Page 136

One driver seemed to accept Forrest’s explanation.

His eyes immediately relaxed and he nodded.

The other one continued to look dubious, to say the least. He didn’t say anything as he watched them load Jordan into the back of the armored vehicle, and handcuff him to one of the seats. He must have decided not to press the point, but he only really seemed to relax after Nick tested the strength of the cuffs and couldn’t break them.

Seconds later, both drivers had climbed into the front of the vehicle.

Nick and the rest of them strapped into seats in the back.

Nick and Wynter exchanged looks.

“You ready for this?” he asked her.

She smiled, and it lit up her whole face.

Seeing the genuine happiness in her eyes, he tried to make himself feel the same.

He only partly succeeded.

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure about any of this.

He’d started to tell her about what he’d learned, both from his dreams and what Malek was able to tell him. He’d started, but somehow, he hadn’t been able to do it, not really. He wasn’t sure how much any of it mattered now. Whether or not he’d fought in the wars here, or for the right reasons, probably wouldn’t be a big priority to her now. As to whatever trauma she might have suffered as a child, she’d have to work that out wherever they ended up.

She maybe wasn’t from here, but if Malek was right, she wasn’t from Nick’s world either. Did that mean she wouldn’t be happy there with him, either? Would she start to feel like the place was alien to her?

Gods, he was a coward.

Why hadn’t he said anything to her when he had the chance?

Days had passed on that submarine.

Nick could have told her all of it. They could have discussed it like adults.

He had no right to decide what did and didn’t matter, not when it was their whole lives at stake. Anyway, weren’t they just as likely to land onherhome world as his? What had he been repeating to them all for the past five days?Portals are not predictable.

And they weren’t. So why did he assume they’d end up back on his home world?

Why the fuck hadn’t he talked to her?

“I need to talk to you,” he blurted, even as he realized he was still staring at her face. “Before we leave. Before we leave for real, I mean.”

She only smiled wider, her eyes knowing.

“No,” she said simply. “You don’t.”

“I do, though.”

“No, Nick. You don’t.” She gripped his hand tighter. “I’ve seen a lot of your dreams. I saw the one with Brick, in that bar… and I know what’s bothering you. Trust me, it doesn’t change anything for me. It doesn’t.”

Staring into her eyes, he saw the understanding there, and realized he really didn’t need to explain.

Damn. He really didn’t deserve her.

* * *

The rideto the science lab and its isolated bubble, roughly twenty hard miles north of the city of Nice, was bumpy and uncomfortable and vaguely anxiety-inducing.

It also felt shockingly quick.