The small, dim room grew quieter as their discussion shifted to immediate plans. Lucas mapped out potential routes and safehouses, his voice pragmatic and sharp as ever, while Sylus occasionally chimed in with short, calculated observations. Rose sat at the edge of the worn couch, her notebook still in her hands. She scribbled down pieces of their conversation but remained mostly silent, her mind elsewhere.
Her question lingered in the air like a ghost, one Sylus could feel no matter how much he tried to focus on the task at hand.
"We'll take the east route out of here tomorrow at first light," Lucas said, drawing a rough line on the map he'd spread over the table. "It's riskier, but it's quicker. Every second we spend in one place increases the chances of being found."
Sylus nodded but glanced toward Rose, who was staring intently at her notebook again. She'd barely said a word since her last pointed question, but her silence was louder than anything she could've said.
"Rose," Sylus called softly, stepping toward her. "You with us?"
Her head snapped up, her gaze meeting his. "Yeah. Just… taking notes."
Lucas snorted from across the room. "Notes? Seriously?"
Rose ignored him, closing the notebook and standing. Her movements were deliberate, her shoulders square. "What's wrong with wanting to keep track of the chaos I've been thrown into?" she snapped, her tone sharper than before.
Lucas raised a brow but said nothing. Sylus, however, stepped closer, his expression unreadable.
"Kitten," he began, his voice softer now, almost coaxing. "You don't have to figure all of this out tonight. The notebook's fine, but let's not get lost in it, okay? Focus on what's in front of us."
Rose crossed her arms, tilting her head as she stared at him. "What's in front of me, Sylus, is a mess I didn't create and answers you keep dodging. But fine," she said, her tone calm yet edged with steel. "Let's focus. What's the plan?"
Sylus held her gaze for a moment longer, then nodded. "Lucas is right. We leave at first light, head east. There's another safehouse outside the city, deeper into neutral territory. It's off Consortium radar—for now."
"And after that?" she pressed.
"After that," Lucas said before Sylus could answer, "we figure out our next steps depending on how the Consortium moves. Simple as that."
Rose exhaled through her nose, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't argue, but it was clear she wasn't entirely satisfied.
"Fine," she said. "I'll get some rest then." She turned away and headed toward the small cot against the far wall, her steps deliberate.
Sylus watched her go, his expression tightening briefly before he turned back to Lucas.
"She's asking too many questions," Lucas muttered, his voice low. "You're going to have to deal with that eventually, Sylus."
"I know," Sylus replied, his tone quieter. "But not tonight."
---
Rose lay on the cot, staring at the ceiling. The faint sounds of Sylus and Lucas's conversation reached her ears, but she didn't focus on the words. Instead, her thoughts circled back to her earlier question. How had she ended up here? The memory of the voice she'd heard—honey—felt like a piece of a puzzle she didn't have the edges to.
Her grip tightened on the notebook. She opened it again, flipping to a blank page. Her pen hovered over the paper before she began writing:
What is Vienna?
Why me?
Who called me honey? And why did it sound so familiar?
She paused, staring at the words, then underlined the last one. The voice tugged at the edges of her memory like something she should know but couldn't quite place.
"Rose?"
Sylus's voice broke her focus. She looked up to see him standing a few feet away, his arms crossed.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"Just thinking," she replied, closing the notebook.
He walked closer, crouching beside the cot. "Thinking's good," he said quietly. "But don't let it eat at you. You've been thrown into something impossible. No one expects you to figure it all out in one night."
"I'm not trying to figure it all out," she said, her tone clipped. "I just… I can't shake the feeling that this wasn't random. That my being here isn't some accident."
Sylus's jaw tightened, but his expression didn't waver. "You're right," he admitted. "It's not random. But that doesn't mean it's all bad."
"Doesn't mean it's all good, either," she countered.
He chuckled softly, the sound low and warm. "Fair point."
They sat in silence for a moment before Rose spoke again, her voice quieter now. "Do you think whoever pulled me here knew what they were doing? That they were prepared for me?"
Sylus hesitated, the question hitting closer than she realized. "Maybe," he said finally, his tone even. "Maybe they thought they were."
"But you're not sure," she pressed.
He smiled faintly, his sharp features softening. "I'm not sure of a lot of things, kitten. But I do know one thing—I'm here to make sure you survive this. No matter what."
She studied him, trying to read the layers behind his words. But as much as she wanted to push further, exhaustion finally began to weigh her down.
"Goodnight, Sylus," she said softly, turning onto her side.
"Goodnight, kitten," he murmured.
As he stood and walked back toward Lucas, Rose's thoughts lingered on his words—and the way he'd avoided hers.