Page 30 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

A fter jogging to catch up to him, Wes and I walked in silence, hiking back to camp.

And it had to be one of the most awkward walks of my life.

I tried multiple times to make conversation, but wound up mostly talking to myself until he gave me a look of death, which caused me to shut my mouth and stay quiet for the rest of the hike.

It really was insane to me how much he was not like his brother. Chase had been sweet, charismatic, and charming, but Wes felt so much more like a bull in a china shop. He was crass, blunt, direct, and just…well, moody .

After we finally arrived at camp, I thought I might try my hand at striking conversation again by asking where we were going.

All I got was a “you’ll see,” and then we were back in silent mode.

Shortly after that, however, we came up to one of the canvas tents, similar to the one I was staying in, and he slipped right in.

I hesitated only a fraction of a second before stepping inside myself.

“Hey, Calvernon! What’s up, brother? We thought you were training today?”

My eyes fell upon a dormitory. This tent had four cots with trunks at the foot of each bed.

And in the center of the tent was a round table with four chairs circled around it.

Sitting in the chairs were two guys, all dressed in their regulatory cadet uniforms. Each one was holding cards in their hands and a deck was in the center with two other decks to the side.

Wes waltzed up to the table, and for the first time since I’d been with the Dissenters, I saw a smile on his face—I even saw teeth —and it was breathtaking.

It was similar to Matias’s in that it had a warmth about it that bubbled from the inside out.

But Matias usually didn’t show teeth, whereas Wes showed off his—perfectly straight and white as the clouds above.

His smile made him look handsome, and two dimples on either cheek added depth to his expression.

And at that moment, more than any time before, he looked exactly like the Chase I remembered.

I almost dropped to my knees.

“Reassigned for the day,” Wes replied.

The guy on the right leaned back in his chair, draping an arm over the backrest and tilting his head to the side. His skin was supple and dark, with deep brown eyes, and curly black hair that was kept short and clean. “Who’s the girl?”

Wes looked at me as I remained frozen at the tent entrance. I don’t know what I thought I was going to encounter, but this was not it. “Guys, meet Mara. Mara, this is Simon Williams,” he pointed to the right, and then shifted to point to the man on the left, “and that’s Rincon Evans.”

Simon waved, as did Rincon, who looked more bored than anything. He had light brown hair and wore glasses. He looked from me to Wes. “So this is the Telvian, right?”

“Yup,” Wes remarked as he walked further into the room, grabbing one chair and spinning it around to straddle the back of it. “Where’s Charlie? I thought all three of you had PTO today?”

“Nah,” Simon waved him off. “Come on, man. You know half the time they call us in to do bullshit. He got called into headquarters for an assignment. He’s out.”

Rincon patted the table, getting everyone’s attention. “You gonna play, or what?”

Wes smirked. “Deal me in.”

Rincon nodded, grabbing all the cards on the table and organizing them into a neat deck before shuffling. “What about you? You playing?”

It took me a second to realize he was talking to me. “Oh! Uh, sure. What are you playing?”

“Stallion.”

Stallion? “I don’t think I know that one…”

Simon spoke up this time. “Nah, it’s easy. Come on over here,” he said as he pulled the empty chair between him and Rincon closer to him. “I’ll teach you.”

“That’s okay. I’ll just watch—”

He rolled his eyes, but a playful smile curled the corners of his lips. “Don’t be shy now. We don’t take no for an answer around here.” He patted the chair next to him and waved me forward.

Inhaling deeply, I gave in. Stepping around the table, I took the seat he was offering, landing me right across from Wes.

“Now the object of the game is simple,” he started as Rincon began dealing out cards.

“There are two decks of cards, and you get five cards in your hand to start. Don’t show anyone, okay?

Then, you’re going to pull out all your pairs and put them aside face up next to you.

Got it? Then, get more cards from the draw pile until you have five cards again. ”

I tried to follow his directions, but I was already losing track of what I was supposed to do. Gathering the five cards Rincon dealt me, I went through them to find pairs. I had two diamonds, so I pulled them out and placed them next to me. “Then I draw two more, right?”

“That’s right. Then keep doing that until you don’t have any pairs left.

Now, we’re going to play a round. In each round, we’ll each pull a card from any person you pick at the table.

Once you pull a card, you look for pairs, and pull them out.

Then you can draw more cards. If you don’t have a pair, you’re stuck with that extra card in your hand.

The goal is to have the most pairs in your pile by the end of the game.

Each pair is worth one point. But, if you have pairs of queens, they’re worth five points each.

And if you have all four pairs of queens, then you automatically win the game because you have a full harem. ”

“A what?”

“A harem.”

Rincon spoke up this time, “It’s called Stallion for a reason. A wild stallion collects a herd of females. That’s the point. You want as many pairs in your pile as you can get, but if you have all four pairs of queens, then you have a harem and you automatically win.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head for a moment. “Okay, so wait. Basically, we go around trying to collect as many pairs as we can, with the goal being to get all the queens if possible, right?”

