Page 128 of Uprising

I pull my gaze from his, looking at the room around us. It’s filling up with more people. More strangers. As a few look our way I feel myself getting more and more on edge. What’s to stop Darius from sending someone in here? What’s to stop him from bribing someone to kill me, to kill Lara, to kill any of us?

“What is it?” Roman asks.

“This place. How safe is it?”

He frowns glancing around too. “It’s safe.”

“You don’t know that.” I reply and even I hear the snap in my voice. The way my fear coils around my words.

He pauses as if he’s trying to understand my headspace.

I can’t even explain why I’m feeling like this. Afterall Roman has lived here, existed here for months and nothing has happened to him. And yet the thought of it, of being here makes me feel like I’m losing control. Like I’m in danger.

There are too many people here. To many strangers.

“We can eat back in your room from now on.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

His eyebrows raise. “You want to leave, leave?”

“Is that possible?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Technically yes. The new Governor has said you’re not a person of interest.”

“So we can leave Verona?”

His face falls a tiny bit. “No. Not yet. That was made clear.”

I try to hide my disappointment but I know he sees it. I know he can tell. God, what I would give to be able to leave, to really get away from all these people, to disappear, to go somewhere where no one even glances our way.

But I guess that’s not an option. Not yet anyway.

“Let me see what I can do. Let me find somewhere, in the city. Somewhere safe for all of us.”

“For Sofia too.” I say. “And Ben, if he wants.”

He nods in agreement. “I’ll find somewhere, somewhere new, where can start afresh.”

Rose

Idon’t ask for it but he lets me sleep, lets me have some alone time.

I need to clear my head. I need to clear the horrific thoughts out.

But every time I close my eyes I see either Sofia in that place, or I see Ty. I see him tied to a chair, begging for his life.

And then I see Darius, laughing, mocking me, mocking my pitiful attempts to beat him, before he pulls the trigger over and over and over again.

I wake in a cold sweat. I have a clock in the room now so at least I know what the time is.

Lara must be with Roman because she hasn’t returned but Bella is here, curled up on the bed beside me.

I get up, all but crawl into the bathroom and turn the shower on. I know it’s just the trauma. On some level I get it. I understand it. But I need it to stop. I need to stop.

I want to be me again. I want to be able to laugh, to smile, to look at Roman, to let him hold my hand and not feel some deep sickening repulsion at the feel of his skin against mine.

I clamber into the cubicle. The water is cool but I don’t have the energy to reach up and turn the temperature up.