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Cole:I wish you could, but shit’s going down, and if you don’t get back soon, you might not be allowed in.
My jaw drops at the revelation.
Alistair:We’ll be ready and waiting.
Chapter18
30 DAYS
ALISTAIR
Ihave to admit, entering the Keep takes the edge off my anxiety. It’s not so much that I can’t handle myself out in the wild. It’s Britney I’d been worried about. Sure, I’d bartered to stay topside a little longer, but now that I’ve had a chance to think on it, that was stupid.
Caspian knows where the safe houses are, and Hunter is a serial killer. I’m still not even sure letting him go was smart, but I couldn’t justify his potential execution when he’d just helped me recover Britney.
We’re ushered into the med bay where we undergo inspections, which are never fun but very necessary.
Once we’ve been green-lighted to enter the rest of the Keep, Cole beckons us into the command post, which is the last place I want to go, because it requires that I lie.
Britney and I take seats next to each other. Cole hovers over us, which I know isn’t good.
But instead of focusing on me, he glares down at Britney.
“What part of: he’s on a mission, did you not understand?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “What part of: I want to speak with my Keeper, didn’t make sense to you?”
Dangerous anger grips me, and I have to remind myself that this is for Britney’s own good. She put herself in danger, and that is something the Keep cannot abide.
Cole continues with, “Because of your shenanigans, we’re down a man.”
Britney’s lip trembles. Without thinking, I’m on my feet, moving between them.
“What happened to Hunter had nothing to do with Britney. We were scouting. Letting off steam. Then…” I back off a little, “let’s just say he didn’t make it.”
“Could the Vultures have taken him?”
“That’s not what happened. Trust me—”
Britney interrupts, “I get that you’re mad, but if it wasn’t for me going with Caspian, you wouldn’t have known what he was up to. He was planning on raiding the Keep, and with how well he knows the place, he would have been successful.”
A small kernel of pride blooms in my chest, and I have to remind myself that she could have gotten herself raped and killed.
“I can’t let what you did stand without punishment,” Cole says. “It’s bad enough half the Kept are mouthy as all hell. If I don’t make an example of you, this could very well happen again.”
“Let me bear the punishment,” I insist. “I was the one that left. You can hardly blame Britney for what I’ve done.”
He ignores me, his eyes honing on Britney. “After tonight, you are to report to the holding for a thirty-day confinement. During that time, you will not be allowed visitors and you can kiss your steak and tater dinners goodbye.”
“Like blood hell—” I start, but Britney’s hand on my shoulder stays my tongue.
“He’s right. What I did put us all in danger, and if it goes unpunished, it could lead to worse situations.”
“But thirty days?”
“You’re lucky I’m giving you two the night,” Cole says. He looks at Britney. “And hopefully, your time in the slammer will humble you a bit.”
His choice of words annoys me, but the truth of the matter is that Britney needs to get her head right, and maybe the thirty days spent in the slammer will give her perspective.
