Cold Devotion | ✔️

Chapter Forty

Rose

Maximus has gone completely off of the face of the earth. I have been searching relentlessly for him but he seems to have just turned to dust. Colton has tried helping but he has been rather preoccupied with the sector leaders. A meeting is being held tonight in the conference room. A proper one - as requested by Scarron.

"You must know where he is... I thought you and Maximus were friends?" I question the nurse. She was the one that called Maximus here the first time, she knows but just won't tell me.

"Maximus is a very private man, he keeps secrets both for that reason and because it's dangerous for him... for who he is," she whispers the last line and my anger only rises.

"For what he is," I seethe and she sucks in a sharp breath. "He could be in danger," I say and the lady pinches the bridge of her nose.

"There's only one place I can think of," she huffs and I contain my triumph. "A run down building off of Claydon lane, that's the only place I can think of him being," she says and I nod.

"Thank you, really," I say as if I hadn't just been harassing her for his whereabouts. The nurse waves her hand haphazardly, dismissing me, and I turn to leave.

I haven't heard of this place before, so my only guess is that it's on the outskirts of town. Why in the world would he be in a run down building? I can't help the paranoia that bubbles in me... what if this is all a trap?

I come to the conclusion that I should probably bring Colton with me or someone. I can't go to this place alone or I could but I'd need to be layered in firearms. My safest bet is to bring someone along or at least notify someone of my exact location.

My legs are leading me towards Andrew's office before I can overthink anything. I hear people shouting inside, Colton shouting, and hesitate at the door. I probably shouldn't interrupt their heated conversation.

Tensions have been high and everyone is stressed. Colton has been particularly broody the past few days. Everyone has been snapping at each other, getting angry over minor things. The rebels are pushing a wedge between us when we need to be united.

I am about to turn away but the door flies open and I am met with a very angry looking Colton. His eyebrows are drawn together, a deep frown set on his face. I can practically see the anger rolling off of him.

His eyes widen at the sight of me. "Rose," he breathes and I smile awkwardly. This is not a good time, not a good time at all.

"I can talk to you later," I say and Colton runs a hand through his hair before closing the door behind him, slamming it really.

"No it's fine... what's wrong?" it bothers me that as soon as I need to talk to him he assumes that something is wrong. That's just the reality of our messed up lives I guess. A problem around every corner we turn.

"Why were you shouting in there? Is everything okay?" I say, wanting to know what's caused him to be so stressed. Conversations between him and his father, recently, haven't been going too swimmingly.

"It's nothing," he sighs and I scoff. Of course.

"It's nothing... right," I say and nod my head. Unbelievable. I'm sick of him constantly shutting me out. I am trying my best to be understanding and to give him time but my patience is running thin.

It's times like this where I only have the reassurance of the letter that he wrote me. Those beautiful words that quite literally carved his name into my heart.

"Rose, it's not like that," he says and I have to bite back a laugh. A laugh at the irony. Of course it's not like that... it's only what he says every time.