Page 134

Dominic

Sometimes stars align,

and sometimes they cross.

“But that’s why your rising sun means you and Beau are basically soul-mates,” Lucky finishes, scraping out the last oats from his bowl as he winks at me.

We all stayed up too late last night, talking under the stars, but no one’s complaining this morning.

It feels good to celebrate.

Beau rolls his eyes as Eden laughs beside him, pink-cheeked and happy in the brisk morning air.

“Where does that leave me?”

“Oh, beautiful. Let me just tell you what your chart turned up,” Lucky begins, and he tugs a notebook out of the bag by his feet. “First up, you and Jayk. It’s a miracle you?—”

Jayk snatches the notebook. “Let me see that.”

“Hey! Jasper, he?—”

“I’ve told you before, I am not getting involved in your bickering. You’re a big, strong Ranger. You deal with him,” Jasper says dryly, collecting up the empty bowls.

The scar on his cheek has faded a lot in the two months since he was shot, but it’s still a jagged tight line. He looks like a real soldier now.

“Jayk, give Lucky his dream book back,” Eden says soothingly, and Lucky shoots her a filthy look.

“It’s not a?—”

“Anything that says Jayk and I aren’t an excellent couple counts as a dream,” she says primly, getting to her feet. Then she pauses. “Possibly a nightmare.”

I’m snorting at all of them when Sloane whistles, nodding behind me.

I get to my feet in time to see Sawyer pulling up in his truck, grinning ear to ear.

And it kills every bit of light inside me.

I don’t want any part of something that makes this asshole smile.

“Dom!” He jogs up, panting lightly, his eyes overbright. “Guess who just radioed?”

Yeah. That’s not happening.

Impatient, I cross my arms over my chest, and Sawyer’s smile falters.

He looks around our campfire. “ Sullivan . From the Sinners, you remember?” He looks back at me and laughs. “He’s been working against Alastair this whole time! After Bane died, he finally managed to get enough support to take over.”

Oh . . . fuck .

Eden draws in a harsh, shocked breath.

Sawyer’s grin dims a little more, and he looks around at our suddenly tense group.

“He says he has Alastair and Mateo in custody, all their supporters too,” Sawyer explains slowly, his eyes flicking between each of us.

“He says he’ll be here in three hours to offer us the peace deal we wanted, all them trade agreements we talked about.

.. and Alastair’s and Mateo’s heads as an apology.

” He sucks in a breath, frowning up at me, confused.

“I’m sorry, am I missin’ somethin’? This is good news. .. ain’t it?”

My mind ticks like a bomb. The six of us are frozen.

From the tents, the civs begin to filter over, whispering between themselves.

Until Jasper clears his throat, stepping forward smoothly. “Of course it is. It’s more than any of us hoped for.”

Jasper shoots me a warning look under his lashes as he passes me, and my heart pounds like a war drum.

“It’s overwhelming, the idea that this might finally be over. We’ve been away from home for a long time,” he explains gently, and Sawyer’s expression eases.

“When will he be here?” I ask, and it comes out like a bark. I grimace, then try again. “So we can welcome him.”

Sawyer’s mustache twitches uncertainly, but he works up another tentative smile.

“A few hours from when he called, and that was, what? Thirty minutes ago?” He nods.

“I think a welcome would be a great idea. We could make up a whole feast for ’em, really get these peace talks movin’.

Can you believe it? No more fightin’.” Sawyer rubs the back of his neck, and his eyes grow wet. “We’ve lost so many already.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jayk says impatiently. “Feast sounds good. Glad it’s all done. We should?—”

“Set it up in the mess hall,” I cut in, my mind racing.

Only two exits from that building. It holds all of them. If we can just containthis...

Jayk pauses, then nods slowly. “Sloane and the civs will help you get set up.”

I nod, and Sawyer tips his hat to Sloane, who looks flatly back at him.

Fucking hell, what a clusterfuck.

“We’ll meet Sullivan first,” I tell Sawyer. “Make sure he’s on the up and up.”

Eden walks up to Sawyer and takes his arm, casually leading him back towards his truck. “Maybe everyone should leave their weapons at the door, including the Sinners, just in case tensions run high. I think it might be a lovely gesture of good faith, don’t you?”

Urgency pounds through me, but her sweet, demure little suggestion almost makes me snort.

Dangerous little librarian.

She dismisses Sawyer back into his truck with easy promises that we’ll come down soon, and our camp watches him leave in brittle, catastrophic silence.

As soon as he’s gone, I turn to the civs.

“We need to fucking move ,” I order.

Jayk nods and turns to talk to Sloane, and they start arguing about who to take, how to handle them, and what they need to do.

“I need intel,” I snap to Beau as he comes up beside me. “I need to call Arthur. What the fuck happened? Everything was fine last night.”

“Well, I think we know what happened,” Lucky mutters, grabbing up his kit and pulling it over his uniform.

Eden’s face is rigid and hot as she storms back into camp. “I told him not to underestimate her. This could have been avoided. Maybe they are perfect for one another—in pure and total stubbornness !”

“I need the phone. Someone get me the?—”

Jasper places the satellite phone neatly in my hand... just as it starts ringing.

It’s Red Zone. Exchanging a look with Beau, I answer and put the phone on speaker.

Only it’s not Arthur who speaks.

“Eden? Dom? Oh shit, it’s bad. It’s really bad.

” Bentley’s heavy, booming voice is rough with raw panic.

“Sullivan still thinks he’s doing the right thing, but he took Alastair and Mateo.

All of them. It was a clean sweep. Heather didn’t even tell me until it was done, and she was supposed to take me, too, but she, fuck, I don’t know.

Had a crisis of conscience? She let me escape with the captives.

I have them all safe here at Red Zone, but?—”

“Bentley?” Eden breaks in gently, easing past Beau to squeeze in closer. “Bentley, take a breath. You said you have the captives? All of them? They’re safe? Then we can sort this out. We’ll handle things here. And once we explain?—”

“No!” Bentley bursts out, his voice cracking with fear.

“Sullivan wants to kill them, Eden, and your word won’t be enough.

Alastair... he’s done too much there to play his part.

I tried to talk to Heather but I... I don’t know if she listened.

If you don’t do what I say, in a few hours, they’re going to kill him. ”

“Them,” I correct, and Bentley draws in a deep, shaky breath.

“Right,” he says softly. “Them.”

The day is bitter and cold enough to bite, but we’ve prepared for this. We’re dressed warm and every single person in this team knows how to handle themselves.

We’ve survived seven months of death.

We can survive one more day.

Eden’s face firms, and she lifts her chin neatly, battle plans in her eyes.

“Okay, Bentley. What do you want us to do?”

And he only says one word.

“ Stall .”