Naomi’s Pov

The van smelled like cold metal and fear.

Not loud fear, the quiet kind that settles in your clothes and clings to your skin. The kind that sits with you even after you’re safe.

The three girls were huddled in the back seats, wrapped in the blankets Mara handed them. Rubio drove fast, his eyes glued to the road, checking the mirrors every five seconds. Mara sat near the sliding door, gun across her lap, watching the windows as they might breathe.

Cassian sat beside me.

Not touching.

But close enough that the heat of him brushed against my arm every time the van hit a bump. He...