Every instinct, every excuse, and every sense of reason told her to turn back. But as the clock ticked on, she fidgeted, realizing that her chances were better here than anywhere else. She tried to look at Kathy in the pitch darkness with a panic masked behind a smile.
“Go home,” Jioni said. She stretched her fingers. “I think I’m going in.”
Kathy paused before she spoke. “Ok, I’ll join you whenever you’re ready.”
“I won’t hate you or anything if you decide to leave.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll hate myself if I let you do this alone,” Kathy replied. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Jioni’s disappointed sigh was also a relieved one. She dug into her satchel and pulled out both of the wrench nunchucks—she handed Kathy one and kept the other pair.
As Jioni watched Kathy hold the “weapon,” embarrassment swelled within.
