~ SASHA ~
It was alive in her head. All of it. She could feel the tension in Zev's chest, smell the stale cigarette smoke that still clung to Nick's jacket even though he wasn't a smoker. She could feel the fizzing tension in the older man.
And she could feel the ache in Zev whenever her face popped into his mind.
While he negotiated with the man who felt like the closest thing he had to a father, she could feel his nerves—and his hope, because he'd spoken her name and Nick hadn't shut it down. After two years… he imagined seeing her, watching her smile, making sure she was safe… and how even that little bit felt like it filled a hole in his chest.
Then she felt the bottom fall out of his stomach when he asked himself if she'd found anyone else yet.
And as she watched through Zev's memory, through his heart, she saw the wary glint in the other man's eyes.