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I slumped into my bed in the barracks, utterly exhausted and emotionally spent. It was our last night before the mission, and I was allowed to spend it at Fort Warren. I was so grateful for it too, because the last thing I wanted was another surprise visit from Charles.

I was so overwhelmed by everything, though, and I didn’t even know what to do. After meeting with Jacob, I found out from Giza that the team would be Edith, Jeremiah, Wes, some guy called Geo, Jacob, and myself.

Matias wanted to go—insisted on it—but they gave him orders to hold back and take PTO.

He was still recovering from his injuries at the tower, and with his current limp, he was in no condition to fight.

Edith was probably the most prepared and had the most vigorous training since she had been doing the hell games with us.

And, of course, she wanted to kick Telvian ass and was hellbent on doing this mission since they cut her out of the last one. So she was in.

Wes wasn’t supposed to go. Like Matias, he was told to stay behind and take PTO since he was still recovering from Operation Silent Night. His answer, of course, was to flip the middle finger and enlist himself. Giza didn’t even try to argue with him.

That was our team. I didn’t know who Bynes’s operatives were, but in the end, nobody could know what Jacob and I were doing…

not even Wes. Involving them made them accomplices and placed their lives at risk from Charles.

And Charles had made it very clear to me that if I told anyone, he was going to kill them all. I couldn’t risk their lives.

But I needed somebody to help me…at least a little bit.

And the only one I trusted for the job was Edith.

I knew when the time came, I could count on her to help me get the team home safely.

Because whether they were Charles’s operatives or not, in the end, they were just soldiers doing their jobs.

It wasn’t their fault, and they all needed to get home alive.

I rolled onto my back, rubbing my eyes, staring at the ceiling of the barracks.

There was one thing left I wanted to do, but I was out of time.

I wanted to talk to Wes. The thought of going on this mission, probably dying, and leaving him without the truth…

it crushed me. Stung like the venom of a thousand bee stings to the heart.

But I didn’t know what Charles had planned for me or Jacob if we returned.

And truthfully, I wasn’t sure I wanted to return.

Charles Calvernon was a wildcard, I realized.

Absolutely crazed with the thought of power and more power, and incredibly unpredictable.

He was no better than Raúl. That’s why the nanochips had to be destroyed.

Although I was slowly trusting Sasha, I sure as hell didn’t trust Charles.

And right now, the person who held the power was him, because Sasha depended on him for the survival of her rebellion.

In the end, I feared she would acquiesce to whatever he wanted.

And what he wanted was going to be no good.

“Psst!”

I turned to see the bunk next to me. “What’s up?”

Edith turned on her side under her covers to face me. “You’re still up.”

I looked back at the ceiling. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

“Can’t sleep?”

I swallowed, my mind still whirling with thoughts. “No.”

“Nervous?”

I stayed silent a tick. “No.”

“Liar.”

I smiled. I loved this girl. “What about you?” I whispered back.

“Are you kidding me? I’m going to kick Telvian butt tomorrow. Do you know how hard I worked to be good? I was so pissed when I got cut out of the last mission…”

“To be good?”

She shot up. “Hell yes! I’ve been kissing ass for the last twenty-four hours to make sure no one cut me from this one. And you know me, Mara. I hate kissing ass.”

“Shh!” The sound came from another bunk.

We both drew quiet for a moment, not wanting to piss off our roommates. After a few seconds, Edith started whispering again. “I kissed Jay.”

“ What! ” I shouted.

“Shh!” Several voices rang back out at me.

I shrunk deeper into my sheets, my cheeks reddening as I did.

Edith snickered. “I haven’t seen you since you were released from the hospital. But, yeah, I just walked right up to him, grabbed his ass, and kissed him.”

“Why did you grab his butt?” I whisper-yelled.

“Uh, hello ? Have you not seen his ass? It’s like two honey-baked hams. He’s got it tight, girl! If I had it my way, I would have bitten those ass cheeks.”

“Shh!” Several more voices piped up.

I smothered my face in a pillow, dying of laughter. I didn’t know what a honey-baked ham was, but the image of Edith pouncing on Jay in the cafeteria and biting his butt was a total riot in my mind. The girl was such a predator.

“So, how was it?” I asked as soon as I could breathe again.

“Oh, girl, Wes has got nothing on him.”

I cocked a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the white boy has nothing on a sexy beast like Jay,” she purred.

I rolled my eyes. I really, really loved Edith. Everything about her was good and pure…well, except for her chastity. I was pretty sure that thing was anything but pure . But she was loyal, and truly an amazing human being. I sighed as I rolled over to look at her. “I’m happy for you.”

She smiled, curling back down in her bed. “Me too.”

“Edith?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to need your help tomorrow.”

“No shit,” she snickered. “You all almost died at the tower. You absolutely need me.”

I offered her a forced smile. Her confidence was endearing, but that’s not what I needed from her. I hesitated, not knowing how to ask without giving it all away. Finally, I decided on, “Tomorrow, when we’re in Telvia, I’m gonna need you to do something for me.”

She furrowed her brows. “Well, that sounds ominous. Should I be worried?”

I forced a smile, trying to make this next part sound convincing. “No. I just need you to know that, when the time comes, I’m going to ask you to do something, and you’re going to have to trust me.”

“Mara, I don’t like the sound of that. What’s going on?”

“Shh!” Another voice came from the right of me.

I brought my voice down lower. “Just…trust me, please ?”

Edith stayed silent for a moment, calculating, no doubt. But eventually, she sighed heavily. “You know I’ve always got your back, newbie.”

I exhaled a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Edith.”

“But if you’re going to ask me to let you kiss Jay, I will slap you.”

“Shut up!” somebody chided.

Edith sat up in bed and looked around. “Who was that? I will cut you. Just ask Calista…that bitch got it good!”

Before I knew it, pillows were flying in the room as a gang of girls attacked Edith and me with pillows. It was the least of my problems.

Because tomorrow…tomorrow we’d finish it.