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His eyes flash, but he schools his expression. “So angry. That’s good—we want you angry. Hungry for the win. Having Harlow to keep safe is the perfect motivation.”
“Don’t say her name,” I grit out between clenched teeth, but he acts as if I haven’t spoken. He’s not wrong, though. I’m all in now, like he knew I would be. Having Harlow in the team means I need to make sure we’re perfect. Everyone there needs to be good enough to protecther.
“Well, how about Clara’s?” he asks. I frown, not following him. “I want her in the training program. Not to enter, of course, but to hone her skills. She’s bored, and idle hands mean trouble.”
That’s interesting. He’s always kept her out of everything, so to allow her to train with the group is a big step. Maybe he realizes ignoring her and letting her sit around soaking up information isn’t working either. He doesn’t bother to wait for a reply, content that what he’s ordered will happen, but that’s fine. I have no issues with it, and Clara won’t either.
“Now, what’s the plan for your team?”
I sit up, happy to talk about anything other than Harlow and feel like I’m making progress toward protecting her. “I’ve taken a look at their profiles, and I’m splitting them into groups. Everyone will do combat, then we’ll have teams for tech, ethics, weapons, human and natural science, and they’ll all have one area to excel in.” It’s a deviation from the previous plan, but it’s necessary, and I don’t give him a chance to argue. “Six weeks isn’t enough time to make everyone proficient in everything, so we’re focusing based on their strengths and natural abilities. We get to choose who goes in, and we have enough people to make it work this way. They can choose to attend other sessions if they want, but their prescribed sessions are mandatory.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” my uncle murmurs next to me. “Victory goes to the team with the most winners, so they need to be excellent, but you can enter as many people as you can sponsor. Our whole tech team could compete in the tech trial. We’d know our best guys were in there and that they’d been prepped adequately. No trying to guess who has the best chance of winning.”
I know how it works. I watched the last ones, after all. The actual Games are nothing—it’s the people inside who are dangerous. You don’t want these people to know you exist, let alone are competing against them. That’s what I don’t think Harlow ever realized. This isthebattle for control of the underworld. It’s not fair, and it’s not something you go into and leave unscathed. It’s probably why she dismissed my warnings of injuries—and worse—as a scare tactic.
“Why not throw the whole crew in, then?” my father asks. “More chance of having the winner.”
“There’s also more chance of people more proficient in other areas getting injured”—or killed—“during earlier rounds and having to sit out. We’re thinking quality, not quantity.”
This is his issue—he doesn’t look at problems logically. His solution is always violence, force, and numbers. Brute strength. But sometimes you need finesse. Forward thinking. He’s not convinced, but I am, and I’m in charge. How he’s got this far in life and amassed the amount of power he wields, I’ll never know. His inability to see even one step beyond what’s happening right in front of him will surely be his downfall.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Harlow
I don’t even notice I’m watching Nico go until my neck twinges where I’ve stretched it too far to allow me to see the doorway. Then he disappears outside, and I turn back to the table—back to my guys. I literally told them hours ago to let me figure these emotions out, and now they’ve been put into a blender again. I’m the reason for them being here, and the guilt hits me in the chest. They were joining The Games for me, and now they’re dragged into the Seconds. They thought I was pregnant, and they still stayed. I don’t know what to say to them, so I keep quiet, hoping one of them will know how to break the silence.
“What are we going to do about work?” Sawyer asks casually, as if we haven’t just agreed to this huge thing.
“Cut down, I guess.” Ezra shrugs. “It’s my business, so I’ll just take on what I can.”
“Yeah. I can book clients and classes when I want, but you might want to cut your shifts back,” Sawyer directs to me, and I nod dumbly. I can do that. I’ll have to do that. “You okay?”
I nod again, but this time they wait me out, not filling the silence to let me off the hook.
“Are you disappointed?” I ask softly. “About the test not being mine?”
“Not exactly,” Ezra says carefully. “Babies are a big responsibility.” They are ahugeresponsibility. For anyone, let alone a twenty-year-old with two boyfriends. It’s almost laughable. Yet they were both still here, giving me the time and space to figure it out. I’m sure they’ve been dying to ask me about it. I look to Sawyer, but his expression is guarded.
“I’m not disappointed,” he reassures me. “Is it something I want in the future? Absolutely, but emphasis onthe future.”
Thinking about having children at all puts my brain in a spin, so I ignore that part and instead focus on what it means now. What they mean to me.
“Neither of you ran for the hills,” I say with humor, hoping to lighten the atmosphere a little bit, and they both smile.
“Of course not. You’re stuck with us both for the long haul.” Ezra tucks me back under his arm and kisses the top of my head. Dana comes over with our drinks, then, and looks quizzically at Nico’s empty chair. She unloads three of the drinks, then holds the final mug of coffee in her hand.
“You want me to take this back?” she asks.
“No, no,” I insist, holding my hands out like a baby asking for candy. “I’ll take it, thanks.” She grins as she hands it over, taking the empty tray away with her. I take a sip of the nectar of the gods and feel the warmth travel to my stomach.
“You want the good news?” Sawyer asks, fiddling with his phone.
“Yes, please.”
“Mom just messaged. We can go for a visit if you want.”
“Wow, talk about timing. We just agreed to betray them, and now your dad’s up for visitors. This is a sign.”
