Perhaps he’d learned something.
“Commander.Recruit,” he said with scorn. “I’ve brought you here to discuss the situation that occurred yesterday and to see if that same fire remains lit.”
Oren cleared his throat, his uniform doing little to hide the bruises I’d marred his skin with last night. “Sir, yesterday was not an accurate impression of the status of my squad. While I know my recruit acted out of line?—”
“Actedout of?—”
“I believeyourcommander has every right to finish what he was saying without your interference,” I cut in, my wrath audible in every syllable.
“And as arecruit, it is your place to stand and fucking remain silent.” General Valens lifted a hand to his son, curling his fingers in a beckoning call. “Continue.”
With a glare at me, Oren parted his lips, his stance stoic despite the fidgeting of his hands behind his back. “As I was saying, my recruit acted out of line, and I am determined it will not happen again. While his emotions run strong, he is the best soldier on the squad, and losing him to treason will reduce the capabilities of Special Operations.”
“And what are you willing to sacrifice to avoid treason for yourmutt?”
Oren bit his lip, his brows furrowing with the disdain he tried to hide. Before he could answer, I interrupted once more. “He’s not sacrificing jack shit for you. Punish me accordingly.”
He kept his eyes trained on Oren. “I asked you a question,Commander.”
Oren swallowed, something glinting in his eyes. A dangerous glimmer I knew too well. “I want to make a proposition. My squad completes a mission for you, of your choosing, and if we successfully?—”
“Bullshit!”I screamed, stepping forward from my position behind him. “You willnotagree to a mission for this man when he willingly tossed us into the crossfire last time.Heis the reason Simon lost his leg.Heis the reason we nearly died there. And you want to offer us up again? What the fuck are you thinking?!”
He hadn’t told me.
He hadn’t told me.
He hadn’tfuckingtold me.
The General laughed, running a hand down his face as he took a few extra seconds to stroke his beard. “Nowthisis a proposition worthy of my time.” A flick of his wrist sent a guard to confine Thorne. “Continueagain.”
Oren looked at me as I thrashed against the hold of the soldier, a pity in the depths of his eyes so deep I knew there was something else beneath that stare, but I didn’t fucking care. “One mission of your choice with your best—Thorne, Simon, Liam, Matt, myself—andyou present. If we succeed, you release Thorne of any treason charges. Plus, the rest of my squad is free to go with Honorable Discharge,includingThorne. I will remain here as your right-hand man, and do notfuckingtwist my words. This is my proposition.”
Yanking against the soldier, my scream tore through the room. “You said we wouldn’t keep shit from one another anymore! You fuckingliedto me!” I didn’t care how desperate I sounded; he’d betrayed me, and hewillinglywent behind my backknowingI couldn’t survive without him. I couldn’t fucking survive knowing he was trappedhere,and he leveraged that.“YOU’RE NOT STAYING HERE!”
“I did, and I am,” Oren said, meeting my glare. “And I would do it again to make this deal for my men.”
“You…” My chest shuddered, the entire world feeling like it was crumbling beneath my feet. “You fucking lied to me. Us? All of it? Everything wepromised? A FUCKING LIE!”
“All a lie,” he repeated. He wasn’t denying shit. Hewasn’tdenying it. “I am willing to sacrifice what I need to so that the entire squad is free.”
I shook my head as panic overrode every ounce of my logic. “I offeredall of myselfto you, and you took my heart, only to tear it to fucking shreds.” A manic laugh left me as I swallowed the tears I wished to let fall, tearing myself free from the soldier holding me. “Fuck you, Oren Valens. I wasidioticto ever believe you’d be anything different than your fucking father. A hypocrite. A liar. A manipulative piece of shit.”
All I saw was red, my vision tunneling as I stepped away from the man I believed wanted to follow me from this life and into the next, a man who’d gone against everything he’d told me. Everything he’dasked of me.
With shaking legs, I walked toward the door, needing to escape the confining encroachment of the asphyxiation I knew would undoubtedly swallow me whole. “Enjoy planning your fucking mission,Commander.I’m sure Matthew will enjoy discussing the details as your second.”
Oren turned to his father, the sound of his voice colder. “Do we have a deal?”
A chuckle, deep and dark filled the office. “We have a deal, Commander.”
I was done.
Fucking done.
My fingers curled around the handle as I ripped the door open, leaving Oren with the man he’d become—his own goddamn father, the man he vowed he never wished to be.
He’d played me—leveraged my vulnerabilities to his advantage and ran with it. There was no remorse, no regret, nothing… Fucking nothing. And somehow, the only person I hated the most amidst the realization was myself. I’d been stupid enough to believe I was lovable. Idiotic enough to think I ever deserved an honest love, to be held and cradled in the ways in which I’d craved.
