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“ S ILENCE,” Giza shouted, causing me to jump back from Wes as the room of sneering faces came crashing back into my reality.

In all the months that I had known Giza, I had never seen him lose his composure before.

The look on his face screamed disappointment as he stepped forward.

“Now, I understand your sentiments, your confusion of why we would ask you to engage in this operation. But that is none of your concern. You all are soldiers who have pledged allegiance to this nation. You all are the best of the best. And you will do your jobs and respect the decisions made by your commanding officers. Do you understand?”

I was pretty sure the question was rhetorical, and clearly everyone else did too, since they all kept their mouths shut.

I trembled, remnants of the panic attack that threatened to consume me not but a minute ago.

I’d felt panic before, but never like that.

Never something so intensely overwhelming. But Wes…he…

“So,” Giza began again, “let me try this again. We need two volunteers.”

Crickets.

Nada.

Nothing.

You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. Until Wes spoke…

“Listen up,” he said, voice deep as he stepped forward, taking center stage.

“You all know me. And I get that none of you want to do this. That’s fair.

But we need this man,” he said as he pointed at Jacob’s picture.

“This is the former general of the REG, and he’s the First Son.

If he’s anything like me or my brother, then he’s been groomed from day one to become the future leader of Telvia. ”

He paused only for a moment, eyes scanning the crowd.

“Imagine what he knows? Imagine what information he can give us? This man knows everything . Do you hear me? Everything . Every alley, every backdoor entrance, every Telvian military strategy, every secret operation. Everything! And he’s on our side now.

He’s on our side because of her,” he emphasized, pointing at me and sending all eyes my way.

This time, however, their eyes weren’t angry or filled with disdain.

They were curious, engaged, calculating.

“Because of her , Jacob de la Puente is dissenting from Telvia, and Raúl knows it. He’s ordering the execution of his own fucking son because he’s scared.

He knows that if we get our hands on this man, he’s fucking toast. So if you want to win this war, if you want the constant threat of a Telvian attack to be over, then it’s time to man up and help us bring Jacob de la Puente home. ”

“Or woman up, thank you very much.” I looked out into the crowd and instantly smiled.

Edith stood up, a wicked grin on her face as she stepped out of her row and sauntered down the aisle toward us.

“A dangerous, secret ops mission. Low chance of survival. Sounds like my kind of circus. And since no one else has found their testicles yet,” she declared, arms opened wide as she surveyed the crowd, “then you can count me in. I’ll help bring that sexy ass home,” she declared with a purr.

Oh my god… Of course, she had to add that last piece, because this girl found anything with two legs and a penis to be hot and sexy.

Heat bloomed across my face. Edith may not have been talking about me, but that was my brother up there.

And it was definitely embarrassing, but Edith just about skipped as she twirled around to face the crowd on the right side of me, bumping my shoulder.

I mouthed thank you , and she winked in return.

Giza stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Excellent, Miss Le. Your faction thanks you.” She saluted him in response.

Giza redirected his attention to the auditorium.

“We need one more. Who else volunteers?” Everyone averted their gazes, turning in their seats to see if any of their comrades were going to volunteer. But the room stayed quiet.

“I’ll volunteer,” a male voice called out.

I looked around, trying to figure out who it was, scanning up the rows of people until my sight caught movement at the top by the double doors.

My jaw unhinged as he stepped into the aisle, hands in his pockets.

A kaleidoscope of emotions swirled within me as time stood still.

Because this was the last person I would ever expect to volunteer on a rescue mission for my brother.

A person I thought was gone from my life for good.

But I was wrong.

Because the second to volunteer was Matias.

I didn’t know what to feel. I didn’t know if I should be happy or angry, confused, or relieved. All I knew was that watching Matias walk down that aisle, deep brown eyes set on me, I felt… everything . Everything cascaded within me.

Matias made it to the front, stopping in front of Wes as their gazes locked.

It was only a few seconds, but those seconds felt like they stretched for eternity.

Hard, intense eyes. Firm lines etched across their faces.

Brows dipped into delicate V’s. And then it was gone, so fast that I wasn’t sure if anyone else caught it.

Matias brought his attention back to me and walked past Wes like he was nothing more than a potted plant.

I felt the fervor of his eyes on me as he swept by and took his place on the other side of Edith.

“Very good,” Giza said. Melancholy and pride warred on his face as he surveyed the four of us.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that it would be the four of you going into this.

” He hesitated, rubbing his chin as he searched for words.

I thought I caught a glimmer of moisture in his eyes before he cleared his throat and nodded his head in resolution.

Giza faced the room again. “You are all dismissed. Return to your assigned duties.”

The sound of chairs scraping along the ground shattered the silence as Giza looked at us once more.

“Time is not our friend, soldiers. We’ll need to begin training immediately.

” Lifting his wrist, he gazed at his tab, and then back at us.

“Take a seat. The rest of the team should be here any minute. We’ll review the rest of the mission parameters and discuss the training schedule.

” With that, he left us and walked back to Bynes and Krous.

Then it got weird.

Wes crossed the couple of feet separating us just as Matias moved toward me.

The result being that both men came face-to-face once more, locking eyes in one of those testosterone-filled, macho stare downs.

