Page 55 of Silver Elite

It takes two days to reach the other side. Forty-eight hours in which we bicker and hiss at each other. In which we talk about Cross and how much I already miss him. In which we talk about Tyler, and Xavier admits that while he cared about her, he wasn’t in love with her. In fact, he reveals he’s never been in love before. Not with any of the men or women he’s dated in the past. He confesses that when it comes to sex, he rarely, if ever, considers the consequences of his actions.

I learn more about Xavier Ford than I ever wanted to know, and by the time we see it, the light penetrating the mist about a hundred yards away, it feels like we’re old friends.

“We did it, Darlington,” he crows.

Both of us forget that a horned bear could still burst out of the brush and eat us alive. We take off jogging, our destination in our sights, and when we emerge from the darkness, what we find beyond it is…incredible.

The mountain valley unfolds like a tranquil oasis in front of us, bathed in the pale glow of the morning sun. A crystal-clear river winds its way through the landscape. In the distance, jagged peaks loom above us. Only a few of them are snowcapped, but that doesn’t make them any less majestic. The grass shouldn’t be this lush and green at this time of year, yet it is. The sky is cloudless. It’s glorious.

“Let me make contact,” I say, and waste no time opening a path to Adrienne.

“I’m here.”

Her shock is palpable. “Well. Look at that. You made it through the Blacklands. I’m impressed, Darlington.”

“Good. Now where is the network assistance I was promised?”

“Do you know your coordinates?”

“No,” I admit.

We had to leave all our tech behind. No source. No comms. We even left our Command weapons in the clearing, swapping them out for the ones in Jim’s supply chest.

“Project your location,” she says.

I focus on my surroundings and push the images through the path into her mind.

“Got it. I know where you are. We can’t land there. You see that hill on your left beyond the river?”

“Yes.”

“Climb it. There’s space up there for the helo to land.”

Excitement tickles my throat. This is actually happening.

“How long will you be?” I ask.

“Not long. We’re not far.”

I cut the link and address Xavier. “We need to climb that hill. Our pickup will meet us at the top.”

His dark eyes narrow. “Do they know I’m with you?”

I falter. “I…just realized I didn’t actually tell her you were coming with me.”

He rakes a hand through his hair, then glances behind us at the mist.

“Seriously?” I grin at him. “You want to go back in there? By yourself? You want to repeat that three-day nightmare hike?”

“I could make it,” he says with a shrug.

“Look, I won’t stop you if that’s what you want to do. I told you from the start that you didn’t have to come with me. You don’t need to be here.”

He curses under his breath. “That’s the problem. I do need to be here. I promised him I wouldn’t leave your side.”

“You promised him to get me to the Uprising. You don’t need to stay, Xavier. I have no idea what we’re going to find at their base.”

“Which is precisely why you need the backup.” His jaw clenches with determination. “He’d never forgive me if I let you walk in there by yourself.”

“You’re a good friend,” I tell him, walking over to touch his arm. “But I am officially releasing you from your promise to Cross.”

“Nobody but Cross releases me from my promise to Cross.” Sighing, he shoulders his pack. “Come on. Let’s go climb a stupid hill.”

I can tell he’s not budging, so I let out a sigh of my own and follow him.

It doesn’t take us long to ascend the slope. At the top, we find a flat expanse with more lush grass, a green carpet that stretches out for hundreds of yards.

“Now what?” No sooner does he speak than the distant thrum of rotor blades pierces the stillness of the valley.

We tip our heads toward the sky and the sleek gray helo powering through the air toward us. My heart beats faster the closer it gets. I can’t tell who’s flying it, but the open side door reveals two shadowy figures sitting inside.

The helo banks on its approach and I catch a glimpse of the copilot. Looks to be a woman with auburn hair. A white shirt. Long ponytail.

Xavier and I watch as the helicopter touches down on the grass, its landing gear sinking slightly into the earth as it comes to a graceful halt. The blades slow to a steady rhythm, their whirring gradually fading into the background until eventually becoming silent.

I peer into the body of the metallic frame to try to make out who’s in there. I hear a creak, and from the corner of my eye see the copilot’s door opening. The woman hops out, her ponytail swinging over her shoulder. The pilot’s door is pushed open, too. The two people inside the chopper remain motionless. I think it’s two men judging by the short hair, but I could be wrong.

The woman stalks toward us. “Darlington?”

I nod.

Her sharp gaze shifts to Xavier. “Who’s he?”

“Xavier. He helped me escape the—”

My voice dies in my throat.

I stagger backward, and for one heart-stopping moment, my entire world spins on its axis. A strangled gasp escapes my lips as my mind struggles to process what I’m seeing.

The pilot’s sheepish eyes collide with mine as he strides toward us. His hair looks bright in the morning sun. He rakes a hand through it, then lets his arm drop to his side.

We stare at each other for a moment. The corner of his mouth lifts in a crooked smile.

A thousand thoughts clamor for my attention, but amid the chaos of my mind, one thought rises above the rest.

“You fucking asshole!”

I lunge toward him and, with an angry roar, slam my fist into his jaw.

“What the hell, cowgirl?” Kaine rears back in shock, rubbing his chin.

“What the hell?” I echo. All I can do is gawk at him. “ What the hell? How are you alive?”

I bat at his chest, my rage in full control of my limbs now. He lets me punch him, but he’s grinning as I do it, which only makes me angrier.

“We held a funeral for you! I cried !”

