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And just like that, she’s gone. Leaving me damp and snotty, awash in confusion, with an insidious seed still blooming undeterred in the barren wreckage of my heart.
I have no idea how long I sit there, listening to the motorbike engine retreat, disappear. But at last I get up, rising on stiff limbs, and I wander over to the makeshift workstation again where she left me more food.
The shredded list lies to the right, its ominous implications swimming into focus once more.
Shit. The list of names…
I forgot to show Lyssa.
CHAPTER 11
Lyssa
I’ve been training the new recruits again tonight in the new training room at Elysium. My body aches not from countless repetitions of strikes, blocks, and grappling maneuvers, but from the extra work I’ve been putting in to train up Scarlett, too. Not to mention the damn hours I’ve been spending on the bike going back and forth to the farm. My ass is starting to take on the shape of the seat.
But I’ve pushed fatigue aside and thrown my worst at the new recruits tonight, because these kids need to be good enough to handle anything that gets thrown at them. It’s my job not to coddle them, but to toughen them up.
And I need to deal with Grandmother once and for all so I can put this Scarlett mess behind me and return to how things used to be.
I peel off my sweat-drenched tank top in the changing room and wrap a towel around my torso as I head for the showers, not wanting to waste time going back up to my room. The hot water pounds against my shoulders, washing away the grime and tension. When I’m clean, I dress quickly and make my way down to the garage.
The new, enormous space houses scores of cars, motorbikes, and even an armored van, all gleaming under the fluorescent lights. My bike waits in its usual spot, practically begging me to take it for a midnight ride. I grab my helmet and tell myself that the eagerness I feel is to have the wind whipping through my hair again.
Not to see Scarlett again.
But before I can swing my leg over the bike, a flurry of movement catches my eye. Aurora skids to a stop in front of me, breathless and flustered.
“Lyssa! Didn’t you get notified about the meeting?” she pants, clutching a stitch in her side.
Meeting? What meeting? “No, I didn’t,” I growl, irritated at the delay. “What’s going on?”
“Hadria asked you to meet her in the war room as soon as possible. She said it’s something very important.”
Shit. Uneasily, I put my helmet back onto the bike’s seat and follow Aurora back up.
“We better move fast,” she advises, so I pick up the pace, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to run.
When I push through the heavy doors of the war room, I’m greeted by an unexpected sight. Hadria stands at the head of the long table, staring down at a lavish spread of food covering its surface. Platters of antipasti, a thick slab of prime rib, roasted vegetables, crusty bread—it’s a fucking banquet.
Hadria turns to face me, her cool eyes searching mine. “Well?” she demands. “What’s this important news? And why the hell is there food all over the table?”
I barely stifle an exasperated groan as Aurora slinks into the room behind me, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.
“Don’t look at me,” she says, waving her hands innocently. “I’m just the messenger. You two are having a special Besties Dinner tonight because you haven’t seen much of each other lately, and you need to catch up.” She shoots a pointed look at Hadria. “And Hadria needs to find out the answers to some very important questions. Like what you’re wearing to the wedding, Lyssa. We need to know for the photos.”
I’m part of the wedding party as Hadria’s Best Woman, although given the amount of input Suzy seems to expect from me, I’ve begun to wonder if there’s any way I could wiggle out of it. I’m really, truly happy for them, but the wedding just seems to get bigger and bigger.
“And whether you’re bringing a plus-one,” Aurora adds quickly. I open my mouth to protest, but she cuts me off. “And I’m locking you both in here for at least an hour. You’ll thank me later.”
Casting an incredulous glance at Hadria, I scoff. “You know that locking the door won’t actually keep us in here if we don’t want to be, right?”
But Aurora just pouts, giving me her best pleading expression. “Oh, come on, you two. Just humor me for a little while. I really think you’ll benefit from some time out, even if it’s just an hour.”
Strangely enough, her words strike a chord. She’s not wrong—Hadria and I have been like ships passing in the night lately, both of us buried up to our necks in Syndicate business. Granted, I’ve kind of been avoiding her when I am here, because I feel so fucking guilty about lying. But maybe a chance to talk wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Hadria must be thinking along the same lines, because she lets out a resigned sigh and gestures for me to take a seat. “You heard the lady. Sit down and eat something before it gets cold.”
Well, if she insists. I grab a plate and start piling it high with food. Hadria settles across from me, mirroring my actions.
