Page 354 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘Are you sure? You don’t want to know about your daughter? You don’t want to know how Sloane Voss died? How long it took?’

‘Come on,’ Lachlan says, holding the door open for the others.

‘Or you, Julian. Shall I tell you about your mother, Isabel?’

‘Out now, everyone.’

‘Or you, Silly. Did you never wonder why I didn’t care enough to bring you along? To fight for you? I was so glad he sent you away. You were an awkward, boring anchor around my neck, and Father was only biding his time to sell you for—’

Vasily slaps him.

Everyone stops.

‘I love my brother, and I will do all I can to save him.’

Roman’s smile darkens.

‘Your brother is dead. I am Echo One, and I will live long enough to watch four days strip you bare of your pathetic, colourful delusions.’

‘Out, now!’

Kade gently pulls Vasily away.

He can’t seem to move on his own.

Roman’s laughter follows them all the way out, even after Lachlan seals the door shut. Blaire whispers something to Vasily, who shakes his head.

‘I am fine,’ he says, his voice cracking, his throat still weakened from the earlier punch. ‘We knew it would be bad.’

‘That’s not him, Silly,’ Lachlan says. ‘It’s Penhalyx. He’s in all of them.’

‘I know.’ He wipes his eyes. ‘It is good that I saw it.’

‘I need to tell Savannah he’s alive,’ Lachlan says, staring at the door.

Blaire nods. ‘I agree.’

‘No,’ Vasily says. ‘I do not think we should bring her into this.’

‘It has to be her choice, and she has a right to know,’ Lachlan says. ‘She loved him so much.’

Kade resists the urge to ask who Savannah is.

His mind is already swimming with an overload of new information.

Lachlan looks at Kade and links their hands.

The squeeze is immediate, comforting and warm. He wants to kiss him, wrap his arms around him and hold tight, make everything better.

But for now, it has to wait.

✴

Riley tells Kade via radio to get some sleep, says he has teams on full alert and that he’s asked Céliane to come tomorrow for a meeting. Kade can hardly argue. He’s sure Riley just wants to sleep, heal the worst of his injuries and then face the threat head-on in daylight.

Lachlan walks him to his room after Kade gives the page from the book to Cole and Finn for them to examine.

Blaire goes with Vasily.