Unauthorized dealings are strictly prohibited. All business affairs—joint or private—are to be registered with KORT.
All soldiers of empires must be registered and reviewed for clearance. Unreported members are prohibited.
Immoral treatment of innocents is strictly forbidden.
Casual romantic relationships are never permissible. Anything surpassing a one-night stand is to be submitted to KORT, upon which a vetting process will begin.
Marriage is to be handled with reverence. Affairs—emotional or otherwise—are unacceptable.
Confidentiality is expected in all KORT matters. Discussion of business, trials, members, or associations with parties not affiliated with our organization is never acceptable without seeking prior approval first.
Several words and phrases jump off the page at me.
Affair.
Unauthorized dealings.
Unreported members.
Immoral treatment of innocents.
Flipping the card back over, I study the highlights of my assignment.Kill the traitor. One sentence.Everyone is armed.
Pearls of sweat bead on my hairline and in the creases of my palms. My breathing is shallow and staggered. And my heartbeat pounds ferociously, bashing against my sternum and ribs, temples and toes.
As my panic swarms, the opening notes of “Me and Bobby McGee” trill into the eerie quietude, jerking me out of my gloomytornado. My head snaps up in the direction of the music. Ty is fiddling with his phone, purposely avoiding eye contact with me, which is good because Jared Austen admonishes him in the same beat.
“I suppose we weren’t explicit in stating no background music or sound effects, but it should have been understood, Tytan.”
Ty raises his hand in apology and shuts off the song as Balzano starts mumbling about the Cabrini and O’Reilly crews interfering and Payne Logan hushes him again.
But Ty’s message is all I hear.
We’ve got nothing left to lose.
