“I guess Callum won’t be meeting with the general tomorrow,” Bensen says smugly. The man with the cane slowly turns and regards all of us.
“Nolan didn’t care to meet with Callum. It’s me he wanted to speak with, and Nolan always gets his way. He’s waiting at the docks,” he says as his eyes move to the shore.
I stare into the dark, unable to see anything that far off.How can he see that far?
“Who are you?” I askas I take in his slight limp as he walks over to the steering wheel and adjusts it so we’re aiming for the shore.
He grins at me. “The king of the underworld, some say.”
Roman narrows his eyes at him distrustfully. “You were…one of us. How else would you know Nolan?”
The man laughs. “Not so surprising, is it? Let’s see what Nolan wants so we can be done with this senseless fight. I’m not interested in letting Bane Falls sink just because of that evil old man. It’s taken almost a decade to have this town in my grasp.”
We sit in silence as the boat moves toward the docks. Gale wraps Roman’s neck with some cloth he tears from the guard’s shirts and cleans most of the blood from his face.
I stare at each of them, grateful that they’re not too hurt. My throat tightens when I think of John, tears brim in my eyes, and I have to rein in my emotions for now. There will be time to grieve John, but I need to know why all of this has happened.
Just as the man said, Nolan is waiting on the dock, dressed in tactical gear with a rifle slung behind his back. He’s smoking a cigar and doesn’t have any expression when we pull up to the dock.
“Icarus, head to the base,” Nolan says without even looking in our direction.
“General, we’re not leaving until we get answers,” Roman fires back, although it’s evident he’s exhausted, cold, and weak. I’m sure everyone else is feeling the same way because I sure as hell am.
Nolan looks at him, sparing me a slight look before letting his eyes move back to Roman.
“You will get them, Syxx. Take Briar back and patch yourself up… Pick up Bishop too. I’ll return in the morning.”
Roman holds his hostile gaze for a few moments before taking a deep breath and resigning. “All right.”
The five of us stand around the table where we placed John. We each said our goodbyes, mine shorter than the rest because I didn’t know him nearly as well. But my heart hurts all the same.
Gale and Taylor cry over his body. Bensen looks like he’s about to pass out from holding in his tears. But Roman stands there and stares down at his friend and squadmate, something deeply altering inside his mind from the loss. I can see it in the way his jaw feathers and his eyes fill with disdain. The darkness inside him craves to be let out. Callum wasn’t enough. None of it was.
I head downstairs to shower while the squad wraps John’s body in sheets and puts him somewhere cold until he can be properly buried.
I think about that for a long time while I wash the dirt and blood from my skin. I know exactly what it’s like to be buried, and the idea of bright, beautiful John being alone in the ground hurts.
Roman returns after a half hour and showers much faster than I did. He doesn’t do well when he’s left alone with his thoughts, his scar-altering habit is eviden?ce of that. I watch himwrap his neck and put a new dressing on his forehead before he shuts off the lights and crawls into bed behind me.
Light is already seeping in from the windows, morning is nearly here, but I’m so tired even five minutes of rest would do.
Roman pulls me close and buries his face in the back of my head. We don’t share any words. We don’t have to. His warmth seeps into me and mine into him.
41
BRIAR
A sharp knockcomes at the door, and a very tired looking Taylor pokes his head in.
“The general is back.”
Roman groans and props himself up with one arm. “Be out in a sec.” Taylor shuts the door, and Roman glances down at me with sleepy eyes. “Ready?” He brushes my hair from my face and presses a kiss to my cheek.
“Nope.” I kiss him right back, and he offers a sad smile.
Everyone is waiting in the garage portion of the shop. Gale and Taylor are sitting on the sofa while Bensen leans against the wall beside it. Nolan stands in the center of the room in the same attire he wore last night.
I’m a little shocked to see him so put together. I half expected him to be dead or beat to shit. The guy with the cane looked more than capable.
