Page 85 of Red

Stark comes around the truck that he’s already pulled up. He eyes me, then looks at the others. “Jocko, you can have the front. Kiya and Aloka in the back.”

We all settle in for the drive, and I quickly strip off the sweater I put on to look the part. It’s too hot in the truck. I lower the window in the back to let air whip in.

“Close it,” Stark says. The Alpha side of him is in place, his face stone.

I click the button and let the window rise. My hands burn. He left without a word. I don’t know what else he wanted me to do. I hum into the silence, old tunes from last night’s dance session slipping out. Kiya sleeps against the window.

A few hours in, Stark slows to stop at a restaurant tucked into the forest for a late lunch. We’re heading to the furthest cohort from the Stark’s house first, then working our way around. There are three to visit in total—North, East, and West. Three chances for everyone to hate me.

Inside the restaurant, Kiya slides into the booth, and I follow her lead. When Jocko sits across from Kiya, Stark finally joins us, taking a seat across from me. I try to catch his eye, but he stares at the menu, lifting it up between us.

I close my menu. Time to get on with what I’ve been dragged along for.

“So, when I tell them what I’ve learned, what should I start with?” I ask. I wait for Stark to answer, but he just turns his head toward Jocko.

“Like how you did it with us. Tell them what you saw, a few things about operations,” Jocko answers.

“You want to give them the information they need to keep themselves safe, and also help us make a plan for taking them down,” Kiya adds.

“Right. I can do that.” I go over my speech from the debrief yesterday. Both Kiya and Jocko stare at Stark, but even so, he says nothing the whole time, other than when we order food. The rest of lunch goes by the same way, and even Jocko loses some of his chattiness under Stark’s continued silence. Back on the road, I slump against the window and watch the trees blur by.

Two hours later, we pull down a long, winding driveway. The house is beautiful, sitting on the edge of a small frozen lake. A few people come out the front door, one of which is a tall man, older than all of us, his arm wrapped around the waist of a gorgeous woman.

I fill my lungs and cool my entire body as everyone else opens their doors and climbs out. Instead, I check the faces of the West cohort. Most smile, but there are a few I can’t read. Stark shakes the tall man’s hand. I got this.

Kiya leans over the back seat from the ground. “Come on, we got work to do.”

I give her a nod and open the door to step out. The second my feet hit the ground, arms wrap around me.

“You must be Aloka.”

I wiggle my feet, which are now dangling high above the ground. “Um?” Abruptly, my feet touch the ground, and the arms let go.

The man ambles back, a huge smile on his dark-toned face as he smooths down his short brown hair with his hands. “Sorry, I knew Pratt pretty well. It’s great to meet you despite the circumstances. I’m Wilde.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well.” I reach out and shake his hand. Wilde guides me over to the couple near the house.

“Aloka Tutten, it’s wonderful to have you here. I am the Alpha in the West cohort, Hendin, and this is my mate, Serena.”

“Thank you for having us.” I shake both their hands. Serena’s even more beautiful up close.

Jocko high-fives one guy, and Serena hugs Kiya. My heart sighs. Everyone knows each other because they haven’t lived hidden away for years.

Hendin leads us inside to a meeting room. Unlike Stark’s, it’s small, though the whole group finds a place standing or sitting along narrow benches. I trail him up to the front and take a look at everyone. There are two Elders at the front, including Irwin.

The walls move in. My breath gets heavy with the flames in my arms and hands. I adjust my legs apart and rub my wrists. No ropes.

“Aloka, you okay?” Jocko steps up from the side wall he was leaning against.

“Yeah, yeah, I just— Sorry.” I get myself together and nod at Hendin to start.

Stark gives a small introduction, then it’s my turn. He stares out into the crowd the entire time I talk and answer questions.

The meeting is unproblematic, and a few even clap at the end. Hendin and Serena give me a blanket as a gift. I hold it in my arms as we all filter out of the room. If things can stay this way, it will all be well. They invite us for dinner and to stay the night.

I take a seat at the table with Kiya, a huge smile on her face.

“This is so nice. It’s been a while since I’ve seen anyone outside of our cohort with all that’s going on.”