How he wished he was with her now…

He slid the ring onto his pinkie and remembered the way she’d opened herself up for him last night. In her arms, he felt like he could fly. He didn’t know how she did it, but whenever he was with her, he didn’t hear the voices of his past or the ones in his head that constantly derided him. She expelled every demon inside him and made him forget the past. With her, he only saw the future.

Zarya was his haven even in this miserable hell.

Staring at himself in the mirror, he despised what he saw there. He always had. All of Arturo’s insults rang in his ears. But the ones that hurt most were from his own mother’s lips.

“You will never be what your father was. You’re just a pititful shadow of him. May the gods help us if you ever inherit.”

He flinched, then pushed those ghosts out of his memory.

Please let tomorrow work out the way it’s supposed to.

Don’t worry, Dar. You’ve been on missions before that went bad and yet turned out fine. Whatever happens, you will adapt and you will survive.

For Zarya, he would walk through the fires of hell just to make her smile. And if everything went through tomorrow, he’d make sure she never cried again.

Look on the bright side. Either you’ll succeed tomorrow or you’ll die.

One way or another, he’d finally be free.

3

Darling lay on his “bed” alone, going over all the plans for tomorrow. He mentally checked and rechecked every single second of the day. There were so many details. So many things that could get royally screwed.

It won’t.

He didn’t believe that for a minute, which was why he was making himself insane going over every variable, planning for the unexpected. No matter how ludicrous the thought, he prepared for it.

Even the highly unlikely possibility of a mechanical failure on his fighter.

The link he’d smuggled into his room past his guards vibrated under his hand. He glanced down, then smiled as he saw Zarya’s photo. Now that was enough to reverse even the worst mood. Turning the video output off, he clicked the channel open to see her looking tired, but nonetheless breathtaking. “Hi, beautiful.”

“Hey, sexy. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to pick up.”

Yeah, he didn’t want to think about what Arturo or his guards would do if they found out he had the link with him. The least would be he’d have to postpone his try for freedom by a few days as his body healed. “Only for you.”

She laughed. “I’m so glad you’re not taking fire and that your voice sounds relaxed. What are you doing?”

“Relaxed” was not the word he’d use for himself right now. He was wound tighter than a cat in a dog kennel.