His serious demeanor makes me frown. “Everything okay?”
“We have a visitor.”
Chapter 21
It isn’t until we’re in the air that Gray reveals the identity of our mysterious guest.
“Jasper Reed?” I echo, my brows shooting up. “Are you serious?”
Reed is the most notorious smuggler on the Continent, and the last person I’d expect to be welcome at the Dagger. At my first Silver Elite briefing, Reed and his criminal enterprise were the main topic of discussion. The Command has been trying to dismantle his operation for years. I remember Cross saying the bulk of Reed’s business involves bringing contraband into the Continent from Tierra Fe, but he also works closely with the Faithful, smuggling supplies out of the Point and trading with them.
After reading his entire dossier, all I remember is determining that Jasper Reed is the most dangerous kind of person: one whose loyalty belongs to whoever’s offering him the most credits in the moment.
I eye Gray in disbelief. “You just let the city’s most wanted criminal fly into the Dagger?”
“Not on his own. Evlynne went to collect him.” Gray sounds annoyed. “He wants to renegotiate his deal.”
“Since when do you have a deal with him? I was told the Uprising wanted to recruit him, but he wasn’t interested.”
“He’s not. Jas will never work for somebody else. But he’s also a greedy prick, which means he’s not averse to workingwithus, so long as he believes it’s to his advantage. Especially now that the opiate vein has dried out and he’s only running tobacco and alcohol.”
When we return to the Dagger, I’m a bit disappointed that Reed isn’t in the hangar waiting for us, but I suppose there’s no reason for him to be.
Gray touches his ear, receiving a message over a channel I’m not privy to. “I have to go,” he says.
When I walk into my room five minutes later, I find Xavier sulking on his bed.
“What happened to the range? You were gone all day! I’m so fucking bored here, Darlington. I’m built for excitement, not boredom.” He lets out a loud, frustrated groan. “I regret my friendship with Cross.”
“No, you don’t.” I can’t help but grin. “But if excitement is what you crave…Guess who’s on the base.”
He narrows his eyes. “Who?”
“Jasper Reed.”
“You fucking kidding me?”
“Nope. He and the Uprising have some kind of trading deal in place.” I flop down on my bed. “Silver Elite was hunting him for a long time, right?”
“Oh yeah. He’s a slippery fucker.”
“Have you ever met him?”
“No. He stays well hidden in the city. And we always suspected he has another hideout somewhere in the wards, maybe with the Faithful, because he has the maddening habit of dropping off the face of the earth whenever he’s under too much heat.”
It’s too late to visit the range now, so I take pity on Xavier and steal a pack of playing cards from one of the common rooms, then spend the next hour letting him beat me in clash poker despite holding winning hands nearly the entire game. His ego deserves the boost more than mine.
At dinner, we’re once again relegated to the corner and ignored by everyone around us. When I get up to refill my water, I spot Evlynne in the line and try to strike up a conversation.
“Gray took me to the valley today,” I tell her. “I met your son. He seems sweet.”
My attempt at civility backfires. “Stay away from my kid.”
“He ran up to us—”
“I said stay the fuck away from my kid.”
She stalks off without another word.
