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Giza poured a second glass, took a sip, and then sat back in his chair. “Miss de la Puente, I’m concerned about you leading this operation.”

Here we go.I couldn’t blame him, but the lack of faith in my ability to do this stung. I sat back in my chair, taking a huge breath to keep my emotions in check as I tried to listen to his concerns.

“This mission is going to require skills you have not been trained in yet. And three weeks is not enough time. It’s bad enough to send you on a mission you’re not prepared for, but to then assign you as the leader is…well—”

“It’s a bad idea, I get it.” The words came out tart. I didn’t mean for them to, but it was hard being told again and again that you weren’t good enough for something. And, as much as I wastrying to work on that baggage, it was hard to get over it when people just kept banging the same drum repeatedly.

Giza nodded, eyes pensive as he thought out his next words. “Will you reconsider?”

Easy question. I knew that answer. “No.” I didn’t trust Sasha not to give it her all to save my brother. So, no, absolutely not.

Giza looked away from me, disappointment evident on his face. He sighed as he rubbed his goatee, pulling on the peppered strands. “May I ask why?”

I hesitated. I liked Giza. He was one of the few people I actually trusted around here. But I also knew his job was to follow orders, andIknew thatSashaknew I didn’t trust her. I had told her as much. But my business with Sasha was best left between us. If she had told Giza, well…then he already knew the answer to his question. He didn’t really need me confirming it. “That’s between me and Sasha.”

A grim look overcame his face, but he nodded, accepting my answer. “All right, Miss de la Puente. But please remember, we need you alive and well. Part of this mission will need to have special parameters to keep you safe.”

Special parameters? That didn’t sound good. “Okay,” I mumbled. Because what else was I going to say?No, you can’t keep me safe? I’m planning to run away.I didn’t think any of that was going to fly.

He nodded in response. “Well, now that we have that settled, let’s begin discussing the operation.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the others?”

“They should be here any moment.”

As if on cue, the door swung open, startling me. A woman in a rather formal uniform entered, four stars pinned across her chest over her heart, and a man in a similar outfit stepped in behind her. And then, to my major shock and surprise, Wes sauntered in behind them.

29: Mic Drop

Watching Wes walk in through the door caused the tangled jumble of confusing emotions—the ones I had worked so hard to shove into my imaginaryNot Right Now Shitshowbox—to come tumbling out, sending my stomach diving.

Giza stood once again, greeting the new arrivals. “Hello, everyone. Mr. Calvernon, good of you to join us as well.”

“Thank you for including me, Sergeant Major.” Wes tipped his head in acknowledgement before turning to face me. And face me he did—his expression was classically stoic, but his eyes were ablaze as they captured mine. My jaw dropped as I felt the intensity.

I didn’t get it. Why was he here? Was he always invited, and I didn’t know? But if that was the case, how come he acted so surprised this morning when I mentioned I was meeting with Giza? Maybe he didn’t know I was coming, and we were both equally surprised to see each other? Whatever the situation was, I didn’t get much of an opportunity to contemplate it.

“Please,” Giza began as he motioned to the empty chairs, “have a seat.”

I swallowed hard, my eyes still held by Wes, who hadn’t shifted a single muscle. But at Giza’s invitation, he took definitive steps toward me, pulled out the chair right next to me, and sat. His eyes never wavered. And I watched him, feeling the intensity burn hotter and hotter until I thought I was going to burn alive from the inside out. A wicked smirk flashed across his lips, causing my chest to tighten, my heart to quicken, and the burn to settle low within my body. And then…it was over. He turned away from me, facing Giza across the table, leaving me to finally breathe.

Oh my ever-loving god.

I felt like running my fingers through my hair, like panting, like pacing, like doing anything but remaining seated and acting like that was the most normal exchange in the world.

Chill the hell out, Mara!

I didn’t know what was going on with me or with Wes, or how the hell it—whatever it was—was happening so fast. But I didn’t have the capacity for it right now. I shook my head quickly, trying to clear the cacophony of thoughts buzzing in my mind, and set my sights on Giza.

“Allow me to make quick introductions here,” he began. “I’m Sergeant Major Giza for the Dissenters.” He motioned over to the woman, “This is General Cassia Bynes of the North.” The woman tipped her head in acknowledgement before Giza shifted his body to indicate the man. “Lieutenant General Michael Krous of the North.” The man gazed at us quickly before shifting his attention back to Giza. “Miss Mara de la Puente, First Daughter of Telvia,” Giza said as he motioned toward me, all eyes following, making me feel uncomfortable under their critical stares. I tried my best to keep from squirming and felt immense relief when Giza spoke again. “And Mr. WesCalvernon, First Son of the North.” Wes tipped his head, barely noticeable as he slouched back in his chair, making himself comfortable and giving off a veryI don’t give an effvibe.

Giza cleared his throat and then sat. With the push of a button, a projector screen came down from the ceiling. “We’re here to discuss mission parameters for Operation Silent Night,” Giza continued. “As you know, this operation will be a joint effort between Dissenter forces and the Northern military. Our objective is to sneak into the Bellfire Tower and rescue Jacob de la Puente, First Son of Telvia.” Giza picked up a remote, and with the push of a few buttons, the lights went out and the projector turned on. Suddenly, Jacob’s picture was projected on the screen, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw his sweet face on display.

It was a professional headshot of him. He was wearing a dark blue suit that caused his blue eyes to pop like glaciers against the peach hues of skin and blond locks of his shortly trimmed hair. He really was a handsome guy. He looked nothing like me. In fact, it never occurred to me before how different we really looked. My mahogany-colored hair, deep brown eyes, and tanned skin were a sharp contrast to him. Light and dark, boy and girl, favored son and despised daughter.

He didn’t look like Raúl either, but he did look exactly like his mother.Belinda… I shivered. As much as I was not a fan of Raúl, I downright loathed Belinda with all my heart. And if I were to be completely honest with myself, I didn’t hate her as much as I feared her. That woman evoked the most primal of survival responses out of me. I could face my father, but facing Belinda felt like facing the devil in the flesh.

The image shifted, snapping my attention back into the room. An aerial photo of a single building located on a plot of land surrounded by a lot of something dark blue popped onto the screen.