Page 20 of Enemy of the Heart

He smiles broadly in reply, and his relief is palpable.

Silence descends as we relish our reconnection when neither of us were sure if we’d see each other again. I fucking missed him, and I have a sinking suspicion that walking away for a second time will be infinitely more difficult than it was the first.

Jace clears his throat, a somber look creeping into his eyes. “The government told your mother you were killed in the line of duty.”

So that’s how they covered it up. I knew they’d come up with something. I snort derisively. “Of course they did.”

“They’re going to kill you, Digs.” My gaze falls to the drill and knife for a moment, letting that solemn report sink in. Even if I knew that was their intention, hearing those heavy words fall from Jace’s lips makes that grim reality even darker.

I drag my head back up and meet his liquid honey eyes again. “No, they’re only going to try.”

He shakes his head. “This place is fifty kinds of fucked up now. Thompson immediately took over, and things have never been worse. You can’t imagine the shit I’ve seen over the last few days. I’m sorry for hurting you. I didn’t want to, but Thompson is testing me. It was the only way I’d have a chance to be alone with you. I—”

“Don’t do that shit to yourself, man,” I rush out, interrupting him. “You did what you had to do. I understand that better than most.”

He winces. “Well, don’t be too forgiving just yet. I sort of…need to rough you up a bit.”

Disappearing into the storage room, he comes back holding a tube sock filled with what I’m fairly fucking sure is a bar of soap and a bottle of water. We used to do this together to the inmates, so I know what I’m getting, and it’s going to hurt like a bitch.

I bark a laugh. “What do they think you’re doing to me in here?”

He unscrews the bottle of water and holds it to my lips, letting me guzzle it down. Water is something I’ve desperately needed. Food, too, but I can manage another few days without that.

“Thompson is in a meeting with Vincent Dalton, which is the only reason I got away with this today. But I still need to make it look like I nearly killed you.”

I can only imagine how Thompson is justifying things to the Secretary of Defense. Then again, he probably doesn’t give a shit about what happens here either.

When I’ve finished the bottle, he screws the cap back on, and I resign myself to my fate. “Do what you need to.”

He looks like he might be sick, and I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I were him, which is why I give him a little push. “Don’t tell me you became a goddamn pussy in the time I was gone.”

His eyes narrow, and he shakes his head as he draws back his fist and slams it into my jaw. Pain radiates through my mandible, but I don’t have time to dwell on that as he pulls his other arm back and swings the soap encased in the sock, letting it strike my flexed stomach. Sweat glazes my body like a hot donut by the time he releases the sock, landing six more blows to various parts of my figure with his fists. It feels like he found a way to bulk the fuck up even more over the last few days. He probably has.

I groan. “Damn, man.”

He chuckles, moving toward the storage room. Halfway there, he turns, his face sober. “For what it’s worth, I fucking missed you.”

I grin at my best friend. “You’re cute when you’re sentimental.”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Jace,” I call just as he reaches for the metal handle of the door, my voice even and full of sincerity. “It’s worth everything to me. I missed you too.”

Unfortunately, he’s not the first to return.

Thompson appears to be in a sour mood based on his narrowed glare as he stomps into the room. He picks up the knife just as Jace reappears, having put his mask back on.

“We’re done feeding this fucking traitor. He’s on the termination list.”

Jace blinks at the same time I do, trying to process the flippant words, spoken as though he’s reading a weather report. Shit.

Panic seizes my chest as the gravity of this situation sinks in. Jace said they were going to kill me, but I don’t think either of us understood that meant today.

Something about this situation feels…off, but I don’t know what. This isn’t how I carried out terminations, but I’m not running things anymore. Nothing is the way it used to be, that much is obvious, so what if this is the way Thompson is choosing to carry out those executions?

Although, what if it isn’t? What if this is just a test to see if Jace will do it? As my brain runs through the options, the more certain I become that’s the scenario at play here. I begin blinking rapidly over the major’s shoulder in an attempt to get Jace’s attention, but it’s futile. He’s locked in a stare-down.

The tension in the room becomes so thick that I swear I can feel the atoms sludging through the air. My heart races, and I begin to sweat for an entirely new reason as Jace states firmly and clearly, “No.”

Oh, fuck.