His jaw clenched. “I already told you.”
“But… Why are you doing this?”
“They hurt my sister.”
“It’s just… Why would they do that?” She must have done something wrong. As far as I knew, the NAO didn’t harm their women for fun, though corporal punishment was widely utilized. “You’re a colonel in the NSF. Wouldn’t she have protections?”
His fist clenched on the table, and spots of color appeared on his cheeks. “That’s not important.”
But I wanted to understand.Neededto understand. “It’s important to me.”
“I don’t give a fuck what’s important to you.” It came out sharp, cutting straight through my composure. My fear returned full measure. “Do you want this information, or not?”
“O-of course I do.”
He paused, engaging in some agonizing, intrusive perusal of my eyes. His face gave nothing away. He sat straight, tall, harsh emotions vibrating beneath his skin. “I assume they chose you because you’re trustworthy. I’m banking on their judgment. Probably makes me stupid.”
“Stupidity is likely the least of your faults.”
Oh my god.Shut up, Sophia!
His eyes flashed, and some of his anger finally spilled out. “Christ, you have a smart mouth, don’t you?”
“I—”
“Shut it or I’ll find something else for it to do.”
Blood drained from my head as a wave of nausea rolled through me. It would be one thing to dissociate and allow a killer to fuck me, but to suck him off… To actively participate…
My tone went leaden. “I thought you weren’t interested.”
He stared at me, unimpressed. “I’m not. I wanted to know whether you believed me. And you clearly didn’t since you’re about to faint right now.”
Was he…testing me?
“That’s a good instinct, at least,” he said, eyeing me with a tiny iota of approval. “Never believe someone just becausethey’re saying something you want to hear. But if this is going to work, I’ll need you to trust what I say is true.”
I swallowed and nodded even though nothing in the world would ever make me trust him.
“Also,thinkbefore you speak,” he continued. “Especially when you’re talking to someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. Play the player, not the game. It will save your life.”
Life advice from a Blood Colonel? No thanks.
With that, his attention fell to the open folder between us. He withdrew two sheets of paper and showed them to me—marked city plans. He launched into details about an upcoming attack.
Afterward, I eyed the papers, swallowing. “I don’t know if I believe you.”
He sighed. “Only one way to find out.”
Right. By leading my people into potential slaughter. Why would he give us this for free? Hehadto want something in return.
“How exactly did you manage to get in contact with Harrison?” I asked. Theo would have killed him on sight.
The corner of Lucas’s mouth lifted. “Ask him.”
Theo would never tell me, so I abandoned that line of questioning. But how else could I delve into Lucas’s motives? If he made our victory easy, wouldn’t it put his life at risk? Unless he was lying…
“If we don’t identify our source,” I said, “you could be killed during these raids.”
