Page 69 of Hide From Me

“Look, I… Cas…” I start clenching my fists tightly to avoid losing myself again.

“A fucking inch. I give you a bloody inch–”

“And I take a mile, I know, but—” I finish, but he’s already cutting me off again, scolding me like a goddamn child. I’ll never be able to escape this. No matter what I do, I’ll always be seen as a kid.

“A waitress. A civilian. A damn girl who can run her mouth at any given moment if you so much as piss her off.” He’s yelling now, the way people do when their worlds start slipping through their fingers. And there’s that pacing again. Why do people do that when they’re worked up? More specifically, Sharkie and Caspian. It’s as if their constant movement will somehow help them piece everything together, but it won’t. I can hardly comprehend how this happened myself, and it’s my life.

“She doesn't know anything,” I say under my breath.

“She knows more than she needs to! She knows where the base is, our faces, our names. What were you thinking?”

My brows furrow, and my jaw clenches. I know I should keep my mouth shut and just take it. Deep down, I knew this confrontation would come; it’s just happening at the wrong time.

“Everything our father built, all our progress—it can all end here! Have you even thought about how this will affect our team? Our world? Us?” His voice keeps rising, louder and louder, bouncing off the walls and echoing in my ears as if it will engrave itself in my mind. It’s not fair. I’m not saying that as some petty person sulking in self-pity; I truly mean it.

“No,” I shoot back. “No, I thought about her like Sam did when he let Jasmine stay. She was a civilian. She lied. What’s the difference?”

“The difference is you didn’t think about this faction! You didn’t think about the mission! You didn’t think aboutme,aboutSam,about ourfamily!” He’s pacing, ranting, and I’m drowning in it. Like always though, he can't hear me.

“Neither did you! You fell in love with the person who killed our father! Did you think about our parents when you did that? Did you think about me when you killed my mother for the fucking enemy?!”

He stops pacing, his brow furrowing as if he doesn’t understand how I could ever let those words fall out of my mouth. Then his gaze darts to Cordelia. I don’t even dare to look at her; hell, I can hardly look at him. All I can do is stare at the screen past his head. It’s as if Raylen’s face is taunting me, that half-smile mocking me with something I may never have as I throw away everything I’ve ever known.

Caspian’s breathing grows heavier, his glare locked on mine. But it’s not just anger anymore; it’s something else:pain.The kind that makes your hands shake when no one’s watching. The kind that keeps you awake long after the war ends.

“You crossed a line,” he says, barely above a whisper now. “And the worst part is—you don’t even see it.”

Yes, I do. God, if he only knew how well I recognize it. If only he understood just how deep into a spiral this has thrown me. Before I can answer, the monitors flicker behind him.

One camera feed lights up. It’s the grainy footage from outside the bar. The frame catches me crouched beside my car, Raylen cornered against her vehicle, Dale stumbling back with a glint of silver at his side. The angle is just wide enough to show Bill’s flashlight sweeping the lot, Raylen’s car speeding off, my slow stand, and the draw of my gun.

I can’t stop staring as it plays, almost as if it’s in slow motion. Cordelia’s head turns, her eyes wide, and Caspian’s gaze follows.

“What is that?” Caspian asks, his voice low.

I stay silent. The audio is cut, but the visuals are enough: Bill ducking, me running, Dale being tackled to the ground.

“Damn it,” Caspian mutters, his eyes fixed on the screen.

He turns slowly, his face pale but his jaw set tight.

“You did this… forher.” It’s not a question. His voice is calm, but something in it unravels with each word.

“I did it because she washurt,” I reply sharply. “Because he touched her. Because someone had to make sure no one was afraid of him again.”

“Youframedhim,” Caspian snaps. “You orchestrated the entire thing.”

“I protected her. He was going to be brought in at some point anyway,” I growl.

“No,” he says flatly. “You compromisedeverything.”

His chest rises and falls just as fast as it has been but his eyes soften as they stay locked onto mine.

“For her,” he repeats. Something shifts in his gaze as he flicks his focus to Cordelia and then back to me. I can’t tell what it is—confusion, understanding, or hurt?

Cordelia moves between us, placing a hand on his arm. “Cas, come on. You know this isn’t the way. He’s not thinking clearly. Neither of you are—”

“Heisthinking clearly. That’s what scares me,” he snaps.