Page 42 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

Vehicles idle in uneven lines, exhaust hanging low in the cooling afternoon air, waiting their turn to depart. Beyond the camp, the road to Blackgate Fortress climbs the mountain in tight turns. I can see the first of the trucks inching their way between each switchback from here. To our left, the Pass cuts through the mountains, open and exposed.

As far as exfiltration goes, this one isn't well executed. I can't exactly hold that against Prime Alpha Zero. He's not working with a trained battalion, but a ragtag group of defected soldiers and volunteer civilians. They're survivors who made the choice to stay and help the resistance instead of becoming settlers. They're untrained, but what they lack in experience, they make up for in respect. Zero doesn't need to shout to get their attention. When he speaks, his people listen. He is up near the control tent, which is half disassembled, giving orders with increasing urgency. There is something dangerous in the air, an anticipation that is growing with each passing minute, and I can feel it in the way everyone rushes.

I have the same need to move.

It feels like there is a gaping wound in my chest, equal parts barely healed grief and stifling gratitude. If I stop, it'll overwhelm me. So, I keep my hands busy moving our gear into our truck.

The back of our vehicle is open, and Shade is inside, grunting as he packs gear tighter to make space. I over-prepared and over-packed for this trip, but in my defense, I'd been paranoid about our Omega being in danger… not that it helped in the end.

No.

No. I can't keep thinking about it. About what happened and how she looked at me right before she was shot with such open belief. She trusted that I'd save her.

I slam down a crate on the tailgate a little too hard, wincing as the ammo inside rattles.

"You all right?" Viper asks as he places a crate, which is three times the size of my own, down beside me with feather-light movements.

I grunt instead of giving a concrete answer, and seek out the reassuring sight of Halley alive and well. It's the only thing that is keeping me grounded.

The Omega is sitting in the driver's seat, the door open, and her feet swinging back and forth over the edge of the truck.

She smiles softly when she notices me looking, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. The ache in my chest eases.

Yesterday, our Halley would have protested when I insisted she let us handle the heavy lifting. Maybe not with words, but with her body. With that crease between her brows and the wrinkling of her nose she gets when she thinks I'm being unfair or taking away her autonomy.

Now, she doesn't seem fazed in the least about being sidelined. She simply watches us work with a quiet smile on her face.

I don't know what to do with that. It's like she's changed. She's still the same Halley, but there is undeniably something different about the way she carries herself, as if a weight has been lifted from her back.

Before I even realize that I've moved, I'm standing between her legs and running my hands over her thighs. I need contact. Proof that she is warm and her pulse is steady under my fingers. It should be enough, but it's not. I doubt it will be for a very long time.

"Knox." Shade’s voice comes from inside the vehicle. "We have ten minutes before they start pushing the line forward."

I hum and squint at the idling vehicles again. Shade's right, and it's a good thing. I want us out of here as soon as possible. I expect I'll feel better once we have our girl behind the fortress walls of Blackgate. And far, far away from the scene of her death. Whenever the wind changes direction, I catch hints of her blood still soaked into the dirt, and it takes me right back to that horrible event.

I track movement across the encampment. Betas and civilians haul bundles that are too heavy, their hands red from cold and rope burn. Two Alphas move past, heading toward Prime Alpha Zero, faces tight.

A sickeningly familiar feeling grows in my gut.

Something is wrong.

There is nothing amiss that I can pinpoint, but after years as a Prime, I know better than to disregard my Alpha instincts.

I sniff the air, searching for a clue to my suspicions, but there is nothing of note.

Halley watches with a curious tilt of her head, and my stomach continues to twist.

It might just be that my nerves are shattered, but what if it's not?

I vowed to Halley that, from now on, I'd do everything in my power to protect her, and if that means being a paranoid nutter, then I'll happily accept the title. I'm not taking risks from here on out.

I release a short, sharp whistle.

Like the highly trained and experienced soldiers they are, Scorch Squad falls into their combat roles instantly.

Blaze launches from the other side of the truck, vaulting over the roof and landing in a crouch in the dust in front of us. He flips his rifle off his back and raises it, ready.

I kiss Halley's forehead and lift her into my arms, her legs tightening around my waist without instruction as I swiftly carry her to the back of the vehicle, where I pass her into Shade's waiting arms. I pull the tailgate nearly closed, leaving only a narrow firing gap that Shade blocks with his body.