Page 107 of Dark Soul

“I was thinking of something,” Rogue said before Thorne could begin. “We’re missing a name. So I came up with one. Chimera Force.”

All eyes turned to look at Rogue in surprise.

Dark turned the name around in his mind.

Chimera Force.

Chimeras were hybrids, misfits … a bit like them, he supposed. It kind of fit.

“Think about it,” Rogue insisted, not backing down. “It’s a great name for us.”

Thorne’s eyes glittered dangerously. Maybe he had drunk a bit more whisky than he was letting on, and he was simply good at looking sober.

“I like it,” Alexia said.

“Me too,” Dark replied. If Thorne found it annoying, and if Alexia liked it, then it was a great name.

“Good name, Rogue,” Griffin and Slate said, embarrassed when they realized they’d spoken in unison.

“Any problem with that, Thorne?”

Thorne inclined his head and sighed loudly. “Fine. As long as you’re not planning on getting T-shirts printed. I’m not paying a cent for that.”

The laugh burst out of Dark before he could stop it. One by one, the others joined in, all of them laughing hard enough that they had to lean against something. Alexia and Thorne were the last ones to start laughing.

They laughed for a long time, until tears rolled down their cheeks.

And Dark had been around the block long enough to know what this meant. That it wasn’t going to be the name that would turn them into a team, because they were already a team. They were a team, even if nobody could ever know about it.

“You guys did well out there,” Thorne said.

“But we lost Lemercier,” Rogue countered. “I’ve been trying to trace him, but he’s disappeared into thin air.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help more,” Alexia said. “I don’t remember anything about the hut where he held us.”

Dark tightened his hold on her, his throat sounding a low growl.

“Lemercier is bad news,” Griffin said. “You need to warn all agencies, Thorne, let them know he’s still alive.”

“Already done,” Thorne said.

“If we find him again …” Ash began, but was quickly interrupted by Dark.

“He’s mine.” Again, that growl that sent a shiver right through her. “All mine.”

Ash inclined his head in acknowledgment.

Thorne cleared his throat.

“While I agree with you that Lemercier is trouble, and I’d love to see him behind bars. Unfortunately, he’s not our priority at the moment.”

Dark turned a questioning look at him.

“Not tonight,” Thorne said, making it clear he was done speaking for the moment. “Go upstairs. Rest. My colleague Reynolds is on his way. We’ll all speak in the morning.”

“Reynolds?” Dark asked.

A ghost of a smile crossed Thorne’s expression, and then was gone. “I think you knew him as Bald, though I caution you, he wouldn’t appreciate the nickname.”