Lachlan hangs back, looks between Kade and Riley, says nothing.‘What the fuck happened?Why are you hurt?Why are you—?’
‘Please shut up,’ Riley requests, throat dry.‘My head kills.’
Kade remembers something Lachlan told him.
Tied together.
Shirtless, Riley’s torso shows the scar that almost killed him, the bullet that grazed his heart.Kade still remembers the story Riley told about how he almost died.Kade always thought it sat a little too close to be considered a graze, but he never questioned it.
He’s never really questioned… anything.
Riley was the one who took care of him.
Kade has trusted him implicitly from the start.
He neveraskedhow he got here, where he came from.
Even now, it seems strange towantto ask such things.Wrong.
Riley looks away first, rises to stand and pulls on a shirt with his back to them both.‘Tanner, I need to meet with your friend.’
‘Blaire?Absolutely not.’
‘I wasn’t asking.’
‘Lee said her sister was for her to deal with,’ Kade points out.
Riley takes a slow deep breath.
Kade knows he doesn’t want to upset Lee.
No onewants to upset Lee.
But there’s a degree of determination in Riley that Kade’s not seen before.It manifests like a veil.Some new degree of glossy disconnection.‘I know.’His knuckles are red like he’s been fighting and when he finally looks at Kade again, buttoning his shirt, he’s flatline confident when he says, ‘Kade, tell Tanner to bring his friend here.’
It’s a cold, expectant tone.
Kade wants to demandwhy,wants to ask why Riley seems hurt, why he wasresting, but some part of him is starting to understand it.
So he looks at Lachlan and says, ‘Bring her here, please.’
Lachlan sighs.‘For fuck’s sake.’
?
Riley calls a general meeting on the ground floor.
Everyone in Iron Star attends, Kade included.
Eighteen deaths aren’t just losses, but positions that need filling.
Three Captains.Fourteen Enforcers.Gage, the Quartermaster General.
Before Lachlan stormed in, there were ninety-six members of Iron Star, including Tower Crew.Now there are seventy-eight.The loss of their QG and three Captains means reshuffling is necessary.
Riley always handles that himself.
Luca and Hiru wait with Kade in the operations room.
