My hand goes up, of course.
Gray’s gaze sweeps the crowd. He selects Mako and Orin, and a woman in her late twenties named Shonee. I’ve seen her shoot and she’s good.
“And Darlington,” he finishes, eliciting a burst of joy inside me.
“And me,” comes Xavier’s sharp voice.
Laughter rings through the crowd.
“Fuck off,” Evlynne tells him. “You’re not going on a mission.”
“I go where she goes.” Xavier jerks his head toward me. When I give him a look of warning, he shakes his head at me. His tone brooks no argument as he adds, “I didn’t say anything when you ran an op at the salt mine, but this is the Point. You’re not going to the Point without me. It’s too dangerous.”
His eyes meet mine, and I hear the unspoken part.
Cross told me not to let anything happen to you.
Not that it matters anymore what Cross wants. I doubt he’ll hold Xavier to that promise. He won’t even speak to me anymore.
But I get it. A mission in Sanctum Point will be risky. The city is crawling with surveillance drones, and there are checkpoints at every zone now.
“He’s not going,” Evlynne fumes. She looks around the room. “How is anyone even considering this?”
“I know the city,” Xavier says, his gaze focused on Gray. “I know the blind spots. I can get you in and out undetected. I’m an asset, Blake. You know that.”
“You’re a Prime,” Evlynne answers before Gray can. “You’re a Command lieutenant. Nobody trusts you, and nobody should.”
“Ev,” Gray says. “You can swap in for Shonee, if it makes you feel better.”
Her gray eyes smolder with anger. “Nothing about this makes me feel better. But yeah. I’ll do it.”
Although we haven’t been dismissed, she stalks toward the door. Gray intercepts her path, touching her arm.
His voice is barely audible, so I don’t know what he says to her, but I notice the way his hand strokes up her arm, squeezing gently.
Evlynne bats him away. “No. Fuck off with that. Don’t try to calm me down.”
She bulldozes past him and stomps out the door.
“Are their briefings always this exciting? The Command never had so many outbursts,” Xavier whispers in my ear, and I have to swallow my laughter.
Later, I find myself in the common room with Xavier and Poppy. They’re playing cards while I read the mission briefing for our rendezvous with Jasper. I don’t want to wait two days. I’m antsy, ready to head out now.
Beside me, Xavier is complaining about Poppy’s winning streak, while the teenager smugly gathers up the cards and ticks off another win for her on the tablet they’re using to keep score.
I fight a smile as I watch them bicker. Xavier got his wish, after all—he convincedoneperson on this base to like him. Unfortunately for him, it’s not a person he’d ever hop into bed with, but…well, he’s had enough conquests to last a lifetime, of both the female and male varieties. A platonic friendship with a teenage girl might be good for him.
“You’re such a cheater,” he accuses.
“I’m not cheating,” she protests, then proceeds to lay down another winning hand.
“Such a fucking liar.”
“I’m just lucky! I have luck in cards.”
As he flicks her off, her gaze lands on his wrist, which still boasts the tracker that nobody has even suggested removing.
“Are they ever going to take that off you?” Poppy asks curiously.
