“They can be slaves, or they can be dead. Which would you prefer?”
“So what do we do? How do we stop your brothers?”
“I’m in no position to stop anyone. I didn’t just lose Elite. I lost all the power I had to keep shit in check. I still have my rank but it’s in name only. Travis won’t even let me attend Intelligence briefings. All I know is what they’re willing to tell me, and that isn’t much.”
“You were the captain of Silver Elite,” I remind him. “You know how to gather intel. You don’t need Travis and fucking Roe, of all people, to throw you crumbs.”
He doesn’t answer, which has me searching his expression. It’s shuttered. Impossible to decode. I suddenly wonder if we’re on the same page, because right now, it doesn’t feel that way.
“What’syourgoal?” I ask slowly. “How do you see this ending?”
His blue eyes darken. “You mean us?”
“No, of course not. I mean this war. Because it’s going to have to end eventually. And when a war ends, that usually means one side loses.”
“I’ve been in the military my entire life. I understand how war works.” His shoulders are stiff as he steps out of my grasp.
“So which side do you want to be on when that happens?” I push.
“Which side doyouwant to be on?”
“I’ve chosen my side. The Modified. The network. That’s where I need to be. That’s whereyoushould be.” I reach for his hand, forcibly intertwining our fingers. “You can’t possibly be keen with what your father’s done—the Silverblood Purge, taking Mods as slaves, killing them. And now your brother is doing the same thing.”
“I’m not keen with it.” His voice is rough. “But can you honestly tell me the Uprising will be any better to their enemies? Because oneof the people you’re working with destroyed a man’s mind without batting an eyelash.” He takes his hand back, and my heart clenches because it feels like a rejection. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? He’s myfather.And now he’s brain-dead. Because of your new friend Adrienne.”
“You hated your father.”
“That’s oversimplifying it. And my feelings about him have nothing to do with the fact that the Uprising corrupted his mind. Do you realize how sick that is?”
“And what the Primes are doing to Mods is any less sick? My best friend has slave tattoos around her wrists,” I say angrily. “She’s locked up in a fucking salt mine. What Adrienne did, she did in order to save people like Tana from your father.”
“I get it, all right? And it doesn’t fucking escape me that I’m the one who put your friend in that position.” He drags both hands through his dark hair, visibly rattled. “I saved her from a firing squad, yeah, but you think I don’t wish I could’ve done more? Now I can’t even dothat.I don’t know how long it’ll take to convince Travis to trust me again. All I know is…” He groans, trailing off.
“All you know is what?”
He steps toward me, those strong hands resting on my waist, this time pulling me closer instead of pushing me away. He smooths my hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. His touch is gentle.
“I know I want to protect you. And I can’t do that when I’m here and you’re there.”
My breath catches. “Are you asking me to stay?”
If he is, I don’t know if that’s something I’m willing to do.
“No. You’re wanted for treason and concealment. If you’re caught, the orders are to kill you on sight, and I won’t be able to stop it.” He lets out a ragged breath. “But I don’t trust the people you’re with, either.”
“Well, I do. They’ve welcomed me into their ranks, given me a place to live, a place to train. Soon I’ll be running missions with them. I’ll be able to rescue Tana, and her dad, and everyone else the Company is holding in camps.”
“And if they find out about your parents?” he says flatly. “What happens to you then?”
I falter. “I…I’m hoping if that happens, by that point I will have proved my loyalty to them.”
“You’re willing to bet your life on that?”
“Am I any safer in the wards? No. We’ve just established that. So all I can do is hope I’m able to earn their trust.” A lump rises in my throat. “Come with me. Please.”
“I can’t.”
“But—”
