The corners of her lips pinch together like she’s confused before realization strikes. “You don’t have phone service out here?” Her voice is filled with amusement.
“No,” I say shyly. “I forgot to ask my ranch hand this morning. Any help is appreciated.” I laugh and rub the back of my neck.
“That’s probably because you’re from the city and you have a carrier that doesn’t have service over here in a small town like this. Oh! That reminds me, you said you’re here for family, right? I know everyone in town. Who are you related to?” she asks, seeming genuinely interested.
I cast another look over my shoulder to make sure they haven’t worked their way through the store yet. “I’m staying out at my late uncle’s farm, Arnold Thornton. You know, the one past all those cornfields.”
She gives me a hesitant look. “Oh… I’m so sorry for your loss. Arnold was a quiet guy, but he was kind. You’re staying out there all by yourself?”
I shrug. “Yeah, it’s not so bad, a little too eerie out there at night for me, though. It’s so quiet.”
Her expression turns concerned for a second before she slides a bag of groceries across the counter to me. “I’ll be at the party a little after nine tonight.” She changes the subject back to the party, scribbling down her phone number on the back of the receipt and passing it to me. “I’m sure you’ll figure out your cell service eventually. Just stop by the tech shop on Main Street. Shoot me a text when you get service, ’kay? But I’ll see you tonight, I’m sure!”
I offer a grin. “Thanks, Hailey.” I wrap my arms around the paper bags and scoop them off the counter.
Deep laughs snatch my attention.
Shit.Hailey was so easy to talk to that I let it drag out too long. I flick a worried look over my shoulder and spot Bensen’s dark hair. Hailey opens her mouth to say something else, but I’m already racing out the door.
“See you around, Briar!” Hailey calls out, an innocent smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Oh crap.
I look at the group of men and catch eyes with John. His arm is wrapped around a brunette woman’s shoulder. Gale has his hands shoved in his shorts’ pockets. While Taylor and Bensen look like they’re ready to run after me.
John’s eyes widen, and his jaw clenches. The girl gives me a once-over and furrows her brows when John lets go of her.
I bolt, nearly dropping the precious groceries I can barely afford as I race across the parking lot. I start my car with trembling hands and speed down the road. I glance in the rearview mirror and spot Gale and Taylor running out of the store to see where I went.
Goddamn it. They’re going to tell Roman I didn’t leave town.
My leg bounces the entire drive back to the house, a thought gnawing at my stomach the whole time.
The diner guys like fast cars and motorcycles.They’re definitely going to be at the party tonight.
5
ROMAN
The guys have been actingweird since getting back from the store. It’s obvious they’re keeping something from me. As the lieutenant of the Icarus Squad, I know each of them inside and out. I have to. It’s my fucking job.
“Whatever you guys are hiding from me, it can wait until after phase one of our mission,” I say with an air of annoyance as I slam down the box of trackers for tonight’s operation. We’re going in with minimal firepower tonight, since there will be a heavy civilian presence.
After the first few parties, we learned that we really didn’t need more than our knives and handguns. Sub-Rosa hasn’t quite put it together yet that we’re here and trying to infiltrate their gate in Bane Falls.
Gale drags his hand down his jaw—his telltale sign of being uncomfortable. John shifts in his seat and stands, changing the subject before I look too far into their little secret. “Lieutenant, I still think it’s too soon to approach Sub-Rosa members. They might just be the small fish we’ve identified in the organization. We need to be one hundred percent sure that the eagle has landed before we blow our cover.”
Taylor rubs the back of his head and nods. “Yeah, I mean, they very well might shut down the whole thing before the end of summer if we aren’t careful. Then there goes our entire two years of being stationed out here, wasting our time and fucking efforts.”
I glower at them. “You mean I’ve been wastingmytime. You guys haven’t been doing anything except hooking up with the locals like fucking hounds. And no one said anything about blowing our cover. I told you, this is an insertion to see if they bark when we prod. The general hasn’t given his orders yet on what he wants us to do once we locate their gate.” My fists clench at my sides.
It’smyneck on the line with this entire mission. The Dark Forces aren’t for the weak. They are for the fucking deranged criminals that somehow make it out of the Under Trials boot camp.
And of course, I get completely fucked with the short stick. After all my time served in the secret forces and working to prove myself worthy of being a sergeant, then a lieutenant, I get dished the role of being on an outpost squad.
Icarus is a test squad for long-term, integrated missions off base. From what I gathered during my time in the Dark Forces, only the seasoned squads get to go out on these missions and have that taste of freedom that we’re all chasing. I stare out past the auto shop’s garage door and narrow my eyes at our fake life filled with things I’ve only ever dreamed of having. Being out here in Bane Falls has been like a fresh start, but every dream has a price that must be paid.
These are things we might be able to keep if we can successfully pull off this mission. Our time here has paid off. The locals trust us now, and the Sub-Rosa men have been slipping up with their security, so we have a good idea of who’s running the entry points into the underworld.
