“Why is this island so quiet?” I murmur. “It’s really unnerving.”
“This isn’t an island,” is Evlynne’s response, accompanied by the roll of her eyes.
“Whatever. You know what I mean. It’s quiet.”
The uneasy silence drags on. I go on alert when our chopper lands, peering into the scope.
Evlynne sweeps the binoculars over the landscape. “They’ve got company.”
An olive-green, open-top truck speeds down a paved road, driving through a barrier and then continuing down to the port.
“Who do you think they’re sending to meet her?” I ask her. “Surely it wouldn’t be President Ramos?”
“Doubtful. The Tierrans are the most distrustful people you’ll ever meet. They’re not placing their leader in the line of fire.”
“Have you been here before?”
“Once. We ran a mission not long after I got to the Dagger.” Her tone is grudging, as if she hates that she’s confiding in me of all people. “Only my second time as air lead. I was flying Kallister out.Terrified they would shoot us out of the sky. But they let us land and listened to Kallister’s trade pitch. He was trying to negotiate a deal for synthetic glenshade, but they don’t believe in synth here. Everything is natural. Very Old Era of them. Anyway, they sent us on our way, and I haven’t been back since.”
The truck pulls to a stop. I magnify the scope to see a man in a green uniform consisting of a button-up shirt tucked into a pair of trousers. He has thick black hair and narrow features, and is flanked by four armed soldiers.
Adrienne and Saint approach the group, keeping at least eight feet between them.
“That’s Commander Vásquez,” Evlynne tells me. “He’s in charge of this province.”
My finger hovers over the trigger as the groups step closer to each other. Adrienne and Saint don’t have earpieces, but that doesn’t stop two of the soldiers from striding forward and scanning them for tech. They allow them to keep their sidearms, though.
As the soldiers step back, the commander steps forward, and the talking begins.
It lasts seven and a half minutes.
Literally.
Disbelief rushes in like the tide as Adrienne’s voice suddenly slides into my mind.“Meeting’s over. Return to base.”
I relay the orders to Evlynne, who shrugs and says, “Yeah. I’m not shocked.”
How is she not shocked? The meeting barely reached the ten-minute mark.
“They didn’t even hear you out,”I tell Adrienne.
Her tone is matter-of-fact.“They want no part in our war. The message came from President Ramos himself, and I know better than to poke the horned bear. Arguing with these assholes is futile. It was worth a shot.”
I’m stunned by how well she’s taking this. Sure, the chances were slim and coming here was risky, but to not even listen to her entire pitch? To shut it down without discussion? No counteroffer? That feels rash.
I’m about to pack up when I catch a flicker of movement in my scope. Commander Vásquez is approaching Adrienne again.
“Wait,” I murmur to Evlynne.
The man’s expression makes me nervous. He’s grinning like a white coyote with a fresh kill. He lights a cigarette as he walks, blowing out a cloud of smoke. He says something to Adrienne, and I swear I see him winking before he pats her arm and stalks back to his men.
Whatever he said, it causes Adrienne’s entire face to go taut. I see a flash of anger, a flicker of concern, and then I hear her voice again.
“You’ve been compromised. Get to the planenow.”
My heart freezes in my chest.
Fuck.
