Page 64 of Aviatrix

“You asked how I knew the Colonel was stationed in Kyrgyzstan,” he says. “I have clearance to view classified documents.”

“You do?” I frown. “How?”

He gives me a look. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

I shake my head, half in disbelief, half in awe. “What do you make of all this? That man? That story?”

Eli lets out a low chuckle, and the sound sends a chill up my spine. “I think he left us with more questions than answers.”

“I’ve never heard the name Walker before. You think it’s a call sign?”

Eli squints at me. “You really didn’t know who that was?”

“No. Who?”

“That was Calvin Shoemaker. Lark’s predecessor at Langdon.”

My eyes widen. “That’s where I recognized him. His photo is—was—in Lark’s office. I didn’t even know he was still alive.”

“If anyone knows something about the Legion,” Eli says, “it’s him.”

“So, what do we do now?”

He exhales, long and slow. “We get you to Colorado. To your team.”

“But we still need answers,” I argue, fingers tightening around his. Please don’t leave me again, not now.

“We’ll find them, Quay,” he promises. “But you’ve got a target on your back here. As Colonel Jones’ fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée,” I correct him. I still can’t believe he looked into Lark when I got engaged. He still cares, even if he’ll never say it aloud.

“You’re tied to him until this war is over,” Eli says. “Let’s get you somewhere safe. Somewhere we can regroup.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Yeah.”

Relief floods me.

“Check,” the waitress says, placing the slip on the table like we didn’t just dodge a gun.

Eli and I both laugh. A welcome reprieve.

He pulls a twenty-dollar bill from his back pocket, slaps it on the table, and slides out of the booth, pulling me with him. Once I’m on my feet, he lets go of my hand. The loss stings. I want to hold on longer, but I don’t.

We didn’t get much from Walker. Maybe nothing at all. But we learned a few vital pieces of information.

The Legion was formed eighteen years ago.

Alien tech was part of the deal.

Someone powerful in Washington led it.

They still meet. Once a month. Underground.

Maybe it’s something. Maybe nothing at all. But whatever it is, I can feel it humming like a wire just beneath my skin. The Legion is real. And whatever they started back then… it’s coming for us now.

FIFTEEN