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"It's going to be okay," he whispers to me. "I promise."
There's a knock at the door, and all three of us look up to find Arjun and Milo coming in. Milo's eyes dart to where Nate is touching my hair, and Nate withdraws his hands in a hurry. I miss the feeling of him touching me--how soothing it was--and I almost ask him to do it again before I realize how inappropriate that would be.
"How is she?" Arjun asks.
"She's awake," I say weakly. "And I'm fine...just a little freaked out."
"What's the outlook, doctor?" Milo asks.
Dr. Moretti looks over at him. "She's going to be just peachy with a little rest and recuperation. Are you three her pack or...?"
"No," Nate blushes bright red. "Justsecurity."
"And we're pretty fucking bad at our jobs," Arjun mutters.
"You're not," I say. "No one could have seen this coming."
"Doctor," Milo says. "Would you mind stepping out of the room for a moment so we can debrief?"
Dr. Moretti nods and stands up. "Of course. Just hit the call button if you need anything."
As she leaves the room, Arjun immediately starts pacing.
"How the hell did this happen?" he says, his voice laced with frustration. "We're supposed to be protecting you, Sloane."
"I know," I say, feeling guilty. "But it's not your fault. None of us could have expected--"
"Weallexpected it," Milo interrupts. "There was a threat on your life. I just...didn't think it would happen sosoon."
"And there will be more assassins on their way, if I know the ACB at all," Nate growls. He meets Milo's gaze. "Have you talked to Enclave HQ about this yet?"
"I got a hold of them and they sent me all the way up the line to Director Connolly," Milo says. "He wants you to give him a call."
Nate pales. "Okay...so that's my ass, then."
"Don't worry about it," I say, trying to sit up straighter. "I'll call him and tell him it's not your fault."
Nate shakes his head. "It is my fault, Sloane. I should have been more vigilant."
"It's not your fault," I repeat firmly. "It's the ACB's fault. They're the ones making these threats and sending assassins after me."
"But we're supposed to be able to protect you," Arjun says, still pacing. "That's our job."
"I know," I say softly. "But we can't always prevent everything. We just have to do our best."
There's a moment of silence, and then Milo speaks up. "We need to figure out what our next move is. Is there anywhere you can go to hide out until we catch this guy?"
I shake my head. "I can't just disappear. I have to keep up appearances, keep doing my job."
"But your job is sopublic," Nate says. "I don't want to put you in the line of fire."
"I've been in the line of fire my whole life," I tell them. "Look...I know this is scary. Trust me--it's scarier for me than it is for any of you. But I was born with a target on my back just for who I am, and I'm not going to give up now that I've gotten a little bit of power."
Nate's brow furrows, his jaw tense. "You said you've been stabbed before...when?"
I swallow. "When I was on my way out of Solstice Bay after I got my designation," I say. "We were caught by ACB forces. I got hurt protecting my little sister."
My eyes widen and I look toward the door.
