Dark Matter - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 2

Chapter Twenty Six - Interrogations

Once everyone else was gone, Andrew led them out of the meeting room, and down the corridor, dodging any passers-by that glanced their way. Leah followed him hesitantly, her gaze periodically flicking between Jared and Tai. They both seemed agitated, their gazes distant, and she found herself falling behind, slipping into step next to Riley instead.

She didn't know how to act around either of them when the other was there, and seeing them next to each other, both stiff shouldered and silent, made her feel mildly panicked. She wanted to hold the air in her lungs and stand still whenever one of them looked back – freeze like a rabbit in headlights.

Riley, oblivious to Leah's thoughts, took a step closer and bumped her shoulder lightly.

"What made him decide to help us?" she asked, her eyebrow raised and her head jerking in Jared's direction.

Leah sighed and glanced over at him, watching the muscles fluctuate under his shirt. She wasn't sure he'd want everyone to know the full details of what Alice had said, so she decided to keep it brief.

"He went to see his mother in the world of the dead," Leah said quietly. "She said some things, told him about what Brenton did to him, and her, when he was too young to remember."

Riley was watching Jared with a confused mix of suspicion and admiration.

"And that was enough to make him change his mind?"

Leah shrugged. "Yeah."

Riley was quiet for a moment, her gaze distant. "I'm surprised. I didn't think anything would."

Leah sighed. "To be honest, I didn't either. I can't imagine how awful it's been for him. To have to turn against your own father..."

Leah trailed off when she felt Riley's gaze on her, that same calculating, knowing look in her eyes. It made Leah's cheeks heat with a sudden self-consciousness and she focused on Tai and Jared again. They were studiously ignoring one another, their heads facing stiffly forward.

"What?" Leah asked once it became obvious Riley wasn't going to stop staring.

"Having him here is going to complicate things, isn't it?" Riley said eventually, slowly.

Leah felt a spike of agitation.

"I don't see why it has to," she said sharply. "He knows everything about the rebels. If people just get over their prejudices it'd be fine."

"No, I know that," Riley said. "I didn't mean for the S.I.S. I meant for you."

Leah snapped her head towards Riley, her eyes narrowing, and Riley sighed.

"You know what I mean," Riley whispered, glancing pointedly between Jared and Tai.

Leah clenched her jaw and looked away.

"Tai and I are trying to make things work," she said quietly. "Jared isn't going to change that. I know he's here now, and he's helping. But there's too much history there. I can't... I mean, he's not..."

"He's not good for you," Riley finished, watching Leah carefully.

Leah opened her mouth to protest, but ended up glancing away instead.

Riley made it sound so definite, so harsh. She wanted to disagree, to dispute it, but how could she, when deep down she knew Riley was right? Jared wasn't good for her. There was still so much anger and mistrust between them and she doubted it would ever go away. This person he was becoming now had come too late.

"Yeah," she said softly, almost begrudgingly. "He's not."

"What's going on?"

Leah froze when she realised that everyone else had come to a stop, and both Jared and Tai were watching her closely, with near identical expressions of curiosity.