If eyes could generate electricity, they’d be powering the whole effing place, because something was happening, and I had no freaking clue what it was or why.

None of us moved as crackling tension filled the space, its intensity palpable.

Thank god for Edith. She broke the silence, slipping herself between them and pushing them both back.

“All of you might be down for standing around like mannequins, but I’m tired of standing.

And I know we’re about to get worked like a plow horse during harvest. So pardon me as I take this girl,” she grabbed my arm and looped it around hers, “and move us to the chairs. But you boys, play nice,” she added.

Gratitude was not nearly a strong enough word for what I felt toward Edith at that moment, because the awkwardness was painful .

She pulled me along, leading me down the aisle to the second row.

Just as we sat down, the double doors opened, startling both of us.

I whipped around to see who it was and was immediately filled with apprehension.

An older man walked in, dressed in the same clothing as everyone else.

He wasn’t the problem. The problem was the girl with the perfect blonde bun and standard uniform that complemented and accentuated every curve of her body, which was so not fair.

I knew this girl, and I was sincerely hoping she was in the wrong place.

“Harper, Haeflinger,” Bynes called out. “Have a seat,” she said, pointing toward us.

Oh no…no, no, no. Not her!

“Well, crap,” Edith moaned. “No offense, Mara, but if I’d known Calista was going to be on this thing, there’s no way in hell I would have volunteered.” I buried my face in my hands. This couldn’t be happening.

“Allow me to introduce Calista Haeflinger, Field Medic,” Bynes interjected.

“Top of her class in hand-to-hand combat, and valedictorian at the military academy.” I watched as a proud smile crawled on Blondie’s lips.

Bynes held a hand out to the man. “And James Harper, Combat Engineer, and seasoned veteran. Harper has completed more successful missions than any other Northerner.” She glanced at Calista and Harper with pride.

“Both of these individuals are exceptional soldiers, hand-picked for their experience and aptitude in their positions. They’re incredible assets to this mission.

” Her eyes slowly shifted to me. “You’re lucky to have them. ”

I pressed my lips into a thin line.

“Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s get started,” Giza announced, clasping his hands together.

Those still standing found a spot and readied themselves for the onslaught of information.

We sat for hours, reviewing everything from the terrain, possible pitfalls, escape routes, roles, and everything else you could imagine.

The whole time they talked, my mind kept cycling through the thought that Blondie was part of the mission.

In fact, she and Jim Harper were Sasha’s picks, assigned to stick to me like glue, making sure I came back alive.

Which, of course, boiled my blood because the last person I wanted following me around was Calista.

What rotten luck.

“Now,” Krous interjected, “beginning tomorrow, you’ll be starting new training assignments to prepare for the mission. We’ll be running drills, and you’ll be practicing your assigned roles.”

“Yes,” Bynes confirmed. “After speaking with the First in Command and President Calvernon, they agreed that, as a special thank you, you are all invited to the gala.”

Gala?

Giza stepped forward. “Yes, President Calvernon and President De’vor will host a special gala one week before the mission to make a special announcement. But you will all be honored, so plan to attend.”

Oh shit. I had forgotten about the stupid ball thing. I was so wrapped up in trying to get this mission off the ground, it had completely slipped my mind. My stomach rumbled in protest as I tried to breathe. I knew what the ‘special announcement’ was supposed to be—my engagement.

“Ooo,” Edith gushed, “I love a good party.”

“Yes,” Bynes acknowledged with a raised brow. “Do remember, it will be at the President’s estate, Miss Le.”

“Oh, don’t worry, General. I’ll behave,” she said with a wink. Bynes rolled her eyes.

“Well,” Giza cut in, “I think that’ll do for today. We start early tomorrow.”

With that, everyone started getting up. Blondie sauntered over to Wes, placing a hand on his chest playfully with a smile. Acid bubbled up in my throat.

“Well, this is gonna be something,” Edith teased as she stood up.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be something all right,” I said as I got up and stretched my arms, turning away from Wes and Calista. I just couldn’t handle that right now.

“You and I are going to have to do some serious gossiping, newbie.”

“About?”

Edith lifted a brow incredulously. “What do you think ?” Motioning her head toward Matias.

I watched as he stood up from his seat, stretched his back, and looked at me. Our eyes met, and all the confusing emotions came rolling back.

Matias.

I didn’t get it. Why was he volunteering to do this? It didn’t make any sense.

“Honestly?” I began, “I was hoping you could shed some light on it for me.”

“I’ve got nothing for you, girly. I’m stumped. But,” she added, a devious smile coming across her face, “you could ask him.”

I arched a brow. “Are you kidding? Do you know how weird things ended between us?”

Edith shrugged, her smirk still well in place. “Sounds to me like maybe things haven’t ended like you thought.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just saying—”

“Hey,” Wes’s voice in my ear caused me to jump.

“God, you scared me,” I said, placing my hand over my thumping heart.

He cleared his throat, shifting his weight. “We’ve got to go.”

“Now?”

“We’ve got a drive ahead of us and a long day tomorrow.”

“Oh,” I mumbled. “Yeah, okay.” I looked at Edith. “I guess I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

“Mmhmm. Let the hell games begin.”

I laughed, thinking she was joking, but I guess that was my naivete. Because she was right—the hell games were indeed about to begin.