“Since when?”
“Since always. The only person I’ve ever trusted is Cross, even over my own family. And if I’m being honest, any trust I might’ve had for Travis or my other superiors went out the window after the Jubilee. When Travis asked us to round up all the silverbloods, including the ones who’d been loyal to the Company for decades. I’m not keen with killing innocent people.”
“What about guilty ones?”
He contemplates that for a second. “Killing isn’t something I enjoy regardless of who it is.”
“Why did you join the Command, then?”
“Because Cross did. What else was I going to do? I’m not good at anything, Darlington,” he says with a chuckle. “I like to fight. I like to get dirty. I like to shoot guns and blow shit up. Where else would I get to do that?”
“You could do it here,” I point out. “If you prove your loyalty.”
“I told you, I’m not loyal to them. I’m loyal to you. I’m loyal to myself. And I’m loyal to him.”
His impassioned response gives me pause. For a moment, I can’t help but wonder if he has feelings for Cross.
And for someone who’s not a Mod, he sure is good at reading my mind.
“It’s not like that,” Xavier says, rolling his eyes.
“No?” I arch a brow.
“No. We’ve known each other since lower school. I don’t want to fuck him.”
“I do,” I say, and he snickers.
“Okay, great. You go ahead and do that, and I’ll be over here making sure you don’t get yourself killed. Seriously, though. What’s our plan? Are you going to work with them?”
“Yes. I am. The Company needs to be taken down. I’ll never be safe on this Continent unless there’s new leadership. People like me need the Uprising.”
“Yeah, and what are their plans for people likeme?” he counters.
“According to Adrienne and Kallister, they want everyone to live as equals in society, but with Mods in positions of leadership.”
“Bullshit. Nobody wants an equal. They want a subordinate.”
I rub my temples, feeling a headache coming on. I hate politics. I hate this shit. All I want to do is live my life without the fear that someone will try to kill me for being psychic. I honestly don’t think that’s asking for too much.
A voice suddenly echoes out of the overhead system. “Mess hall is open for dinner service.”
I glance at Xavier. “Feel like making your debut?”
I want to give Xavier a quick tour of the Dagger before dinner, but we soon make a discovery: His prints only grant him access to the Personnel floor. Not a single elevator opens for him unless I scan it myself, and when I try to take him beyond the air lock, the tracker on his wrist flashes red, no doubt alerting the security booth.
He might not be in a cell anymore, but he’s still a prisoner. That much is clear.
Walking into the mess hall, we attract every pair of eyes. The tension is sky-high as we move through the food line. Xavier keeps his head down, but I know he’s aware of everything around him.
I touch his arm. “Relax. It’ll be fine.”
“Will it?”
“Maybe?”
He snickers.
Nobody asks us to join them. Even Mako doesn’t smile or wave at me, and I see all the progress I’ve made slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. But I don’t regret fighting for Xavier. He left his entire life behind for me. For Cross. The least I can do is return that favor with friendship.
