Page 134 of Specter Bred

He finally met my eyes.

"Specters don't wait around for permission to gather intel. We find it first. Then we bring it to Command."

He slid a photograph onto the map.

I studied him for a long moment.

"Does that bother you, Teacup?" he asked.

"No, sir," I blurted out.

A corner of his mouth twitched before his attention shifted to Hayes.

"Farm Boy?"

Hayes grinned.

"Hell no, sir."

Graves tapped the photograph once.

"Good. Because from this point on, you're not Specter recruits."

His hazel eyes swept over both of us.

"You're my unit."

A strange weight settled in my chest.

It wasn't official. Not yet. But hearing him say it like it was, stirred something in my chest. Then Graves's stern voice cut the moment short.

"Stop gloating and huddle up."

Hayes and I moved closer.

"This is Councilor Warren Voss."

"A councilor? Like... Command level?" Hayes asked, leaning in.

"Former," Graves corrected, his eyes fixed on the photograph. "This is the man Command sent my former unit to recover during the failed mission in Helix."

Goosebumps prickled across my arms, but I didn't say a word. It was the first time Grizzly had ever spoken to us about Helix or his former unit.

"My unit was only the first of many casualties tied to this man."

His voice was calm, but there was an edge beneath it that I'd never heard before.

"For the last two years, Voss has been feeding Helix classified intelligence. Troop movements. Specter deployments. Supply routes. Safe houses. Encryption keys. Informant identities. Every piece of information he sold bought Helix another opportunity to ambush our people."

His fist tightened.

"Hundreds of good soldiers have died because of him."

The clearing fell silent. Even Hayes had lost the calm smile he always seemed to wear. Graves rested a finger on the photograph.

"We were supposed to bring him home to answer for his crimes. Instead, we walked into the trap he built for us.”

“Voss is smart," Graves said. "After... well..."