City of Kinetics

FORTY-SEVEN ✴ Sacrifice

       Mila ran hand through her hair, taking in a deep breath as she tried closed her eyes for a moment. Her head felt like a bowling ball, tired from the lack of sleep. It had been two days since Keller had offered her to go work with Kane, and by midnight, it would be her last chance to agree or else Kane would come after them full force.

       She felt a warm hand fall over her cold one, squeezing it for comfort. Her eyes raised to meet Hunter's concerned ones.

       "What's wrong?" he asked. "You haven't been acting like yourself since you got here."

       They were currently both laying together on Hunter's bed, side by side as Hunter had an arm draped over her. She played with her fingers, fidgeting in anxiousness.

       "Just trouble sleeping, again," Mila answered.

       He sighed. "Maybe you should just stay with me for a couple days, get away from your apartment."

       She understood where he was coming from. After being attacked twice in her home, Mila did feel unsafe, but that wasn't what was keeping her up at night.

       "I'm thinking about Keller's offer," she confessed.

       Hunter's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he frowned. Mila laid her head down on his shoulder, taking in a deep breath as she tried to relax herself. Being with Hunter made her feel safe, and her nerves seemed a lot calmer, but she still couldn't completely shake her bad feeling.

       "It's a trap, he's just going to use you," Hunter told her. "Please don't even consider it."

       That was the thing. How could she not consider it? Because of Kane, everyone's lives had been flipped upside down. This whole mess started because she gave them valuable information. This was her chance to make things right. Kane would leave them alone and nobody would have to look over their shoulder anymore.

       "Mila," Hunter said, breaking her from her thoughts. He squeezed her hand again and she did the same, not wanting him to feel like she was ignoring him.

       "I want this all to just be over," she said. "I want to fix things."

       "We will," he assured. "We're going to figure this out."

       "We don't even know where Kane is," she said. "And Chief Keller, he's too powerful to take on."

       Hunter sighed. "I know it seems impossible right now," he said. "But we can do this. We can get them. It's just going to take a little time."

       Mila didn't know how time they had left before Kane just sent someone else to try and kill them. What if next time, someone gets hurt? She couldn't imagine being able to live with the guilt of having blood on her hands.

       "You're right," she said, shaking her head. "I just... I need to stop thinking about it."

       Hunter pressed a kiss on the top of her head, making her close her eyes in contentment as she snuggled closer to him.

       "I bet I know how to take your mind off it," he said lightly, pulling his hand away from hers and moving it to her side.

       Mila felt her lips pull up. "Do you, now?"

       He nodded his head, a small smile appearing on his own face as his lips pressed against her temple lightly.

       Mila lifted her head off his shoulder as she felt him shift slightly so that his arm was propping him up as he laid on his side. His grip tightened on her hips before his hand moved down her leg. Suddenly, he pulled her so that she was lying flat on her back instead of leaning against the headboard.