“It’s a brown, worn notebook,” I tell him, not knowing where Malachi put it and hoping it wasn’t in Irina’s basement with everything else that caught fire.
I move to my side of the bed and pull open the nightstand drawer. Sure enough, it’s right there. Malachi must have placed it there for me.
“I have it. We can go,” I tell him, stuffing it into my pack on top of my clothes.
Cade nods and leaves the room. I look down and notice a tear in my sweater. I pull it off and fish a fresh one out of Malachi’s closet. The idea of putting on one of his sweatshirts that smells like him makes my heart happy. I grab a black hoodie and breathe it in.
“We’ll take one of these too while we’re here,” Cade says, coming back in with a full bottle of whiskey in his hand.
I glance over my shoulder at him as I pull the hoodie on over my head. “What?” I ask as a mischievous smile spreads across his face.
“You were smelling his sweatshirt,” he states, and I shrug.
“Shut up. I miss him. Besides, he does smell good.” I roll my eyes, and Cade laughs.
“So… Aurora’s pretty amazing in training, huh?” he says, and I freeze while opening the bedroom door to gawk at him.
“You have a thing for her, don’t you?” I say, scanning theway his cheeks suddenly flush and he looks away, not wanting to look me in the eye.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he says, and I scoff.
“Don’t play coy with me. It’s okay if you do. I think you two would be great together. You both deserve to be happy.” Something occurs to me. “But can I ask what’s holding you back? Because if you’re worried about me being weird about it, don’t be. Aurora’s my best friend, and I want her to be with someone who actually sees how incredible she is.”
Cade runs a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. “It’s not that. She’s so confident, so powerful. And I’m the guy without any gifts who fixes weapons and knows how to fight. What could I possibly offer someone like her? Not to mention, she knows how I’ve always felt about you.”
“Are you kidding me?” I stare at him. “Cade, you’re one of the most loyal, steady people I know. You’ve had Malachi’s back even when he was being an asshole, you make everyone feel safe, and you’re funny as hell when you’re not being self-deprecating. And me and you, we’re friends, and Aurora knows that.”
His smile is small but genuine. “You really think she’d be interested in someone like me?”
“I think Aurora would be lucky to have you. But more importantly, I think you should talk to her instead of asking me.” I grin and head for the door. “Don’t wait too long. We’re about to go on a potentially deadly mission, and life’s too short for what-ifs.”
Our good mood dissipates quickly as we step outside.
“Fuck,” Cade says. Alex is nowhere to be seen.
“Alex!” we both yell in unison.
I open wide to shout again, but he comes jogging up from the other side of the cabin.
“What the fuck? Where did you go?” Cade asks, opening the truck and hopping into the passenger seat.
“I had to take a piss and didn’t want to interrupt whatever was going on in there,” he says, and I clear my throat from the back seat.
“What exactly do you think we were doing?” I ask.
Alex starts the truck, then holds his hands up. “Hey, I don’t ask and don’t tell.” He starts driving down the long driveway.
I feel no need to defend anything, and apparently, neither does Cade, who shakes his head and clicks on the radio. I don’t know why Alex would say that. Maybe he knows we have history, but something about it makes me uncomfortable. That’s the last thing I need before we’re all about to put our lives in each other’s hands.
“First up in today’s Unity Broadcast: reports continue to pour in from Eastern Gutter Zone 3, where residents have barricaded several city blocks following rumors of raids targeting Avid families.”
The broadcaster’s voice is sickeningly cheerful, like she’s discussing the weather instead of people’s lives. I hate listening to this propaganda bullshit. When the broadcast network is owned by the same people making the policies, the truth gets buried under layers of spin and manipulation.
“In related news, Marco Volkov issued a statement today regarding the ongoing investigation into twelve missing persons from Eastern District checkpoints. Citizens are urged to remain calm as Volkov assumes leadership of the Eastern District following the sudden death of his twin brother, Viktor Volkov, in what officials are calling a tragic accident.”
My blood runs cold. Marco’s expanding his territory, consolidating power, and people are vanishing at checkpoints.
Cade slams the power button, cutting off the broadcaster. “I can’t stomach that garbage. Twelve people ‘missing,’ and they call it an investigation? We all know where those people ended up.”
