Riley stood by the window, her fingers tightening around the phone Lara had given her. The weight of everything she had learned—everything she still didn't fully understand—pressed heavily on her chest. She couldn't sit in this house forever. She couldn't hide. Not when she knew Zayden was out there somewhere, possibly in danger.
Lara had told her to wait, to let things settle, to let them plan. But Riley couldn't. Not anymore. The nagging fear inside her—fear for Zayden, for herself, for the life they had barely begun—was too overwhelming.
She turned to Lara, who was sitting across the room, flipping through a folder of papers that seemed to be filled with details Riley couldn't even begin to process. "I can't just stay here," Riley said, her voice trembling but resolute. "I need to find him. I need to know if he's okay."
Lara looked up at her with a mix of concern and something else—maybe respect, or maybe something Riley didn't understand. "Riley, you're not just putting yourself in danger. You're putting everyone else at risk too. If you go out there now, if you go looking for Zayden on your own, you're going to draw more attention. It's not just Zayden's family we're dealing with. There are others, other factions within their world who want you for themselves."
Riley's jaw clenched. She had heard enough. "I don't care about their world anymore. I don't care about the factions. Zayden is my priority. He's the only thing that matters to me right now."
Lara's gaze softened, but she didn't argue further. Instead, she set the folder down and stood up, moving toward Riley with a calm determination. "Then we do it your way," she said, her voice low and serious. "But we're doing it together. I'll help you. You don't have to do this alone."
Riley swallowed, relief flooding her at Lara's words. She had always been alone in this world, even before everything had changed. Now, for the first time, she had someone by her side who understood the stakes.
"Thank you," Riley whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I didn't think anyone would."
Lara smiled faintly, though her eyes remained hard with purpose. "It's not about thinking, Riley. It's about surviving. And right now, that means finding Zayden before anyone else does."