Page 51 of Hollow State

Darwin slowed the kiss before it got wildly out of control and pulled back. He smiled and adjusted his glasses.

"Be safe," she said. "Come back in one piece."

"That's the plan." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "One more day before you can start putting weight on that leg. Don't overdo it. Do you understand?"

"Zadie and Gideon will take good care of me."

Darwin stood, turned, and made his way toward the SxS. Glancing over his shoulder, he waved, then got in.

Scout swung up behind the wheel and dropped her braid down the back of her collar. She and Coulter fired up the SxSs, and a minute later, they were easing out of the vehicle bay, Quinn jogging by on foot. He'd need to go around to the front of the bunker, up toward the main residence, where he'd left his cruiser.

Zadie moved in behind the wheelchair and set her hands on the grips. "I don't know about you, but I think it's wine time."

"God yes," Wynn said.

Zadie turned the chair around, and Wynn kept her focus forward, doing her best to keep the tears from falling. It wasn’t that she thought crying would make her look weak, or that her tears weren't warranted. It was just that she didn't want to. Darwin was doing exactly what she would do in his position. And regardless of all the concerns she'd raised, deep down, she knew Darwin was doing what was best for the team.

"Red or white?" Zadie parked the wheelchair next to the big sofa.

"If there's some of that red that Shepherd brought down from Gus' wine collection, I'll take that."

"I believe he snagged a couple of bottles." Zadie practically skipped toward the kitchen. "I'll make us a cheese board, too."

"You're the best."

"Don't I know it," Zadie said.

Wynn glanced around the room. They'd worked hard to make this space their home. They were all used to temporary. At least, her team was. Gideon, Darwin, Quinn—they understood staying in one place but had never really built a life inside the homes they lived in the way "normal" people did.

"Here you go." Zadie handed her a glass of wine. "I'll be right back with some snacks."

Zadie reappeared with a tray of goodies. She set it on the coffee table then plopped down on the sofa.

"You don't have to sit with me," Wynn said. "I was just gonna watch a movie or something. And then go to bed."

"I've been looking forward to spending a little time with you."

"What about Gideon?"

"He's currently having an argument with the mini-HELIOS." She reached for a cracker. "He's pretty frustrated and in a mood, so he can be in a mood with the tech while I have a glass of wine with you."

"I'm sure he'll get through it," Wynn said.

"It's not just how Finch and Pryce copied his design, or how they've taken his concepts and turned them into a death trap," Zadie said. "He's concerned about this mission, as well."

"He's tracking Darwin, right?"

"He is, and he's following every movement. We also set up alerts, and he's listening to everything he can." Zadie shifted, tucking her feet under her butt. "He wanted one of us to go with them, but if things fall apart, we need to be together. We can't be hacking into hospital, government, and police systems on the fly with a portable tablet. It has to be from here."

"I get that, and I appreciate everything you’re both doing." Wynn set down the glass, dropped her head back, and stared at the ceiling. "I never meant to fall in love with him," she said. "And I haven't even told him. Hell, we haven't even slept together, yet."

"Seriously?" Zadie stared with wide eyes. "All that sneaking into each other's rooms, and nothing's happened?"

"I wouldn't say nothing." Wynn kept her eyes on the ceiling. "But the more important issue here is that I didn't tell him how I felt before he left."

"He absolutely knows," Zadie said. "And it's obvious he feels the same way."

"Maybe. But words matter." That was another thing her grandmother had drilled into her head. However, her grandma always said that words and actions had to match.