Simon smiled brightly. “You got it!”

“So, basically, we’re playing a weird version of Go Fish.”

This time, Rincon responded, his brows furrowed. “Go Fish? No…no, this is way different from Go Fish.”

“Not really. In Go Fish you collect pairs. In this game, you’re trying to collect pairs too.

The only difference is that queens are worth more and can automatically win you the game.

” I looked around the table while all three guys looked at each other, thoughtful expressions and confusion across each one of their features.

“Isn’t that what you all just said?” Rincon lifted a finger to speak, but then promptly closed his mouth.

Simon’s smile had been wiped clean, his lips pursed in thought.

Wes remained stoic, his brows pinched as he stared at the cards on the table. “Guys?”

Simon finally spoke. “Well…yeah, I guess it’s kind of like Go Fish, but it’s way more masculine,” he sputtered in defense.

A smile crawled along my face. “More masculine ?”

“Yeah,” Rincon piped up. “Because there’s the stuff with the queens…” his sentence dropped off.

I looked between the two of them before finally looking across the table at Wes, who was staring right at me.

A curl took the corner of his lips, popping out only one of those mischievous dimples, giving him the most deliciously devious look.

We held each other’s gaze, my heart skittering in my chest as his eyes glimmered before he shifted them to the table.

Leaning forward, he grabbed his hand and held his cards up, examining them.

“Are we going to play Go Fish, or what?”

My cheeks tingled with my growing smile. Tipping my chin to my chest, I hid my face behind my fanned out cards.

“Yeah,” Simon agreed, “Let’s just play.”

“What’s the bet?”

Rincon clicked his tongue. “We’ll figure something out.”

And so we played.

***

“And that makes me the stallion ,” I said, loving how it felt to conquer them all for the sixth time. “And I believe that makes you all my harem. Or rather, my bitches, ” I went on playfully.

Rincon plopped his face in his arm on the table, groaning, as Simon threw his cards onto the pile of discarded diamonds, spades, hearts, and clubs. “ Man …how the hell you doin’ that? You cheatin’?”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms, and smiling. “No. Are you saying that the only way a girl can be the stallion is by cheating?”

“Well…a…” Simon stumbled.

Rincon lifted his head, exasperation on his face. “I think I’m done with this game.”

And then, for the first time since I’d met him, Wes laughed.

Like, actually laughed . And it was deep, and full, and really…

well, really kind of sexy sounding. It completely threw me off guard, and I looked at him in utter shock.

“Well,” he said, “looks like we all just got ridden home by the President’s daughter.

” He tossed his cards onto the table as a grin slid into place.

“Go figure…” His eyes lifted, looking at us all. “What? What are you all staring at?”

It was true. All three of us were just gawking at him.

“ What? ” he said more forcefully.

“Dude,” Rincon treaded, “that’s like, the first time I’ve heard you laugh since…”

He didn’t finish. He just fell quiet, not wanting to put it out there. But it didn’t take a genius to know what was supposed to fill in the blank.

“Since Chase died.” I said it. I said what no one else wanted to mention, and I didn’t regret it.

But that didn’t stop a shiver from curling down my spine as Rincon and Simon both reverted their eyes to their hands.

Their anxiety was palpable, and the tension that was building in the room could have suffocated a bear, but I dared to look at Wes.

His eyes were firmly planted on me, and I saw…

Nothing.

Nothing but the hard, smooth lines of his sharp features and eyes that held emptiness. He was like stone. Like perfectly chiseled marble that held no emotion, no heart. Nothing but cold and unrelenting rock.

I held his gaze, not wanting to back down, and he held mine.

But then they flickered. Pushing the chair back from the table, he stood up.

I sensed Rincon and Simon stiffening on either side of me, shifting in their chairs with nervous energy, but I kept my gaze on Wes.

He took a step back, brows furrowing, before turning on his heels and walking out of the tent.

The energy in the room was stiff and suffocating. Realizing I was holding my breath, lungs aching for release, I let out a long exhale.

Simon cleared his throat. “Well, that was intense.”

“Where do you think he went?” I looked at both guys, who both looked at each other before speaking in unison.

“The Rock.”

“What’s that?”

Rincon answered this time. “It’s his place. He and his brother used to go there all the time.”

“It’s at the top of the switchbacks on the way to the training center,” Simon added.

“The Rock…” I mulled a thought over in my head. As much as Wes reminded me of Chase, he scared me. But I knew he was also hurting. That was clear as day. And I felt like I owed it to him…and to Chase. “How do I get there?”

Simon sucked in a deep breath as a sly smirk overtook his face. “Girl, you’ve got balls going after him.” He let out a light chuckle. “Listen up, here’s how you find it…”