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Northern troops had already deployed hours before us in broad daylight, and we flooded the Telvian communication systems with everything we had, sending mixed messages of imminent attack.

We wanted them to know we were coming and exactly where we intended to hit.

We wanted them to come get us and hit us with everything they had.

Because every soldier, every REG official, every Telvian Enforcement officer that was at the wall was one less we would face when we infiltrated REG Command.

And we wanted the panic.

We wanted the citizens of Telvia to know what was happening and to lose their freaking minds, taking to the streets, and creating nothing but havoc.

The more chaos, the better.

The easier it would be to slip in among the crowd.

And we were ready.

Bullet-proof vests, knives, stunners, and pistols all concealed under ordinary clothing. Tactical vests hid under coats and sweaters. Backpacks shielded ammo and extra battery clips from view. Hats and sunglasses concealed our faces as much as possible. I even dyed my hair blonde.

Incognito.

Each one of us had a new identity. Retinal scans would identify us as anyone but who we really were. The real trick was making sure no one saw Jacob. Because the second someone recognized the First Son of Telvia, the gig would be up, game over.

That’s why chaos was our new best friend. And the more we created, the better.

And we were going to create so much of it.

“We drop in ten!” The pilot reported back to us. “Dissenter forces on the inside have reported that District 1 is in the process of evacuations. You’re going to access tunnel B35. It should let you out on Cameron Street inside of a clothing store.”

“Cameron Street? That’s a mile from the REG office,” I said.

“That’s right. Cameron Street’s already been evacuated,” the pilot confirmed.

“What about the REG? Are they still there?” Jacob questioned.

“Don’t know. Source says they haven’t evacuated the city center yet, but there’s talk of evacuating Command to another office in District 2.”

“Shit,” Jacob muttered as he leaned back in his seat.

“What?” Edith asked. “What’s the problem? Wouldn’t that be better for us?”

Jacob ran his hand through his hair. “Once they begin evacuations, they’ll move all the lab computers and prototypes to another location.”

“So,” Jay retorted. “I bet I can access the mainframe from any computer in Command.”

“No!” Jacob shot out too forcibly, and everyone looked at him. Recognizing his mistake, he cleared his throat. “No,” he repeated, softer this time. “That won’t work. We’ve got to get there before they evacuate the REG or all bets are off.”

Great. Just perfect. As though this wasn’t already big enough of a mess, now we were on a time crunch because our team wanted to upload a virus, but Jacob and I had different plans.

We needed to make sure everything was destroyed or Raúl would just have Jacob’s work recreated, and we’d be back at square one.

“When we land,” Wes jumped in, “I’ll take point through the tunnel. Once we're on the other side,” he faced Jacob, “you’ll need to lead us to REG Command.” Jacob nodded. “Mara, you’re covering Geo and Jay. Edith, you’re taking the rear.”

We all nodded.

The pilot interjected, “We’re ready for the drop.” No sooner did he say that, the helicopter slowed and lowered down into a giant clearing of desert shrubs and Joshua trees. Slowly, it dropped to the ground until it finally landed with a hard thump. “Go!”

He didn’t have to tell us twice. We all leaped out, ducking down as the blades of the Blackhawk continued spinning, causing a forceful wind that threatened to topple me over. As soon as the last one of us was out, the helicopter rose and took off toward the battleground.

Miles away, I could see the plumes of black smoke and the flickering dance of flames. Muted booms broke through the serene landscape, and memories of the forest ablaze, the rebel camp destroyed and engulfed in flames, disturbed me.

“Mara?” my brother said gently, a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head, trying to clear the images from my mind as I turned to face him. “Ready?”

I looked back out at the battle ensuing so many miles away, blowing out a breath. “Absolutely.”

***

We raced down the tunnel, dim utility lighting doing the worst job of fulfilling their function.

And it was a race. We had at least a mile to go in the darkness, and then a mile to the REG once we came out of the tunnel.

The layers of clothing and gear made me feel hot and sweaty, but the tunnels were cool on my face.

The smell of stale air and mold, however, was definitely not my favorite.

We kept up a fast-paced jog. I could tell once we had crossed into the city because every once in a while we’d hear a muted sound, like thunder off in the distance, and dirt would fall from the ceiling on top of us.

The whole thing gave me this uneasy feeling that the tunnel was going to cave in on us, but I swallowed my internal panic, shoving it down. I had to stay focused.

After twenty minutes, we came to a scuffed up, yellow ladder that rose what looked like dozens of feet. Without so much as a word, Wes grabbed onto the first rung and started climbing, moving quickly. Jacob followed next, then Geo, me, Jay, and Edith.

Eventually, we reached the top. One by one, we climbed out into a tiny square room we could hardly fit in. And the worst part was, there was no way out. No windows and no doors. Just four solid walls.

“Where are we?” I asked.

Wes stepped over to one of the blank walls and pressed his hand flat against it. A light appeared that moved from left to right, tracing the outline of his hand. Something beeped, and then suddenly, the entire wall slid back.

“Holy hell,” Jacob mumbled under his breath, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. “How the—”

“Pretty impressive, eh, Telvian?” Geo snickered as he lifted the hood on his hoodie over his red, buzzed cut hair. “Looks like the REG ain’t as good as they thought they were.”

