“Alright boys, when do we leave?” she asks, sliding into an empty chair at the far end of the table. “I assume you’ve been making arrangements since he was taken? Has anyone been able to get information out of the general? Is he locked in that stupid little prison cell he loves so much, or did he get brought somewhere with more guards?” The questions pour out of her, unable to stop herself. Glancing around, each of the men in front of her avoids making eye contact. They look toward each other, brows knit together as they shift nervously.
They may be highly trained soldiers, but they suck at hiding things from her. “You do realize it’s obvious you’re keeping something from me, right? You all look like you’re scared to tell your mom you broke a window. Someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on and fast.”
“Look, Liz,” Tyler starts before a hand covers his. She watches the two men sitting hand in hand, a pang of jealousy in her heart.
Alex shakes his head at his partner and picks up the conversation. “You already hate me, so please, don’t take anything out on them. Riley trusts you, he made you a part of the team, so I am going to tell you everything we know, but you need to be prepared to hear things that are going to upset you.” His stern tone sends a chill down her spine. Whatever he is going to tell her very well could be the thing that breaks her for good.
Her thoughts go to that dark place she tries so hard to ignore. Heart thumping in her ears, she knows what Alex is going to say, but she can’t lose Riley. She will never be able to come back from the death of another love.
“Scott isn’t in jail. I know you think he has something to do with Riley going MIA, but he is the leader of our unit. He may be an asshole, but he wouldn’t risk his top commander. We still need to follow his orders.”
A silent tear rolls down her cheek as she lets her eyes close. She knew they would never believe her. They all know their general’s true nature, but they still don’t know her. The only thing they know is that she is a victim and she hates Scott with every fiber of her being. “Is he dead?” she asks, her voice quivering. “Is Riley dead? Is that what you’re too scared to tell me?”
“No darlin, he’s alive, we know that much, it’s just... we just don’t know where he is. We have an idea, but nothing solid,” Mikey reassures her. His hand envelopes hers, rubbing back and forth just as he saw Riley do so many times before.
Tyler then speaks up, wanting to share the awful task of explaining everything to her, knowing only months ago she was the one being held captive. “The three of us talked while you were in the hospital, and we all agree you should hang back while we find him.” Before they know what is happening, Liz is out of her chair, knocking it over with a loud crack.
“What? No! You can’t… no… just no,” she shrieks. Three sets of concerned eyes track her every move as she walks circles around the kitchen island, the gears turning in her head. Liz opens her mouth to say something, snapping it shut before she can. There are no words. Nothing she can say to them to make them understand. Deepseated guilt grips her. He fought to protect her, and when it was her turn to defend him, she failed. She was willing to die to keep him from turning himself over, instead, her actions guaranteed his capture. How can they expect her to give up on him like this?
“You just got out of the hospital—” Mikey starts.
“I don’t care,” Liz retorts
“You were blown up,” Tyler says, trying to help his friend.
“I don’t care.”
“You’re still training,” Alex says, only adding fuel to the fire growing in her.
“Oh my fucking god! I do not care,” she says, slamming her open hands against the smooth marble island. Riley is alive and they are going to find him; they will have to throw her back in chains to keep her from helping. “If you are going after him, I am too. I don’t give a fuck if I was in the hospital, and I certainly don’t give a fuck if I’m not fully trained. Wounds heal, and you can train me while we search for him. Look me in the eyes and tell me you wouldn’t do the same if it was Tyler who was missing.” Alex’s eyebrows shoot to his forehead. Sheer will and determination shines in her eyes, and he knows she will go toe to toe with each of them to be included in Riley’s rescue. “Will you follow orders? No matter who they come from, even if you disagree?” he asks carefully, gauging her reaction.
She gives him the smallest nod of her head, not wanting to make him change his mind by being a hot head.
“You can’t be serious,” Mikey shouts, looking between the two. “Do you have any idea what Ry will do to us ifhe finds out we took her on a mission? No, scratch that, do you have any idea what he will do if she getshurtbecause we took her on a mission?”
“Okay, so I just won’t get hurt, problem solved,” Liz interjects, “When do we leave?”
“We don’t! We—” he shouts, gesturing to himself, Tyler, and Alex, “leave after speaking to the general and working out a plan of action. You stay put.” He grows more frustrated with every word. He was the one tasked with keeping her safe. If anything were to happen to Liz because he allowed her to tag along, Riley would kill him. Not in the way friends joke about killing each other, no, Reaper would come out in full force and rip the soul from his body.
Twiddling her thumbs, watching Mikey with her cheeks puffed out, Liz waits for him to calm down. She already got their interim leader on her side, there is no going back now. She only talks when the storm churning in his deep blue eyes slows.
“So, here’s the thing, sweetie. I know Riley is like, the big, bad, scary guy whose morals are a teensy bit grey, and I get where you are coming from, I promise, I do. However, I am not afraid of him. The man knows damn well that if he’s getting rescued, I will fight alongside you to get to him, and if he has a problem with it once he is safe, then he can take it up with me,” she says, leaving no room for argument.
The men exchange knowing glances. There is no denying she is right. If Riley were there, he may fight her on it, but in the end, he would acknowledge she is a grown woman who makes her own choices, and they need to do the same.
“God damn it. Fine, but you need to promise me you will follow every order we give. Every step you take out of line puts all our lives, and more importantly, Riley’s life, at risk.” Mikey’s voice is firm, dripping with an authority she has never heard from him.
She extends her pinky to him, a promise she will do anythingshe is told. The smile spreads across his face before he can stop it as he links his own pinky with hers.
“Okay, now that it’s settled, I should go get the general so we can brief him on everything we know,” Tyler announces. Chair legs scrape across the floor like nails on a chalkboard as he stands, heading to his borrowed room down the hall. Mikey follows suit, strutting to his own room to gear up for the fight ahead. Alone with Alex, a mix of fear and anger claws its way up at the thought of the general coming to Riley’s home while he isn’t there. If she fights them on it, effectively breaking her promise, they will never trust her, and there is a good chance they will use that as an excuse to force her to stay behind.
“Hey, Alex?” her timid voice says, drawing his attention from the map laid out in front of him. He looks up at her, his deep brown, almost black, eyes are kind, even with the dark bags sitting below them. “Don’t bring him here,” she says. Her voice matches the slight tremble in her hands. “Please.”
He can see it then. The fear she tries so hard to hide from everyone. The one person who has brought her strength in the months since she was rescued is now gone, and she doesn’t know how to cope without his steadying presence. He gives her a small nod, knowing how hard that bit of vulnerability must have been for her.
“Go gear up. We will take the information to him.” Turning on her heels, she starts back to her room when Alex calls out to her. “And Liz, bring some of that fight to this meeting. I have a feeling we are going to need it.”
CHAPTER 2