That gets me a snort. “You cried at my funeral? That’s actually pretty sweet.”

The auburn-haired woman gives him a warning look. “Not the time, Gray.”

“Who the hell is Gray?” I yell.

I’m so busy being furious with my formerly dead friend that I don’t see Xavier move. The lieutenant rushes Kaine, nearly tackling him to the ground before Kaine recovers his footing and sidesteps him.

“You godfucking prick,” Xavier spits out, lunging again. “You killed Tyler.”

I freeze in shock.

He’s right.

Kaine walked into that building with her. Yet he walked away alive, while Tyler and Noah are dead.

The two men in the chopper jump out to help Kaine restrain an enraged Xavier. I cry out in protest, but they ignore me and get him on the ground, pinning him down. Horror fills my throat as they thrust his wrists behind his back to slap metal cuffs around them.

“Settle down,” one of them barks.

“Fuck you,” he snaps back.

“Stop this,” I tell Kaine. “Let him go. He helped me. He’s helping us.”

My not-dead friend is unconvinced. “We’ll let Adrienne and the Authority decide that.”

“He risked his life to get me out of the city,” I insist.

“I don’t think they’ll care.” Kaine nods at the other man, and they haul Xavier to his feet.

Xavier’s dark eyes are blazing like hot coals, and I find myself glaring at him.

“I told you to go,” I say in accusation. “Why didn’t you just go?”

He replies through gritted teeth. “I don’t break my promises.”

I watch in dismay as they drag him toward the chopper. Alone with Kaine and the woman, I squeeze my hands into fists and glower at them both.

Kaine glances at her. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”

She leaves without a word.

“What? You call the shots here?” I say bitterly.

“Sometimes,” he admits.

A helpless feeling lodges in my throat. “Did you kill Tyler?” I ask, and my stomach drops when I see the regret flickering in his eyes.

“Struck was collateral damage.”

“You let her walk into a building that you knew was about to explode. How could you do that?”

“In war…we do a lot of things we don’t want to do.”

I realize those are the same bleak words he uttered the day I killed Bryce Granger.

I take a breath, trying to slow the thoughts speeding through my head, the emotions coursing through me. I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m furious when I look at him, but I also feel relief. A flicker of joy. My friend is alive.

My mind spins to fill in all the blanks. “You infiltrated the Program for what? Just to steal a new piece of technology? A plane? They placed you there for a plane ?”

He shrugs. “Well, yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I was the only one who could fly it.”

My jaw drops. Although it takes a second, understanding finally strikes. Gray. She called him Gray.

“You’re Grayson Blake,” I accuse. “Mr. Hotshot Pilot.”

He bites his lip as if fighting a grin. One of those mischief-laden grins I’ve missed so desperately since he died. Or didn’t die. Fuck him.

“How could you keep that secret from me?” I demand.

He counters by arching his eyebrow. “Look who’s talking, Ms. Bloodmark over here.” When I narrow my eyes, he narrows his right back. “Yeah, Ellis told us.”

Now we’re standing there, glaring at each other. Until Kaine—Grayson. Whatever the hell his name is—releases a heavy breath.

“I know you must have a thousand questions, and I’m sure you want to punch me in the face a bit more—”

“A lot more,” I mutter.

“But why don’t we save that for when we get to the base? We have more pressing matters to take care of right now.”

“Such as?”

He nods toward the helo. “Why the hell would you bring Xavier Ford with you, cowgirl?”

“He helped me.”

“I don’t care. And neither will the others. Why didn’t you at least tell Adrienne? Like, hey, Adrienne, I’m bringing a Command lieutenant with me, keen?”

“Honestly? I forgot. I was so relieved to make it through the Blacklands that when I checked in with her, I was still riding the high.”

Humor lights his gaze before his expression turns serious. He steps closer.

“We really do need to go now. We’re too close to the Blacklands to stand out here all day. But before we go, I need you to ask yourself if you’re ready for a war, Wren, because that’s what you’re signing up for by coming here. The bombing of the Command base was just the beginning. The Uprising is coming for the Company.”

I bite my lip. “Even if I didn’t want that, you’ve left me no choice.” I gesture to the helicopter. “Xavier helped me. I’m not just going to let him rot in some Uprising prison. Or worse, let him be killed when his only crime was risking his life for me.”

“That is not his only crime,” says Kaine. Grayson. That’ll take some time getting used to. “But you’ll find that out soon enough.”

At that, he turns toward the helo. My gaze drifts past his broad shoulders to find that the woman is already back in the copilot’s seat.

Kaine glances back at me. “Are you coming?”

I hesitate for what feels like an eternity. I see Xavier in the chopper, wrists restrained, expression stony. If he weren’t here, I might consider walking right back into the Blacklands and disappearing. Jim’s words continue to float through my head like a ghost refusing to leave the place where it died. I don’t want to remember them, but I do.

I stare into Kaine’s familiar green eyes. He’s watching me with an intensity I never saw from him until now. He’s different here.

“Just…give me a second,” I say, digging my teeth into my lower lip.

I open a path to Cross and pray that he links.

“Are you okay?”

Relief floods my body at the sound of his voice.

“Yes. We made it. I can’t talk, but I just wanted to say…to say I love you.”

“I love you, too, Dove. Reach out when you can.”

I feel empty when the path closes. Uncertain about my future.

“Wren?” Kaine prompts.

Seconds tick by. One. Three. Four. Until finally I nod.

I straighten my shoulders and follow him to the helicopter.