Free The Zero Trilogy (Book 3): End of Day by Summer Lane Page B

her hand with his damp nose. His deep, knowing eyes sparkled at her in the waning daylight.
    Love wasn’t a lie. It couldn’t be.
    Not completely, anyway.
    She kissed the top of Bravo’s head.
    “What am I doing, boy?” she muttered.
    He laid his head across her knees. She looked across Falcon Point, perched on a rock hidden behind the trees. The steady rhythm of his breathing was a comfort to her. She was ashamed of herself for kissing Cheng. She was strong and independent, and having feelings forhim would make her weak. It would cloud her judgment. Cheng held secrets. Secrets could be lethal.
    No. Elle would have to be smarter than him.
    Smarter than everyone. She could trust Bravo, she knew that. It was her advantage over everyone else – she trusted someone completely, and she wouldn’t be betrayed.
    “We should leave,” Elle said at last. “Staying with Cheng and Luli is going to get us killed. It’ll drag us into drama we don’t need.”
    Their priority was to stay alive. Period.
    Bravo didn’t respond.
    “I know it’s hard,” Elle went on. “It seems like every time we make friends – even though I don’t exactly consider Luli a friend – we have to leave them behind. But it’s better this way. We can stay alive if we’re alone.”
    Bravo suddenly sat up.
    We’ve made it this far. We’re doing okay
.
    Elle pressed her forehead against Bravo’s.
    “I know. But we have to be smart.”
    Elle stood up.
    “Come on. Let’s go get our stuff from the lodge,” she said. “And then we’ll go. They don’t need to know where we’re going.”
    Bravo huffed.
    How would they know when
we
don’t even know?
    Elle ignored the obvious sarcasm and they began walking toward the lodge. Her chest felt tight. The exhilarated flutter that she had experienced earlier was gone, and in its place was stalwart determination. Cheng was charming, yes. But he was only human. And so was Elle. Basic survival instinct would win this battle.
    She shuddered.
    No
, she thought.
I’m not attached. Just let him go
.
    Bravo’s presence by her side made the walk back to the lodge easier. She felt calm as she walked up the steps, entered the lobby, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. The building was silent, now. Most people were asleep. The last bit of daylight winked away and the hallway was dark.
    Elle stood in front of the door to Cheng’s room.
    She took a deep breath. Bravo looked up at her, encouraging her. She knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again. This was the right door, wasn’t it? She stepped back. Yes, last door in the hall. Bravo’s nose confirmed it, too.
    She knocked twice more, but there was still no answer.
    She turned the knob, and the door opened. Elle grabbed the handle of her katana and slid it from its sheath, her vision narrowing. Something was wrong. She sensed it, and Bravo did, too.
    Elle pushed the door open with the toe of her militia-issued boots and flicked two fingers forward. Bravo slipped into the room. She waited. He barked once.
    All clear
.
    Elle walked into the room. The curtains had been drawn. Elle pulled them back, shining gray light into the room. The beds lookeduntouched. Her backpack was nowhere to be seen. Everything was gone.
    “Why would they leave?” Elle whispered.
    And then it dawned on her that maybe Cheng had felt the same way as Elle – that the kiss had been a mistake, and they should go their separate ways.
    Strangely, this made her sad.
    “Come on,” Elle said, shaking herself.
    Her backpack contained valuable items. Food, water and first aid supplies. And Cheng and Luli had taken all of it. She stormed out of the room, angry and disappointed – although she didn’t want to admit it – and Bravo followed her. She marched downstairs, through the lobby, and stood on the deck. The large, gray mastiffs prowled through the darkness. They were terrifying and beastly in the night.
    Bravo barked. He growled, then barked again, tail down,