“That was a joke,” I muttered.
“No it wasn’t,” Reed said.
Benji looked between us.
“…Did I just walk into a murder plot?”
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Reed said.
I shot him a look. “You are not killing anyone.”
He hummed like he disagreed.
“No one is killing anyone,” I said firmly. “We’re going in. We’re getting Violet. We’releaving.”
“Fine,” Reed said lightly. “Whatever.”
That whatever carried a lot of weight, and I chose to ignore it in favor of dealing with my beta.
I stepped forward, placing my hands on Benji’s shoulders.
“I know you miss her,” I said. “But she’ll be home soon. I need you here with Serena and Skye.”
I expected him to nod, and kiss me, and go back to holding everything together while I did what needed doing.
Instead, he shrugged me off.
“Serena doesn’t need me hovering. And if the Stellars retaliate, she’s more than capable of protecting Skye.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
“The point,” I snapped, “is I can’t split my focus.”
“You won’t have to.”
“Yes, I will. If something goes wrong, I need to know Serena and Skye are safe. I need to know you’re safe.”
His expression softened.
“I don’t think you understand what you’re walking into,” he said quietly.
“And you do?” I shot back.
His gaze fell to the floor, and for a second I thought he’d back off, but he didn’t.
“I watched the camera today,” he admitted. “The one you implanted in the bunny.”
Something cold slid down my spine.
“And?”
He hesitated, which caused my pulse to race.
“I think,” he continued carefully, “that if you see Violet like she is now, you’re going to do something stupid.”
