everything.” Then he turned and walked out. He met Dylan as he exited the tunnels into the forest. He was in wolf form but shifted when he caught sight of Milo.
“You’re going after Kinross?”
He nodded.
“I’d offer to come along, but to be honest you’re better off alone. But good luck. Put a bullet in the bastard from me.”
“I will.”
Dylan gave him a sly smile. “And if you don’t come back, I’ll look after Destiny for you.”
“I’ll be fucking back and leave Destiny alone.” But it comforted him to know there would be someone else to look out for her.
Now, it was time to end this.
Chapter Forty-Three
“Happiness is like one of those palaces on an enchanted island, its gates guarded by dragons. One must fight to gain it.”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Destiny woke up with a feeling of well-being. It lasted for all of two seconds, which was when she realized she was alone in the bed and Milo was gone.
She sat up and looked around the room. It wasn’t big and there was nowhere to hide.
His clothes were gone from the floor.
He’d probably just woken up and left her to sleep.
Except she had a bad feeling.
She jumped out of bed. She felt better, wide awake, and the dull headache that had lingered after the anesthetic had cleared was gone. But she wanted Milo. She left the clothes where she had dropped them and pulled on one of her own yellow jumpsuits. It reminded her of Dr. Yang. It was the one time the woman had given in to what she had referred to as frivolity. Then her spare pair of boots, and she headed out at a trot. Rico was on the bridge, chatting with Dylan. Milo was nowhere in sight, and her bad feeling intensified until it was a solid lump in her throat.
Rico glanced across as she entered and frowned.
She took a step closer. “Where’s Milo?”
Rico shrugged. “He’s just gone to see what’s happening outside. Why don’t you get to work on those nukes? Keep yourself busy. We’ll be heading out in a couple of hours.”
“You’re lying.”
He frowned. “Now why would you say that?”
“Because your lips are moving.”
Dylan snorted a laugh. “Ha, she’s got your number.”
She swung around to face him. “Where is he?”
“He’s gone to kill Kinross.”
“Why the hell did you have to tell her that?” Rico snapped.
“Because she deserves to know the truth.”
The lump expanded until it choked off her air. Why would he have done this? Why leave her behind? She was gasping for breath. The world spinning. Dylan grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. “Get a grip,” he said. “Milo knows what he’s doing. If anyone can get to Kinross, he can. And Milo is not so easy to kill. Don’t give up on him yet.”
“I’m not giving up on him at all,” she snarled. “I’m going to get him.”
“Mierda,” Rico muttered. “Now look what you’ve done. You can’t go and get him. You’re a liability. And he’s better off alone.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s better off with me.”
She whirled around and ran off the bridge. She needed to think this through. In some ways, she knew Rico was right. If she didn’t do this properly then she was a liability and would likely get Milo killed. And Kinross would win, and he’d take her heart, and no way was that happening. Her heart belonged to Milo.
So how to do this?
In the storage area with the nukes, she paced the room a few times, but her gaze kept being drawn back to the warheads. She came to stand over the crates, then pried open the top one and stared down at the weapon. There was a detonator in a little pocket at the side of the crate, and she took it out and studied it for a minute. The bombs could be remote detonated. And if one went off, then it would set off the rest and the planet would be decimated.
Could she do that?
She realized in that moment that humanity as a whole didn’t matter. It was the individuals who mattered. She wasn’t ready to die for the nameless masses. But she was ready to die for Milo.
Not only that, but she was ready to kill for him.
She just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Rico and Dylan appeared in the doorway just as she finished prepping the detonator.