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“I didn’t know what I was signing up for, then.”
We both go silent, Oberon’s foot tapping out a frantic rhythm on the floor. He’s become my greatest ally in this fight against Vance, a friend where I never expected to find one. Together, we knew it was our job to protect Aisling…and when she disappeared, we tried to protect each other.
To be told he knows her better than I do feels like a betrayal.
“So are you going to go with me?” I grit out.
“We don’t even know exactly where she—”
He stops mid-sentence when my phone rings from the table between us, and I lean forward to find Rook’s contact on the screen. I pick up the phone and put it to my ear, frowning.
“Rook?”
“Hey, newbie,” Rook mutters. “I uh…I’ve got some bad news.”
My stomach bottoms out, throat clenching. “Is she dead?”
“I bloody hope not,” he says. “But…Luka’s gone radio silent. Three days now. He was supposed to check in, things were happening and…”
He trails off and I look up at Oberon.
“Aisling?” Oberon mouths.
I nod. “She’s in trouble,” I say over the phone and to Oberon. “So we’re moving this plan up, right?”
“I think it’s our only choice if we want to find them,” Rook says. “And newbie…you’re not gonna like this.”
I swipe my hand down my face. “Yeah, I haven’t liked a damn thing about this. What else is new?”
He barks out a bitter laugh. “We need to loop in Vance.”
I clench my jaw so tight I can feel it twitching under the pressure. The mere mention of Vance Solace in all of this ignites a fire in my gut, a fury that threatens to consume me whole. But I know Rook is right, as much as I hate to admit it.
If Luka is missing and Aisling is in trouble, we need all the firepower we can get.
No more covert op.
We’ll need Vance if we want to declare war on this island.
I glance at Oberon, his expression mirroring my inner turmoil. We both know what bringing Vance into the mix means–making concessions, putting Aisling within his reach when we know what he truly wants. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I refuse to let anything stand in the way of getting Aisling back.
I look back at the phone, gritting my teeth. "I’ll call him,” I mutter.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Rook starts. “I could head over there—”
“He won’t get onboard with this unless I come crawling back into the fold…so that’s what I’ll do,” I interrupt. “But once she’s back in the city, she’s coming home with us. No more lies, no more covert ops. She’s ours.”
Rook doesn’t respond right away, only letting out a low chuckle after what feels like hours. “Got it, Finch,” he says. “You’re the boss.”
“See you in an hour at Vance’s place,” I say. “Don’t be late.”
I push myself up, my chair scraping against the floor as I stand, determination burning in my chest. "I'll make the call," I declare, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. Oberon watches me, his eyes reflecting something I rarely see in him.
Concern.
For me.
“What?” I snarl, glaring at him.
