Page 75 of Beyond Redemption

Liis looked up at me in disbelief, and it took all of two seconds for my brain to catch up with my mouth.

“Jesus Christ, communal showers.” My expression twisted in disgust. “Forget I said that.”

Liis snorted. “I’ll stay here with her.”

“Good call,” I said, grabbing some things before I left for the men’s showers.

I was purposefully quick, rushing through my routine. Within ten minutes I was back, in a fresh T-shirt and basketball shorts, drying my hair with a damp towel. Liis was already ready to go, holding a bag of everything she’d need.

“I’ll be longer than that,” she said as she passed, unimpressed.

“I know, babe. I know.” I watched her pad down the corridor to the women’s showers.

Camille passed her, having just stepped out in a fluffy robe, her hair still damp. I waved awkwardly. She paused, her already flushed cheeks even redder than before, and then squeezed the top of her robe until it was scrunched together, walking faster to her and Trenton’s room.

I sighed, leaning back against the door jamb. “They have three unused Humvees down here, but I guess plumbing individual rooms was where they drew the line,” I grumbled, immediately trying to forget the awkward moment with Camille.

“You don’t need to be clean for war,” Naomi whispered from the dark.

I startled. “Fucking hell, Naomi, you scared the shit outta me,” I hissed.

She chuckled quietly. “Just making sure you don’t need anything,” she whispered.

“No… no… dinner was unbelievable. It felt like home. And Donna and Janet were fantastic with the kids, made them feel like we were on vacation. Thanks for that.”

“You can thank the General. He wanted you all to have a good first night together down here.”

“I thought maybe that was it. He’s been incredible to us. I’ll never be able to repay him.”

“You sent Travis to pluck Zeke and me out of the desert. You saved our lives. As far as my dad is concerned, he’ll never be able to repay you.”

“Since you’re here, Liis and I wanted to remind you about returning our sidearms. Preferably before any alarms go off.”

“Already done,” she said. “Getting everyone underground took priority over reissuing weapons in the middle of an evacuation. Your sidearms have already been cleared. They'll be delivered in the morning.”

I offered a small smile and nod, and then she turned, giving a half-assed wave as she left.

I stepped out of my slides, lining them against the wall, then stowed my shower supplies and dropped my clothes into the bag we were using as a hamper. The laundry facility had more than a dozen washers and dryers, enough to run everything at once without waiting on a single cycle to finish. It was a convenience you didn’t notice until you didn’t have it, and I already knew I’d miss it when we got home, assuming we made it that far.

My gaze settled on Stella, the thought arriving before I had a chance to stop it. If something happened to Liis and me, or worse, if something happened to Travis and Abby, there wouldn’t be time for careful decisions or gradual transitions. Someone would have to step in immediately and make it feel like her world hadn’t just been pulled out from under her. If we were all gone, I didn’t know where she’d end up. Val was the closest answer that made any sense, but even that felt like a guess dressed up as a plan.

I forced myself toward what I could rely on instead of what I couldn’t control. The Bureau wouldn’t leave her unaccounted for. She’d be placed somewhere stable, somewhere vetted, somewhere she’d be cared for by people who understood what she’d lost even if they couldn’t replace it. It was the best version of a solution for a situation that didn’t have one, and yet it did nothing to ease the guilt and anxiety building behind the thought.

Our wishes for who might raise Stella if not us or family was something Liis and I needed to decide, not in theory but in writing, something clear enough that no one would have to interpret it under pressure. The very conversation you put off because saying it out loud made it real in a way thinking about it didn’t.

I knew we needed to have that dreaded discussion tonight. I also knew I didn’t want to be the one to start it.

I sat on the bed and leaned back against the pillow, surprised when the mattress softly contoured to my body instead of pushing back. That unexpected level of comfort wasn’t an accident. Care had gone into every detail to make the space feel like something other than a bunker, and where it counted, the budget had been stretched. Marcel had built it for those inside to forget, at least in small moments, that it was an underground military grade facility.

A soft knock sounded against the frame before the door opened a few inches.

Travis leaned in, keeping his voice low. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I said, sitting up.

“Hey,” Liis said, sliding past him.

He glanced past me, eyes landing briefly on the crib, then Liis, then back to me. “Just came to say good night,” he whispered.