Page 97 of Aviatrix

“Who is that?” Thea asks, eyes narrowing.

“Let’s just say Quay and Ivanov have history.” Eli smirks.

My heart hammers. There’s history, and then there’s Sasha.

“What kind of history?” Scooter scrunches his face.

“Long and complicated,” I mutter.

“Seems you have a lot of those showing up lately,” Thea teases as she motions to Eli.

Sasha stops at our table, her long blond hair pulled into a low, military-perfect ponytail. Her black suit glitters, her heels polished to a mirror shine. She looks like she sharpens combat knives while drafting HR policy.

“Kinley,” she says with a sharp, toothy smile. “Looks like we’ll be working together again.”

What kind of fresh hell is this?

Then, her gaze drifts to Eli. “Major Kopelman. It’s been a while.”

“Sasha.” His voice is cool, but his fingers dig into my knee beneath the table.

I may not like her, but Eli? They also have a long and complicated history, too. The kind that makes this moment even more torturous.

“You ready to destroy these alien assholes?” she asks, all teeth.

Gary just grins, but there’s no warmth behind it. Guess he doesn’t like her either.

TWENTY-TWO

DID YOU SLEEP WITH HIM?

It’s hard to tell who’s actually in charge of this briefing. Lark and Sasha are too busy arguing over who gets to take the lead.

I smirk, knowing full well Lark’s met his match. Sasha’s manipulative. That might sound harsh, but she didn’t claw her way up to Director of Staff by making friends. She’s conniving. Maybe that’s why we butted heads so much at the Academy. Well that, and the fact that Eli chose me. They weren’t serious—just went on one date—but she still made it her personal mission to torment me.

“This is going to take all day,” Eli mutters. “They’re both incapable of letting someone else lead.”

I fold my arms on the table and rest my head on them. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when they figure it out.”

Eli leans in, his body blocking the overhead light. “I know a way we could speed this up.”

“How?” I frown.

“Faint.”

A soft laugh escapes me.

“What?” Eli grins. “You don’t think the Colonel would shut the whole thing down and rush you to the infirmary?”

I exhale. “I just want to sleep. I’m tired.”

Then, in a surprisingly tender move, Eli tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. We’re surrounded by peers and commanders, but he’s looking at me like we’re the only two people in the room.

The moment, however, passes.

“Major Kopelman. Captain Quay.” Sasha gestures at us both. “You two have a…long-standing rapport. Let’s hope it proves an asset in the field rather than a liability.”

Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes, and a decade of resentment is etched into every sharp line of her face.