Page 35 of Fallen Empire (The Fallen Trilogy #2)

I locked the door and headed back to the parking garage. When I approached, Jaxson opened the trunk and stepped out.

“Jesus, Millie. Are you planning on staying forever?”

“Haven’t decided yet.” I shrugged, pushing my suitcase toward him. The wheels stopped just before his feet.

He just shook his head. Something he’d gotten really good at over the years.

He finished loading my luggage and hopped back in. That’s when I realized that he never actually said where we were going.

“So, where did you decide we’re staying?”

“My place,” he said in a clipped tone.

Okay. So maybe he was still a little annoyed I was intruding. I didn’t care. He needed to focus on whatever we still didn’t know about Aleksei, and I needed to take care of my best friend.

“Perfect. Once we get settled, I’m ordering some food. I’m starving.”

When we arrived, Ben was already waiting out front.

“What is he doing here?” I groaned, more annoyed than upset.

I might not have wanted to be around him, but if Savannah did, I’d deal with it. I glanced over at her, and of course, she had a shit-eating grin spread across her face. Like she was enjoying someone else’s misery instead of focusing on her own.

I rolled my eyes and stepped out. Ben was already at the open trunk, waiting. I didn’t say a word. Just reached in, grabbed my duffle and suitcase, and started wheeling it toward the entrance.

But then I noticed the wheelchair parked neatly off to the side, like he’d already thought through everything she’d need.

And damn it... if the walls I’d built around my heart didn’t start to crack. Just a little.

We stepped into the elevator, and my hands moved on instinct, muscle memory pressing the button for Savannah’s floor before I could think twice.

“We’re going to my place,” Jaxson said flatly.

I blinked at the lit button, then turned toward him, arms crossing. “Yeah? Well, she needs clothes if she’s going to your place.”

His jaw twitched as his face paled a little. A beat of silence. I knew that look. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes at him. “You already got clothes for her, didn’t you?”

He didn’t answer. Didn’t need to. The guilt on his face said it all.

Of course he had. Just like Ben, making decisions they thought were protective—without ever asking. He’d already decided she was staying with him, no matter what anyone else thought.

Even her.

I shook my head, letting out a sharp breath. “The two of you will never learn to stop making decisions for us. And one day, that’ll be your demise.”

I tapped my foot to keep from punching either of them. I wasn’t sure who I wanted to hit more. When the elevator doors opened on her floor, I didn’t even glance at it. I jabbed the button for Jaxson’s instead.

“I’m taking my normal room,” I announced, marching down the hall to the left without giving anyone time to argue. I dropped my things off just inside the door before returning.

For a single man, Jaxson had enough square footage to house a damn army. Every time I came here, I forgot just how massive this place was. Rooms for days. Privacy in abundance.

Shit.

I paused mid-step. Please tell me Ben wasn’t planning on staying.

I continued to walk back into the living area just in time to see Savannah easing herself down onto the sofa. Her face scrunched, trying to hide the wince behind a forced smile, but she was doing it. Moving. Independent as fuck.

She adjusted a pillow behind her and leaned back with a sigh.

“I’m not ready to lay down,” she said. “I’ve been in a bed for what feels like forever. Can’t I just sit here, watch TV, and feel semi-normal?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re wearing hospital underwear, you’ve got a hole in your chest, hundreds of stitches across your body, and you flinched putting on a hoodie before your discharge. Define ‘normal,’ Vannah.”

She gave me a tired smile. “Touché.”

“But,” I added, softening a bit, “you can sit up with me as long as you want. Although, I do have to tell you something.” I leaned over, held my hand over my mouth like I was about to spill classified intel.

“Jaxson has one of those fancy beds that moves with a remote and shifts from hot to cold, so I expect you to abuse it thoroughly.”

Jaxson stepped into the room with water bottles and raised a brow. “Are y’all already planning your escape route?”

I pointed a finger. “Don’t tempt me, loverboy.” He turned around and walked back to the kitchen, ignoring me.

Savannah giggled, and for the first time in days, it sounded real. I sank down into the oversized chair beside her and grabbed the remote.

“Alright,” I said, flipping the screen on, “let’s pretend everything is fine for a little while. What movie do you want to watch.”

“One that doesn’t make me laugh. Or cry. Or send me back to the hellhole I just escaped from.”

I held the remote in the air. And looked at her. “Cool. Let’s just play I spy .”

That earned a full-blown laugh out of her and she winced as the sudden jarring reminded her that she wasn’t completely healed.

“I’d rather have food.” She said and I jumped up to grab my phone. I didn’t need her to say anything else.

“What would you like?” I asked, pulling up the food delivery app on my phone.

“Actually, I’ve been craving some pasta since you brought it into my room a few days ago.” I wasn’t sure if she said it because she really wanted pasta… or because she knew it was my favorite. Always looking out for others more than herself.

Either way, I clicked a few buttons, ordering pasta and breadsticks for all of us—including Ben. “It’ll be here in twenty.” I said, nodding as I set my phone down on the table.

I glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed since Jaxson and Ben disappeared down the hall, and they still hadn’t come back. I’d watched Jaxson slip into his office after brining us waters, Ben trailing quietly behind him like some ghost of unfinished business.

Part of me wanted to know what they were up to. What secrets were being whispered behind that door. No doubt it had everything to do with Aleksei. But a bigger part of me—the part that felt raw and stretched thin—wanted to stay right here. With her.

Savannah shifted beside me, reaching for the blanket on the sofa and pulling it over her legs. Her movements were slower now, the adrenaline from discharge fading and the reality of her recovery settling in.

She didn’t say anything, and neither did I.

Some silences didn’t need to be filled. After a few moments, I saw her eyes begin to drift, her head starting to lull to the side. I’d let her rest as long as she wanted.

She didn’t have to fight alone anymore. Not while I was still breathing.

I’d carry the weight she couldn’t. No matter how heavy it got.

Because if the roles were reversed, I know beyond doubt she’d do it for me.