“Sir?”
“Yes, Solider?”
“Did the team I requested deploy?”
“An hour ago.”
I nod again. I sent a fleet to diffuse and disband Javier’s slave operation. The team was instructed to evacuate the estate and then burn the house to the ground. I vowed I wouldn’t let that girl’s death be in vain and I always stand by my word. Now I’m freeing them all.
Commander Adams gives Ellie a once-over, then cocks an eyebrow at me. He leaves without another word after that. Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies. That’s how this operation works. Execute the mission. End of story.
“Please tell me what’s going on before I fall to pieces.” Ellie finally speaks once we’re alone.
“I’ll tell you everything, but I want to get you out of here first.” I put my arm around her to lead her out of the room, but she backs away.
“No, Kayne, now. Here. Tell me.” There are so many emotions laced in her voice. She’s scared, confused, upset, and rightfully so. I’ve kept her captive for a month, told her nothing about anything, and then just dropped it all in her lap.
A room full of dead people is not exactly where I wanted to have this conversation, but Ellie seems adamant and my time as her proprietor is over. I owe her answers, and it’s time to fess up. Heaven help me.
“What’s going on is it’s over. Everything.”
“What’s over?”
“My mission.”
“Mission?” she repeats, trying to understand.
“Ellie.” I drop my forehead to hers. Where do I start? I guess from the beginning. “I spent my entire life in and out of foster homes, and to say my upbringing was rough is putting it mildly. When I was eighteen, I joined the Army. It was either enlist or live on the street.” Ellie frowns, her eyes compassionate but hard at the same time. “I scored particularly high on certain parts of the aptitude test and was recruited for a pilot program called Black Dawn. It’s where I met Jett.”
“Jett was in the Army?” Ellie interrupts.
“Hard to picture, I know.” My lip quirks solemnly. Every inch of me hurts, inside and out. And the mere mention of Jett’s name magnifies the pain twenty-fold.
“Mutual friends,” she muses.
“Excuse me?” I question trying to understand her statement.
Ellie’s eyes water. “He said the two of you met through mutual friends. I understand now. Sorry, go on.” She wipes a stray tear away from her cheek. I want to lick it off of her finger, but I don’t. Instead I continue.
“We were trained for three years in covert ops.”
“What, like spy school?” She tightens the blanket around her.
“That’s one way to put it. After the training was complete, they let us out into the world. Leaving us to our own devices.” She looks at me puzzled. Explaining this is harder than I initially thought. “They gave us free license to break the law, with hopes of aligning and infiltrating ourselves with drug dealers, arms traders, terrorists. Really anyone who is a threat to national security.” Ellie looks around the room at the covered bodies and blood oozing all over the floor.
“So that makes you what exactly?”
“An undercover special ops agent for a covert operation called Endeavor. For six years I have lived and worked under the alias Kayne Roberts. I have assumed the identity of an entrepreneur, liquor distributor, and proprietor of an elite sex club called Mansion,” I spew. It feels like an act of confession. “It was a cover. A government trap used to lure the enemy. And it lured one of most notorious drug lords on Earth. That was my mission, bring down the bad guy.”
“So Kayne Roberts isn’t your real name?” she asks.
“No, Kayne Roberts doesn’t exist. Kayne Rivers does.”
I can see the wheels grinding as she digests this information. I’m no one she’s ever known me to be. Not since day one.
“Is Jett really dead?” Her voice cracks, it’s like she’s coming out of a coma.
“Yes.” I put my hands on her arms, heartsick. Death is a harsh reality in this business. Jett and I both know that. We willingly chose this life, fully aware of the consequences. It still doesn’t make losing my best friend, my brother, any easier. I take a cleansing breath—my shoulder is fucking killing me—as I grab onto Ellie. She has no idea she’s my support. My rock. My everything. And I have to tell her.
