are over there,” she called.
“Cool,” Leon said.
James only nodded, jabbing at his phone. “I’m hungry,” he muttered.
“So order something,” Maya said.
He grinned. “Already on it.”
It was all...so normal. Too normal, when just a few hours before they’d been fighting for their lives. Daniel stood in the doorway, grinning like an idiot, until Leon shot him a look. “Sit down,” he said. “You look like you’re going to fall over. Sit.”
Daniel drifted forward, hardly feeling himself move. He sat. The couch enveloped him in its musty, scratchy embrace. James and Maya were laughing, somewhere behind him. Leon’s arm slid around his shoulders, pulling him closer.
“We made it,” Leon said, his voice soft under the din.
Daniel looked over—and smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “I think we did.”
He didn’t pull away as Leon leaned in, as their lips met. The kiss was soft, sweet, and packed with all the relief none of them had quite put to words. None of it needed to be said.
It was enough to press himself closer, savoring the warmth caught between them, and enjoy the moment for what it was. After this, they’d have to figure the rest out. They’d have to decide what came next, and he was pretty sure Rickard hadn’t died.
But that was a problem for the future. Daniel pulled away at last, letting himself sink against Leon’s side. His head dropped to his shoulder. James and Maya were at a full roar by then, both grinning. Her cat yowled, its eyes glued to the still-empty food bowl on the counter.
Somehow, impossibly, they’d made it.
* * * * *
Daniel opened his eyes.
The ceiling over his head was lower than he expected, plain wooden boards dotted with old, rusting nails.
Slowly, pushing back the blankets, he rose. His feet hit the cold, stone ground, and he
