Page 30 of Hollow State

"At least he'll live to tell the story." Darwin clipped the burner into the holder, and Wynn checked the coordinates that Scout had sent.

Darwin adjusted his harness and stared straight ahead.

Water dripped from his hair onto his forehead. Soot darkened one side of his face. Prewit’s blood had dried across his hands.

Wynn reached across the SxS and found his fingers.

He pulled away—something he’d never done with her. Not once. “Prewit’s dead," he said. "I couldn't save him."

"His death isn't your fault. It's not for you, or any of us, to carry."

"Maybe not," Darwin said. “But he’s another casualty in a war I didn’t want."

"None of us did," Kane interjected.

"But I'm at the center of it, and there’s only one way to stop this.”

Wynn turned and glared at him. “You are not giving yourself up to the police.”

“Not them.” Darwin pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Finch.”

“Absolutely not,” Kane said. “He only wants two things from you. Either more of the drug you created, or he wants you dead.”

“And neither of those things are possible while there’s breath in my lungs." She understood why Darwin thought making a deal with the devil might be the answer. They'd once discussed the Trojan horse idea. Infiltrating his operation. But it could never be Darwin.

Wynn gripped the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. It would be over Wynn's dead body that Darwin offered himself as some sacrificial lamb.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Darwin glanced over his shoulder for the tenth time in the last hour as Wynn continued to zigzag through the woods. Quinn had radioed twenty minutes ago and reported that the main road was clear. The search was focused more southeast where Wynn had taken a chance and cut across the main road in hopes of covering their tracks. Quinn confirmed it had, but Darwin knew that wouldn't last long. If they picked up the tracks on the other side, they'd figure it out, eventually. Wynn had doubled back, but it was too muddy to completely obscure them.

Wynn pointed, and Darwin shifted his gaze. Squinting, he peered through the thick pine branches and noticed two SxSs. She slowed and brought the vehicle to a stop.

Neve stood between a tree and one of the SxSs with a rifle hanging from a strap across her chest. Coulter leaned on the hood, weapon in hand. Scout stood behind the SxS, and Zadie crouched near the hood of the second vehicle with a tablet balanced on one knee. Quinn stood over her shoulder, one hand braced against the door.

"You all okay?" Neve stepped forward.

"We're good," Wynn said.

"I'm sorry about Prewit." Neve shifted her weight.

"We all are," Coulter added.

Darwin's pulse was oddly normal. Or maybe that was how it ran during a crisis. It never raced when he was in the emergency room. Adrenaline kicked in, but he always managed to stay in control. That had been true when he'd been in the military during medical combat situations. He'd learned to ignore the surrounding danger and deal with the situation in front of him.

But this was different, and it had a numbing effect that he wasn't sure what to do with.

"I appreciate it." He turned to find Kane climbing from the SxS. "Let me help you." Darwin stepped forward, reaching for Kane.

“I’m fine." Kane planted both feet on the ground. "I'm stiff. I'm sore. I might even be a little unsteady on my legs. But outside of that, I'm doing okay. Really."

“Okay, but take it easy, and listen to your body.” While Darwin hadn't seen the test results, and probably never would now, he knew Kane was healing. And doing things on his own was part of that process.

Kane stretched his arms to the sky, then twisted his back left and right. He went through a few more stretches before he walked toward a fallen log near the other vehicles and sat down.

Scout paced at the back edge of the SxS, rifle at the ready. She glanced over her shoulder. "Sorry about what happened." She held Darwin's gaze for a moment. "He was a good man."

"Thanks." Darwin let out a long breath. This was the part of death Darwin didn't know how to deal with. He'd said those words a million times, and each time, he'd meant them, but they’d always had a hollow sound and fell flat as they left his lips. But he did value the sentiment.