Page 30 of The Last Love Story

“Don’t flatter yourself. Also, you dropped this,” he deadpans, flipping something in the air.

I catch it with one hand, opening my palm to the poker chip.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Ripley,” he says, voice low. As chatter filters in from the hallway, he steps away from the door. Closer to me.

I take a giant step back, tucking the chip in my pocket.

“That’s what Machs do. They blew up a boat, Hux. A boat with kids on it.”

Huxley stops. “I didn’t know about the kids. And they didn’t end up being on the boat, I swear. No one died.”

I drop my arms to my sides as I let out a humorless laugh. “That’s only because your little plan failed. You missed the target.”

Hux surges closer. This time, I don’t back up. I’m angry. More than that, I’m right.

“Don’t pretend you understand,” he shoots at me. “I don’t know how long you were eavesdropping, but no matter what you think you heard, you’re wrong.”

“Oh, so you were just pretending to be terrorists?” I volley back. “It was all a game of charades, a little improv, where you discuss human beings, children, astargets?”

This time, his next step forces his body into my personal space, his foot slipping between mine. “A conversation, by the way, that you weren’t supposed to hear. You followed me, and that was stupid and dangerous. You have no idea how badly that could have gone.”

“Oh, because if they had seen me, you’d have to kill me?”

Hux reels back as if I’ve slapped him, the motion so sudden that his elbow careens into the wire shelf. As thecleaning supplies rattle, he winces and rubs at his arm, and I feel a sick warmth of vindication.

“Or,” I continue, “tryto kill me. Since clearly you aren’t even very good at being a terrorist.”

Hux grimaces. “Do you know what Henderson was doing out there, on the water? Do you know what that little yacht vacation was actually for?”

The clever retort dies on my lips. I didn’t know there was a reason for billionaires to go on a yacht. I didn’t think yachts had utilitarian purposes, really. Yachts seem like a “just for vibes” kind of boat. But I don’t say that. Hux already thinks I’m silly and emotional, not even smart enough to be his friend.

Hux can read the answer on my face, and he leans closer, eyes searching me. “He was scouting for a suitable dumping ground for toxic waste.” Hux nods at whatever he finds in my expression. “Yeah. They’ve been looking for a way to covertly get rid of seven million tons of dangerous shit, Ripley. You know the cost of keeping Alba running? Battery acid, mercury, lead. Graves signed a bill. Gave them the legal loopholes. If they are able to dump the waste in the water where he was vacationing—as the company calls it—it will destroy the wildlife for a thousand square miles. Another part of the earth will be turned to poison. Forever.”

The words sink in, and while I try to keep my face neutral, I can tell that Hux knows he’s hit his mark. Another part of the earth. An ending of the world, if only a portion.

“So yeah, Ripley. I want them scared. I want them all scared to try something like that.”

Me too. My mind fills with images of blue water turning black, lifeless sea creatures bobbing on the surface.

But another thought cuts through the horrific picture he’s painted: two kids, ages seven and five.

“What he wants to do is wrong. But what you almost did is also wrong, Hux. You put innocent people in danger, and if the administration could prove any legal wrongdoing, they’d stop him. If you don’t like the law, you have to change the law. If we can just get enough people to vote—”

“You cannot be this naïve, Ripley!” Hux cries, cutting me off. As I stare, he lets out a huff and spins around, throwing his arms out. “You? I mean, you’re actually one of the only people in this training center that I thought would get it.”

What doesthatmean?

But Hux isn’t done. “We can’t just sit back and wait for a happy ending. This isn’t a DopaMine channel. We have to fight for a new beginning in the real world. No matter the cost.”

“Even if that cost ispeople’s lives?” I bite out, fighting to keep my voice low. If the Hammers barge in and Hux tries to kiss me as cover again, I’m punching him square in the mouth.

“I don’t want to kill people,” he says evenly. “And, for what it’s worth, I haven’t killed anyone.”

Theyetis silent. It hangs in the air, like a sword over both our necks. Still, my heart steadies at his words. He can still get out of this.

“There are other ways to make changes,” I say, though I hesitate to say more. It was one thing to tell Nef about Lyceum. It’s another to tell Hux, especially when Uri and Lena made it clear that Lyceum and the Machs are not on good terms.

Hux eases closer, and I meet his eyes. “From the day we met, I knew you had a soft heart, Ripley. I knew that I could—” He cuts himself off and swallows, his throat going. “That’s rare, now. It’s not a bad thing. But leading with that soft heart instead of your head... that’s dangerous. Some people are just bad. And bad people in power are dangerous.”