Jacob just stared and then glanced at me with a did you know about this? kind of look. I just shrugged with a silent chuckle. If only he knew there were more of these secret passageways all over the city. Once he found that out, his mind was going to be totally blown.

Wes stepped into the space beyond, which turned out to be a back storeroom, littered with boxes and discarded merchandise. “Clear.”

We all piled into the room and waited for Wes to close the door—wall?

—behind us. It slid back into place and made a soft beep sound when it locked into place.

And, just like before, it was nothing more than just another wall.

Wes took point again, leading us up a flight of stairs and through an open door.

Light hit my eyes, causing me to lift my hands to help protect them from the sunlight shimmering through the windows and bouncing off the mirrors and glass.

And when my eyes finally adjusted, I felt my stomach drop and my cheeks redden.

The store we were in was a clothing shop. But not just any clothing shop…it was a—

“Ooo!” Edith squealed as she completely forgot her position as the tail in our group and busted out into the shop. “I want that one!” She went to a table and lifted a red, very see-through thong, holding it up high and admiring it. “What do you think, Jay?”

Jay started coughing, curling his hand into a fist and slapping at his chest. I couldn’t believe it. Of all the stores on Cameron Street, it had to be the lingerie shop. I was walking around in a life-sized skank drawer, and Edith was—apparently—in total heaven.

“Oh! This one! I want this one!” She clamored as she skipped to another table with a lacy teddy. At least it was tasteful. She grabbed it and held it up, and I almost choked on my own spit. It had holes. Two holes…right where the breasts go. “Mara! This one’s perfect for you!”

“Oh no…” Jacob squeaked out, shifting uncomfortably. That made two of us. “The REG’s this way,” he said as he just about ran out of the room.

“I’m following that guy,” Jay said, cheeks red. But I caught him giving Edith a quick wink as she stuffed the not-so-tasteful teddy in her backpack.

“I’ll grab you one, Mara,” she said.

“No!” I shrieked, causing Wes and her to jump. “I’m good. I’m so good. I have way more than I’ll ever need—”

Wes started choking just as I realized I had just admitted to owning several pieces of intimate apparel.

Edith glowed. “Ooo! Did you try the red lace—”

“ Edith! ” I squealed.

Geo chuckled, coming up beside me and bumping my shoulder. “Well, de la Puente, I’d be a good teammate and wait for you if you wanted to try it on…”

“Eww,” I said.

“Knock it off, Mason,” Wes growled, having recovered from his coughing fit. He stepped between us and shoved Geo over.

Geo chuckled again, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Just playin’, brother. Just playin’.” He caught my eye, gave me a wink, and puckered his lips before following the rest of our group out. Edith followed, snagging a few more items off the counters before she slipped out the front.

“Pig,” Wes muttered.

“I know, right?” I didn’t know Geo Mason at all. And I was deciding I had no desire to get to know him any better.

“We better go—”

“Wait!” I said, halting him in his steps.

He turned to face me, his hazel eyes rich with flecks of green that accented the golden hues.

His hair was tucked under a baseball cap, which I decided I didn’t like on him that much.

I preferred his hair out and accessible, where I could run my fingers through the blond strands and feel the silky softness against my skin.

I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

And there was no time to do this right, but there was a very strong possibility I may not get another chance.

So I took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”

“Mara,” Wes began, cutting me off. “We can’t do this now. We’ve got to go.”

“Wes, please . It’ll only take a second and I can’t take another step without you knowing this.

” He sighed heavily, shifting his weight, but he stayed put.

I pressed the advantage. “I’m sorry for everything that happened.

And I can’t explain everything right now, but maybe when this is all over, I can do a better job then.

But I just need you to know that I never meant to hurt you, and that, no matter what happens, know that I care about you. ”

With furrowed brows, Wes looked off in the distance, shifting his weight. “You don’t owe me anything. What happened between us, I know it wasn’t real. And it’s not your fault that I wanted it to be.”

“Wes—”

“Just let me finish,” he cut me off, eyes back on me. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. And it’s unfair for me to hold it against you. Sasha and my dad put you in a tough position, giving you a chance at saving your brother, and I get that. And I can’t blame you for taking it.”

Emotions climbed up my throat. Because who was I to deserve this man? I could live a thousand lives and never deserve him, never earn the right for him to be mine. I was his once, and I ruined it.

He blew out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I don’t know what plans my dad or Sasha have for everything, but when we get back, I’ll make sure you’re freed from them.

I’ll make sure your brother doesn’t have to stand trial, and I’ll make sure you’re not forced into anything ever again. No marriage needed. You have my word.”

“But Wes—”

“Yo!” Jay barged back in. “Dudes, we just got intel saying that they’re beginning evacuations at the REG. We’ve got to get our asses down there like it was yesterday.”

“Crap,” Wes muttered. “Let’s go.” And he was off, following Jay, and I followed him.

But all the while, my mind was spinning.

I wasn’t happy with how everything sat with Wes, but it was better I guessed.

It wasn’t what I wanted, but it would have to do because we were out of time and out of options.

And now, Jacob and I had to figure out how to ditch everyone so we could get to the REG before all the nano tech disappeared. This was going to be hell.