Brittany slept contentedly beside Max. She felt reassured by the steady, constant beating of his heart, which she could feel through his chest like an unrelenting drum. By the time the early morning sunlight was streaming in beneath the curtains, Brittany felt refreshed. She sat up and stretched, and for a blissful moment she was happy. She was with Max and that was all that mattered.
But then the memories of the previous night crashed down on her like a tsunami, threatening to drown her in negative emotions. She remembered how Zack had walked away from her, had gone to fight a battle which wasn’t even truly his. Why hadn’t he chosen to turn his back on it all like Max had?
“Morning,” Max croaked the greeting, his voice hoarse. A dark shadow of stubble had gathered along his jaw line making him seem even more dangerously sexy.
“Morning,” Brittany pushed away her negative thoughts and leaned down to gently kiss Max on the lips. As they connected, he released a groan of contentment and looped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him. Brittany wanted to get lost in the moment, in the kiss. But Zack’s name kept pinging around her head like a bell. It was almost deafening.
“My brother,” she panted as she pulled back from Max, seeing his face blanche with disappointment.
“He made his choice,” Max sat up, pushing his hands through his hair.
“I need to know that he’s okay.” Brittany wasn’t sure she could live beneath the cloud of uncertainty, which came with not knowing what happened to Zack. Was he even alive? Or did he die while she blissfully slept? Guilt pressed through her like a rusty blade, and Brittany cupped a hand to her mouth, suppressing a sob.
“Brittany - ”
“Can’t you make a call or something?” she pleaded desperately. Good or bad, she had to know what happened to Zack. She’d never rest unless she knew.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Max,” Brittany wilted, feeling all her happiness drain out of her. How was she supposed to be happy if her brother was dead? If she knew, concretely, what happened to him, good or bad, she could at least carry on, could let go. “I need to know. Either way, I need to know.”
Max groaned and got out of bed. Her eyes flicked up his bare torso, savouring how she always did, at how amazing he looked.
“If I call then they will know where we are, and they’ll probably come after us,” he warned gravely.
“But if the fight is over, isn’t everything resolved now?” Brittany gazed at him with wide-eyed innocence.
“It doesn’t work that way,” he grumbled, heading for the small bathroom. Brittany scrambled up and followed him. There had to be something he could do about learning of Zack’s fate.
“He’s my brother,” she announced, her heart almost breaking as she considered possibly having to speak about him in the past tense.
“Maybe everyone died last night,” Max shrugged, leaning into the tub to turn on the overhead shower. Hot water gushed out, filling the room with steam and almost drowning out his words. “Maybe some people survived,” he continued, his voice level. “Either way, we risk being hunted down and blamed for whatever went down in Colridge. I can’t stress to you enough how dangerous these people are, Brittany.”
“But my brother is one of these people, and he’d never hurt us.”
“Are you hurting now?” Max gave her a long, hard look. “Did his decision last night hurt you?”
Brittany lowered her head as a solitary tear slid down her cheek.
“Yes,” she replied softly. “He did hurt me.” Which meant that he had the capacity to do so again. But while Zack might be quick to cast her off, she wasn’t about to do the same. They were family, and that meant something to Brittany.
“All I want to know is whether he’s alive or dead,” she straightened, wiping at her cheek. “Once I know that, I’ll let it all go. I promise. We’ll get on your bike and go wherever you want and I’ll never look back. Ever.”
She could see Max considering her offer, his expression stern with contemplation.
“If I do this,” he sighed, “we leave immediately after. We leave the state and we never return. We go down a whole new road together, one which no one can follow us down.”
Brittany felt a thrill of excitement dance down her spine, and she edged towards Max, placing her hands on his bare chest. He shuddered with delight at her touch. The thought of the two of them going off on some grand adventure together was thrilling. It was as if they were about to ride off into the sunset together, to forget all about Zack and Colridge and forge their own happily ever after.
“I’ll make one call,” Max told her sternly. “That’s it. After that, we’re gone.”
“Agreed.” Brittany was pushing Max back, towards the tumbling heat of the shower. As he stepped into the tub, she hastily removed the T-shirt and panties she’d slept in. Max broke out in a wide grin as she climbed beneath the spray of the shower with him. They melted together in a passionate kiss as the water soaked them both. Brittany stopped worrying about Zack and lived only in the moment. That was what she loved most about Max – his power to make her forget about all the bad stuff she’d lived through and just savor the present. With Max, she saw the beauty in the sunset, heard the sweet melody of bird song. He gave her an appreciation for life which she assumed had died along with her parents. In Max’ arms, she was truly alive. She just hoped that the same could be said for Zack, that he wasn’t lying in a ditch somewhere slowly bleeding out and questioning all the choices that had led him to his own dark end.