Drake's Point of View
The road hums beneath the tires as I drive through the thinning light of late afternoon, the sky painted in streaks of gold and fading blue. The conversation with Hazel replays in my mind, her cautious agreement, the quiet resignation in her voice, the way she finally said yes. It's a small win, but a win all the same. We need her. Desperately.
I pull into the parking lot of the hotel and cut the engine. The silence that follows is heavy, but not unpleasant. Just the quiet that settles after a long day. I head inside, nodding my head briefly to the receptionist, and take the elevator up to my floor. Once inside the room, I toss my keys on the desk and sink onto the edge of the bed, shoulders slumping for the first time in hours.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out
