My face hardens, all emotion draining away until only cold determination remains. With a surge of strength, I break free from their hold, shoving them back. But instead of attacking the woman again, I turn and stride for the door.
At the threshold, I almost pause, ready to warn her that I’ll be back.
She’s not worth it.
Then I’m gone, the door slamming behind me.
She’s still inside me. Her pain burns like acid under myskin, and I will do everything to rid myself of the memory. I do not want to humanize females or view them as anything other than my duty.
Collect and deliver. Nothing more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
KELLEN
My chair squeaks as I lean back and study the two men across from me. Arayik sits defensively, hands clenched into fists under each arm across his chest. Every line of his body screams violence he’s struggling to contain as emotions flit across his face a mile a minute. Elias slouches forward, elbows on his thighs, staring at the floor like it holds answers to the questions none of us have asked.
The silence stretches between us as we remain in our curated triangle of chairs. No one wants to be the first to speak, to acknowledge what we all witnessed upstairs. But someone has to break this tension, and by all the stars of course it has to be me.
“So.” My sudden voice jolts the other two. “We have a problem.”
Arayik’s head snaps up, his black eyes blazing. “Problem.” His answering laugh is sinister. “We have a fucking infiltrator. This thing has been playing us for fools.”
“She’s just a woman,” Elias says without looking up.
“No, she’s a threat.” Arayik’s voice drops to a growl. “She’s been gathering intelligence, sabotaging our fucking missions. She freed those rebels, Eli, you said it yourself.”
Elias finally raises his head, meeting Arayik’s glare. “I saw someone who couldn’t stand by and watch innocent people suffer.”
“Innocent?” Arayik surges to his feet, the chair scraping against concrete. My jaw tightens. “They’re criminals. They’ve stolen females from all three facilities, undermined the Syndicate’s authority?—”
“Maybe they have good reason to.”
The words are an obvious challenge—this is a disagreement they’ve fought over for years. Arayik stills, his expression shifting from anger to something colder and more dangerous.
“What did you just say?”
I clear my throat, drawing both their attention. “Sit down, Arayik.” In here we’re not Commander and third; there are no titles. We’re simply three men who grew up alongside each other and do our best to complete the work we’re assigned.
He doesn’t move. “Did you hear what he just?—”
“I heard him.” My voice remains level, controlled. “And I heard you. Now sit down so we can figure this out like adults instead of children throwing tantrums.”
Arayik’s jaw works, muscles twitching under the flushed skin. For a moment I think he might refuse. Storm out and report us both to the Syndicate. But my sanity sighs, relieved, when he drops back into his chair with enough force to scratch the floor.
“Thank you.” I fold my hands in my lap, considering my words carefully. “Now, let’s start with what we know for certain. The recruit we’ve been calling Lachlan Ashford is not Lachlan Ashford. She’s been impersonating that man in pursuit of joining our team.”
“For what purpose?” Arayik demands.
“That’s what we need to find out.” My eyes flickbetween them. “But first, we need to decide what we’re going to do with her.”
“Execute her.” Arayik’s response is immediate, though not unexpected considering the lingering emotions from the girl. “She’s a spy, and a traitor to the Syndicate. The penalty is death.”
“We can’t kill her,” Elias intones, voice quiet but firm.
“Why not?” Arayik turns on him. “Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t drag her to the courtyard and put a bullet in her head right now.”
Elias opens his mouth, then closes it. His hands clench and unclench several times. “We just…we can’t.”
