Page 147 of Chalk Outline

So, that secret door in my tower leading to the forest will probably get us closer to the prison, but I didn’t get to explore it.

“Grandma said there’s a way to get inside through the stream.”

“There is, it’s mostly for emergencies, and it is much more difficult to reach.”

“How do you know so much about it?” I arch my eyebrow and mimic his body language.

“This isn’t my first time here. I spent my fourth year of training in this tower. I was eighteen, almost nineteen. I lived here alone for a year. I hiked through the forest repeatedly and memorizedevery corner. Before you ask, the bear was already here. I had to climb trees a few times.”

I chuckle in amusement.

I can picture him having a cute and funny quarrel with a bear.

It suits him.

“You said he was a rescue, and Grandma saved him.”

“She worked with someone else from the force to catch the people who trafficked him. As far as I understand, that woman is an officer and is part of BLACKBIRD. Their paths crossed in the force while your grandma was an officer.”

“What’s her name?”

He laughs in amusement, knowing I will ask so many questions. “Izzy. Romina wanted revenge for her husband. Izzy wanted revenge for her murdered sister. That’s how BLACKBIRD was born. She saved me once, thanks to my team and your Grandma, who contacted her.”

My throat goes dry as the realization hits me. “When Third Eye locked you in a basement for three days.” I uncross my arms and let them fall to my sides. They clutch the oversized T-shirt that’s clinging to my body. I hate that he’s been through so much, and I wasn’t there to comfort or fight alongside him. I was never given the chance to do that.

“Yeah.”

I feel like we’re so broken, yet somehow, our pieces fit together and form a new version of us.

“Can you tell me more about it?” I ask softly, not pressuring him to discuss something that might trigger him. I still don’t know how much it affects him. “Only if you want to.”

He exhales loudly, shifting in place but staying put. “I let his men take me to him after I killed his partner, three teams, and his large shipment of abducted kids. It took us a few hours to reach his hideout, but eventually we did, and they threw me into hisloving armsto save their asses.“ He says the last partas a joke, but he doesn’t laugh. His expression darkens, and his jaw clenches tightly, the muscle tensing and twitching violently. “He shackled my wrists to the ceiling because he knew what I was capable of. However, the surprising thing is that he didn’t torture me as badly as I expected. Yeah, he made me bleed, broke a few bones, until my condition was pretty bad. Still, he held back. That’s not his style. It made me think someone ordered him to because he wouldn’t.”

“Why would someone do that unless they have a reason?” I ask. Unease settles in my stomach.

“That’s the million-dollar question, Baby.” Reeve tilts his head to the side. His expression stays rough. “Who sent you the notes?”

“I don’t know.”

“I sent you some of them, but not all. I knew the big boss would be a few steps ahead, given the fact that no one knows who he is. Could he have played us all along?”

“Doyouknow who he is?”

He remains silent.

“Reeve…” I pronounce his name slowly and deliberately.

“This isn’t your fight. It’s mine.”

“No, no,” I snap, wagging my finger at him. “There is no you or me. It’s our fight. If you think, after all this time, I will let you out of my sight, you’re dead wrong.”

“You know, it was so hard being away from you. And then, this tired and wounded little girl said your name. I knew it was a sign that I had to make it back to you.”

I calculate his words as I swallow around the lump forming in my throat. “You saved Mattie…”

“She said you promised to send everyone to look for her. And I was there, exhausted, with so much blood on my hands and memories that will haunt me for years. I don’t want that for you.You are not me. You’re better. You deserve to live a better life. I’m selfish for wanting you all to myself.”

“No, you’re not. If you are, then I’m selfish too.” I stomp in anger.