Chapter 182
Jack
He needed some time alone. He’d had enough strategy, doom-and-gloom, and blood for one day. When no one was looking, he snuck around the edge of the church, leaving them to their subdued dinner. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice as he carefully closed the door behind him. He didn’t want to be around anyone. Not even his sister.
He especially couldn’t stand that his father was still around. He planned to fight with the rest of them, and Jack couldn’t help the small, ugly part of him that hoped his father got hurt. What right did he have to come back into his life and play the hero?
The scent of dirt hit him the moment he stepped outside, and he took a moment to breathe the smell in. It smelled like spring, and he allowed himself to appreciate it for a few seconds. What if he never saw another spring? This could very well be his last.
Lazy clouds drifted across the sky as golden light spilled down across the abandoned town. Was this the last sunset he’d ever see? He didn’t know what the coming days would bring, but he could feel Death hovering on the edges of their lives, waiting to snatch them up one-by-one. They wouldn’t come out of the fight without casualties. They weren’t that lucky.
No one seemed to know when the Crescent wolves would attack, but he didn’t think they had much time. He glanced over at the library wall, still stained with blood despite their best efforts. They were coming for them. Coming for Celeste. The thought sent a chill through him, and he forced himself to turn away.
His arm ached with every step, pain reverberating up his shoulder and into his neck. It was still in a sling, and he planned to keep it there until the last possible moment. He’d need it to shoot, but at least it wasn’t the shoulder he’d need to rest the gun against. Still, he knew it would hurt.
He’d hidden the rifle in the old ice cream store, and he headed there first to grab it. He planned to hide it on one of the roofs, where he’d spent most of the fight. As much as hated to admit it, he knew he was a liability if he stayed on the ground. At least he could be their eyes, perched safely up in his nest.
He scowled and stepped over the broken doorway into the ice cream shop. The case was right where he left it, tucked in the corner behind the fridge. He took it out and headed back out onto the street, peering around at the buildings.
His best bet was the apartment building across the street. It wasn’t very tall, none of the buildings here were, but it would do. He crossed the street and tried to open the door. Locked. Naturally. Not everything could be easy for him.
He sighed and put the case down.
“Need some help?” a familiar voice called. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting Fiona’s gaze. She gave him a half-smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. He knew she was still reeling from what happened to Zoe. It was the only thing that stopped him from telling her to go away.
“I need to get on the roof,” he said.
“Step aside.”
He sighed again but moved out of the way. She smirked at him and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. A few minutes later, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. She gave him a smug look.
“Where’d you learn how to do that?” he asked, impressed despite himself.
She shrugged. “I used to sneak out a lot in high school. My parents would lock the door if I missed my curfew, so I had to break in.”
“Ah, I’m remembering why I didn’t like you hanging out with Celeste.”
“Sure, Jack,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a terrible influence.”
He gave her a look, and she narrowed her eyes.
He picked up the case and shouldered his way into the foyer. Pain sliced up his arm, and he stopped in his tracks, sucking in air. Every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust, and he started coughing.
“Are you okay?” she asked, putting a hand on his arm.
“Fine,” he choked. It took another minute, but he eventually got his breathing back under control. His shoulder throbbed and the pain moved down his arm to his fingers.
“I can carry that,” she said, pointing to the case.
“No, I’m fine.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
A grand staircase led up to the second floor, and he jogged up the stairs, determined to ignore the pain coursing through his body. Fiona followed at a sedate pace, grumbling something about ‘male egos’ under her breath. They circled around and started up to the third floor.
Eventually, they made it to the top of the building. Fiona pushed open the door to the roof, propping a brick against it to keep it open. The last thing they needed was to be stuck up there all night.
Jack put the case down and surveyed the wide space. He needed to set the gun somewhere with a good view of the street.
“Shouldn’t you find a clock tower to hide in or something?” Fiona asked, trailing across the roof.
“This isn’t a war movie,” he answered. He picked up the case and stashed it over the HVAC system.
A small lip separated the edge of the roof from the drop below, and Jack wandered along the edge, sitting down in the corner. There was enough space that he could lean his back against the lip without worrying he’d toppled over the edge.
Fiona looked over the side, her face paling.
“Not a fan of heights?” he asked as she walked over to him.
She sat down on his shoulder. “Not exactly.”
“You need to stick by me when the fighting starts,” Jack said, turning to give her his most no-nonsense look. He couldn’t afford to chase after her when shit finally hit the fan. “We’ll come up here together.”
“Okay,” she breathed.
“Promise?”
She nodded.
“Good. I’d rather not be the reason you die out there. Celeste would kill me.”
She pushed her long hair over her shoulder, strands of it almost auburn in the fading sunlight. “That the only reason you don’t want me to die?”
His eyes traced over her pale, angelic face, stopping at her plush, pink lips. Jesus, what was he doing? He wasn’t supposed to find her attractive. She was younger than him, his sister’s best friend. This was wrong. Still, he couldn’t look away.
“Hmm?” he said.
“Is that the only reason you don’t want me to die?” she repeated.
“Why would I want you to die?”
She huffed. “You’re impossible.”
He found himself leaning into her, and even though he knew it was idiotic, he couldn’t stop himself. She didn’t lean away from him. In fact, she tilted slightly closer, her lips parting.
“I’d really rather you stuck around,” he murmured.
“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”
His eyes darted up to hers. The flecks of brown in her green eyes stood out in the golden light. Her long eyelashes fluttered closed as she tilted even closer, their noses almost touching.
Fuck it, he thought, then he closed the final distance between them. His lips brushed against hers and she sighed deeply, running her fingers up his good shoulder and into his hair. He hadn’t gotten a haircut in a while, and she twisted the long strands between her fingers.
Her mouth parted for him, and he deepened the kiss. After a moment, he realized his hands were still limp at his sides, and he reached out to her. He wrapped his good arm around her torso, pulling her closer to him.
She was the first to break away, her eyes wide.
They stared at each other for a moment with equally bewildered expressions.
“I really didn’t see this coming,” she murmured.
All he wanted to do was kiss her again. Instead, he laughed and sat back against the roof. “Me neither.”
