The Inception (Book #1 of The Inception Trilogy)

chapter eighteen

"Are you satisfied?" Micah hisses.

Harry scans the area, and when he considers it safe, he pushes Micah away. Micah yanks the dagger out of his shoulder, hardly even flinching, and tosses it back Evelyn's way. She takes a step back and it lands at her feet. He stares at her a long moment, taking in her appearance and locking it away in his memory. He doesn't look away until Harry steps in front of her, then his usual haughty smirk spreads across his face.

"I won't have to chase you," he says to Harry, backstepping towards the fence where his men wait. "You'll find your way to me soon enough."

Harry clenches his jaw, glaring at Micah as he turns around and jogs away. He doesn't stop glaring until they're well out of sight.

Then he starts to walk off.

Evelyn gapes at him, stunned for a moment before gathering her wits and quickening her pace to keep up. "So you can talk?" she asks, still for some reason unable to fathom it.

He shrugs.

She grabs his forearm before she can stop herself, halting both of them. She instantly retracts her hand, but he meets her gaze. "Don't go mute again," she says, rather exhausted. "I need answers and if you can provide them... I guess now isn't the time for questions. But do you at least have an actual name?"

He purses his lips. "Harry is fine."

"Didn't you have a name, though?"

"One that I don't care to remember," he replies coolly, beginning to walk off again. There's definitely an entire history he isn't hinting at. She hopes she can ween it out of him someday. "We need to leave."

Evelyn ignores the fact that he said "we." She has nowhere else to go at the moment, and if he can keep her and Robbie safe, then she supposes there's no other option. She needs to play smart, and after all Harry's done, it would be totally stupid to try and make it on her own, especially with no set destination.

"And where exactly are we supposed to go?" she questions instead.

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. He stops to look at her again, clearing his throat before speaking, words apparently still foreign to him. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. I know... trusting isn't exactly your strong suit."

"You know, I think I got clearer answers from you when all you did was nod and shake your head." Evelyn crosses her arms over her chest. "If you don't want me to come, I won't."

"I didn't say that."

"Good, because I'm coming anyways. I promised Delia that Robbie would be safe and since I don't have a plan..." She trails off, letting him fill the sentence however he wishes. Also, the mentioning of Delia causes an unexpected pang in her chest.

"Wait!"

They both turn to see Quincy pointing at them, his gun back in his hands.

He's aiming at Harry.

"You brought those bastards here," he hisses, eyes narrowing.

"He also saved your ass the last time I checked," Evelyn hisses back. "But don't worry. We won't be a problem to you anymore."

"You can't just leave," he retorts. "Not after you killed half my crew!"

"They were dead already. In the head, anyways."

"You need to watch your tongue, you little brat."

"I haven't gone insane enough to pick up on the habit."