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He sighed as he finished wrapping my other foot. “It’s safer for both of us if I don’t. Let’s just say I owe them a specific favour, and before we head home, I’ll have to make good on that promise. But that can wait.”

On that ominous note, he cast around us, assessing our surroundings. “We need to move, baby. Before they come looking for you.”

The commotion on the lower floor had died down, which meant he was likely right that they would soon search for me.

“Can you walk?” John asked as he helped me off the table.

I nodded. My feet hurt, but it was bearable, especially if it meant I’d never have to look at Julius’s face again.

“Alright,” he said, all business again, but he still enveloped my hand in his. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, then.”

John had been shown a floor plan of the library beforehand and remembered there was an emergency exit from the stacks to the outside. A short trip down the emergency staircase, a push through a door, and warm, fresh air hit my lungs. We ducked behind the building next door to avoid the eyes of the swarm of Delta soldiers descending on the ruined library.

From there, John led me down a series of backstreets and alleys towards the warehouse district.

“You know your way around,” I said in surprise.

He grinned. “Not really. I memorized the route ahead of time on a map. Not much else to do in this shithole.”

We finally made it to the White Rose’s barricade, and after the lookouts verified John’s presence, they let us through. John tugged on my hand, pulling me toward one of the repurposed warehouses.

“Infirmary,” he said, bringing my hand to his lips. “Let’s get those feet taken care of.”

Chapter 14

Claire

Itried really, really hard not to make a sound while John disinfected the cuts on my feet with alcohol. The sting was so terrible, however, that I couldn’t suppress a whimper, and tears sprang to my eyes.

“I know, sweetheart,” he murmured gently, stroking my calf. “Just give me a minute to make sure they’re clean.”

I was sitting on a table in the makeshift infirmary, where a skeleton crew of medical staff worked. John waved them away from me. With warmth in his gaze, he said he wanted to take care of me himself.

Despite the pain, I soaked up his presence and his tenderness with me like a sponge. I’d been stuck for weeks with people who at best tolerated me, at worst tortured and imprisoned me. Being with him again felt like a vital bone being reset; I felt like myself once more.

John bound my feet with clean bandages, then kissed them, making me giggle. He grinned at me before stepping between my thighs and kissing me full on the lips, paying no mind to the tired-looking medical staff around us. The world narrowed down to only us two, together again at last.

“Christ, I missed you,” he said in a hushed tone, resting his forehead against mine. “I’ve been so worried. Did they hurt you, baby?”

I thought about the White Room and the electric rods and Julius. But I saw the distress in my husband’s eyes at the thought of harm coming to me, and I knew it’d do no good in this moment to tell him about it. We weren’t out of the woods yet, and telling him now would just upset him when we both needed to be thinking about how to get home from here.

“I’m fine, thanks to you,” I said, pressing another kiss to his lips, making him sigh. A thought suddenly occurred to me and made me sit up straight. “What about my tracker? Aren’t they going to know—”

“They can hack them here,” John cut in, stroking my cheek. “They’ll disable yours. Once we leave, they won’t be able to see you anymore.”

I might really be able to go home and never think of this place again.

Tears of relief welled in my eyes. “Really? Oh my God.”

He smiled. “Only good news today. Wait till Kimmy sees you.”

Kimmy returned to the infirmary some time later, looking exhausted but thankfully unharmed. Her face lit up at the sight of me sitting on the table, and John’s smile warmed me to the core of my being.

“Claire, thank God,” Kimmy burst out, hugging me with frantic energy. I wrapped my arms around her and sighed. “I’m so glad you’re safe. We’ve been worried sick.”

“Me too,” I replied, patting her back before she drew back. “I missed you.”

She swiped at a stray tear. “I missed you, too. This whole thing has been a nightmare, hasn’t it?”