Page 385 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘You loved her so much.’

‘I still do. It never goes away. I keep thinking that she never even knew her mother’s name. I didn’t get to tell her about Sloane.’

‘Will you tell me?’

‘She was one year older than me. No family, no siblings but that was all of us. All six of us were only children. Sloane was tough as fuck, and unparalleled when it came to wetwork. We weren’t close but I trusted her. I liked her, I guess, as much as I liked anyone back then, but the...’

He’s brought up short, body forbidding the words.

‘It’s OK.’ Kade kisses his chest. ‘I’m here.’

Voice shaking, Lachlan says, ‘You had to be able to withstand anything and there are all kinds of ways to torture a person. We all took turns, everyone, both ways. I’m assuming they fucked with the birth control, probably through the drugs they had us shooting each other up with,’ he says on the back of a bitter laugh. ‘It’s crazy, when I hear it out loud it’s so fucking obvious, but I never once thought to question it.’

‘You were a soldier.’

‘Yeah.’

‘A good soldier doesn’t answer questions.’

‘I should have. I never once asked, I never once asked what happened to Sloane. I didn’t follow up. I trusted the system. It’s my failure to bear.’

‘How old were you?’

‘That doesn’t excuse it.’ He’s quiet for a while, until he takes a deep breath and says, ‘She was my baby and I couldn’t save her.’

The bathroom falls quiet after that except for their breathing and the slow drip of water leaving Lachlan’s hair. Kade curls closer. Strong arms tighten around him.

Lachlan’s heartbeat feels like home.

Kade guards it.

✴

They quickly clean up and then return to the Watch.

Along the way, Lachlan asks, ‘Why does he have chains?’

‘That’s not your business.’

‘Is he dangerous?’

‘Lachlan,’ Kade warns, pausing on the steps to look up at him, dropping his voice all the way down. ‘Stop.’

‘Fine.’

Inside the Watch, Rike is delivering an operational report.

Vasily and Blaire are gone.

‘Iron Star retains full control of the Tower interior,’ Rike tells Riley, ‘and as per your instructions, sir, the Front has taken the tunnels, underground approaches and garage lock, while Last Light is establishing the exterior perimeter and evacuation routes. Joint channels have been assigned, personnel redistributed and command structures clarified.’

‘No conflict?’

‘None so far.’

Riley nods. ‘Make an example of anyone who objects.’

‘Heard.’