“That I might what? Die?”
I lifted my gaze to meet his, the act of gathering oxygen practically impossible. “Oren, I-I can’t. Please. Just… Stay here. Don’t come with us to Venezuela.”
He flicked his eyes away from mine. “You know I can’t do that. If something happened to you, Simon, Liam, Matthew, I… I’d be devastated.”
“And I will not survive if something happens to you, Oren. What don’t you understand?” Clenching my jaw, I brought a hand to his cheek. “You coming with us will only be a distraction. I won’t be able to lead, won’t be able to think straight with my mind wrapped up in ensuring your safety.”
He leaned into my palm, but that damn fire in his eyes never dimmed. “Then youtrainme to be like you. I’m great with reward systems,” he mused, his attempt at humor not helping the situation.
“This isn’t a fucking joke,” I snapped far harsher than I’d wished to. “It took meyearsto get to the place I am. I’ve been training since I was eighteen, over a decade of my life dedicated to serving. You’ve been here for a few weeks, and we leave infivedays. How the fuck can you expect that you’ll be anywhere near ready to step foot in a war zone?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it look like a joke, buttrainme intensively,” he added. “I don’t want to be a burden to you, because if you’re distracted by me, you’ll get hurt. I can’t… Idon’twant that.”
“I don’t give a fuck aboutme,Oren.” Wrapping my hands around his shoulders, I shook him once. “I. Can’t. Lose. You. Out. There.”
“And Ican’tlose you, but I’m going. Either train me in the time we have or don’t. I’d much rather have a fighting chance.” Stubborn ass or not, his jaw was set, eyes glowering with that defiance that drew me to him in the first place.
“Goddammit, Oren. You aren’t?—”
“Commander Graves.” The voice cut through the building tension, belonging to none other than the piece of shit who’d been granted the chance to walk out of the clinic the day Andrew put his hands on Oren.
Inhaling, I pulled myself together, shoving Oren further into the corner and stepping out to face the man I wished I’d buried the scalpel in. “Yes?”
“General Valens would like to speak with you.”
Thankfully, Oren kept his mouth shut, stuck between pieces of folded mats.
“What of?”
He scoffed. “How should I know? I don’t ask questions asyoudo.” He jerked his thumb to the double doors, bits of brown hair falling to cover his eyes. “It was an urgent request, not an option just to stand around.”
“Understood.” It was a short reply, one of obedience, but not because I wished to offer it to him; Ihadto.
“What happened to your bite, Commander? Did General Valens fuck your whore up that badly?”
Ignoring him, I shot a warning glance over at Oren. It was far too subtle for Andrew’s mutt to catch, but enough to get my point across. Tucking my hands in my pockets, I moved away from the only man I wished to be beside, closing the gap between me and the piece of shit who’d been ordered to retrieve me.
Without so much as looking at him, I walked past, my shoulder slamming into his with every ounce of ire flowing through my veins. My lips curled as he cursed at me, but I kept walking, ignoring his pitiful attempts to get under my skin. As I crossed the threshold from the training room, I took a sharp right, creating distance between myself and the man who hadn’t realized the betrayal that was coming his way. The man who would undoubtedlyhateme before I ever even got the chance to trulylovehim.
But if it meant keeping him safe, I’d happily accept his damnation.
I stood at attention,posture stiffened to perfection, and hands clasped behind my back. My gaze lingered on the ground, my displayed demeanor serving as bait to the piece of shit who sat behind his desk.
“Hm,” was all he said as he flipped a map onto his desk. “Give me the rundown on what you have so far for preparations.”
“After assessing my squadron's capabilities, I am electing to leave Oren behind. He will serve as more of a headache than an asset on this mission, and I do not want anyone in my unit distracted by his negligence.” Spoken like an obedient mutt. “That being said, he’s blatantly refusing to follow such orders because of his relationship with two of my team members: Simon and Liam. To combat the opposition, I’m bumping up our departure time. We leave tomorrow, sir.”
“And this… leaving him behind will break him further?”
His brow rose, and I knew what he was thinking. While there might be an alternative motivation, being left behind and away from his friendswouldupset Oren. Away fromme.
“Yes, sir,” I replied obediently. “He was extremely vocal about his distaste in staying behind; he mentioned that he wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“Wonderful,” he said. “Then you have my say in leaving tomorrow.” He clapped his hands. “You know, it’s almost quite comical having you listen to orders. If I’d known hurting my son would get you this subdued, I would’ve done it sooner.”
“I apologize for my insubordination. I will make it up to you with this mission, General.”
He smiled, clasping his hands together as he leaned back in his chair. “Of course you will. A failure means I’ll punish Oren, and hell, with you overseas, there’s not much Icouldn’tdo.”
