Page 81 of Tested

“Let me know who wins and I’ll take them on.”

My confusion must have shown on my face because she laughs.

“Back when you all first moved in here, did Connor announce he was going to quit the Elites or did you ask him to?”

“One of those things. I believe it was a mutual, shared decision.” Even I flinch at how pompous I sound.

Sheena just laughs some more. “Sure, and there’s no possible way Connor gave you what you wanted out of a sense of guilt or responsibility or something.”

“No, he wouldn’t…”

If she laughs any harder, she’ll pull a muscle, so I shut my mouth and wait for Connor and David to get home.

I hear them before I see them. Footsteps on the stairs. A choked exclamation. Connor coming through the door with his eyes shooting daggers. “What in the hell did you do?”

“Subdued a trio of intruders.” Gazing up at him, I’m aware of little besides the gulf between us.

“God damn it.”

His raw anger sets me back a step. I’ve seen Connor worked up before, but not like this. David puts a hand on his arm, but Connor shakes free of him.

“Those are my friends. They were doing me a favor.”

I huff, holding on to a self-righteousness that’s my paltry defense. “You might have said something.”

“I did, but you said no.”

“So you did it anyway.”

“Look, Tray, maybe you don’t care that you took what could have been a kill shot and then someone lobbed a teargas canister into the house, but I do. I want to keep you safe.”

His pain tears something inside of me, and I don’t know what to do. If there’s a way back, I can’t find it.

“It never occurred to you that if I found someone lurking on my property that I would do whatever it took to make them stop?”

“They were keeping it on the down low.”

“So low that we corralled them all, unless there were a dozen or so we missed.”

“No.” He’s got his eyes shut and he’s shaking his head. This time when David puts his arm around him, Connor leans into his embrace. “Only three. My friends. Doing me a favor.”

There’s so much sorrow in his voice I want to apologize, except this isn’t my fault. “Your friends or your coworkers?”

He straightens, pulling away from David. “It’s not like you’re thinking. Colonel Poole asked for help with a certain project, and I’m in the best position to give that help. I’m not working for him anymore. I promised you I wouldn’t, but I’m working with him and his team for this job.”

This job. This job?“Wait.” My hands are fisted so tightly my knuckles all but crack. “You said something earlier about a missing princess.”

“Yeah.” Connor looks around desperately. “But if I tell you why, you have to swear to keep it a secret.”

David shudders. “Of course he swears.”

Instead of pointing out the irony in his request, I meet Connor’s gaze dead on. “I swear.” Again Connor looks around, and I’m shocked to see the tears in his eyes.

“When I joined the Elites, I swore an oath of loyalty, a promise I was happy to keep until recently.” He glances in the direction of his friends with an expression I can’t read.

“Colonel Poole asked me to find a missing elven princess, and he made me swear on my oath I wouldn’t tell you because we have reason to believe she was abducted by Jacques Betancourt.”

“Jacques?” Sheena’s voice is muffled, almost inaudible over the roaring in my ears. The roaring gets so loud I can’t hear anything else.