Something is bobbing, causing ripples in the glassy water.
Who the fuck is swimming in this weather? They must have a death wish.
Drowning. How terribly romantic.
34
ROMAN
The auto shopis quiet when I pull into the garage. The lights are all off, and it’s as if no one’s here.
But I can sense Nolan’s heavy gaze through even the darkest shadows. It has a weight that bears down on your shoulders and makes you uncomfortable.
“General.”
“Lieutenant.” He strikes his lighter, and a small flame discloses his location against the far wall.
I let out a long sigh and walk over to him. He extends his pack of cigarettes. I take one and light it, standing beside him and staring out into the dark like he is.
“You’ve done good here, Syxx. I’m sending your squad back to home base after tomorrow,” he says flatly.
My body jolts at his words. “Nolan, you made me a promise.”
He chuckles and inhales deeply off his cigarette. “You made that girl a promise. Did you keep it?” My eyes widen. Nolan stares at me, something calculated in his gaze.
How would he know about my promise to Briar? I swallow thickly as my fingertips smooth over the phone in my pocket.They’ve been listening to everything.A breath escapes my lips because I feel stupid. Of course, they’ve been listening.
“That’s what I thought. It seems we aren’t so different, Syxx. That’s why I like you so much. You get the job done, even if it means you discard the people who care about you the most.” His words are an axe to the throat. Nolan flicks his cigarette to the cement and steps on it as he heads toward the office. “Pack your shit, you won’t have time to do it tomorrow.”
I don’t pack. I just sit in my empty room and stare at the flash drive. With everything going on with Callum, I don’t think anyone has said anything about it to Nolan. And maybe he’s forgotten as well, or assumes that it burned in the fire.
What’s in the locked file that’s so damn important that they brought Briar into town? I tap my knee anxiously before grabbing my laptop and booting it up.
I click on the locked file and enter words I think Arnold may have used as passwords. Nothing.
I drag my hand down my face and think. If there was information that was locked because of the Dark Forces, then what would I put as the password? I close my eyes and picture Arnold and remember who he was as a person. He was like most of the other high-ranked officers. Cold. Disconnected. Someone who likely didn’t crave anything perhaps other than…
My eyes widen.
Freedom.
I punch in the word, and the file opens. I sit for a few seconds, just staring at the screen and the unlocked file. If the password is indicative of anything, it’s that whatever is in it could potentially give not only Arnold the freedom he sought, but perhaps all Dark Forces soldiers.
I click on the folder, and it opens. There are hundreds of documents and videos labeled with dates alone. I open the most recent one. The date is the same day that it was reported Arnold was terminated.
The video plays; it’s footage from the war room at the main base in California. My brows knit. How could he have access to this if he was here? Shock ripples through me. Arnold either hacked into the Dark Forces’ security cameras or he had a connection on the inside, likely the IT department.
Nolan and Captain Bridger are discussing the Bane Falls operation. They skirt over the Icarus Squad and focus mainly on Arnold and the underground he’s been infiltrating to get information on the locations of the dark cities.
“This has to be their entry point there,” Captain Bridger says slowly as he smooths his hand over a map. “It’s the only one Callum visits often aside from Seattle.”
Nolan nods thoughtfully. “And you’re sure Callum is the gatekeeper? We still have a few other candidate towns that have the potential of being the entry point too.”
I frown. It sounds like Nolan wants more than just the cities. Why does he care so much about the entry point? Who are they looking for? Callum’s boss? I didn’t consider it before, but of course, he’s reporting to someone just like we all are.
Captain Bridger slides a few documents to Nolan. I can’t make them out in the grainy footage.
“Right. Well, Arnold won’t last the night. He’s been discovered by one of Sub-Rosa’s men, and satellite footage indicates that they’re on the move to his location. So at least that ties up that loose end.” Nolan’s tone is indifferent. I’m not surprised in the slightest that he’d let his elite soldiers die so easily when he’s harvesting more and more each year in the Under.
