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Cade’s jaw tightened, but Asha said, “We agree. Go ahead, Claire.”

I stared at her in surprise. She’d said it without a hint of snark, which I honestly hadn’t thought she was capable of. I sat with Claire on the edge of the bed, while the rest of them crowded around in chairs or on the exam table.

She told them everything from the beginning, starting with her abduction.

“Andrew Hamilton, huh?” Cade said, folding his arms. “There’s a familiar name. Good soldier. Bit of a loner, but then, he was always busy taking care of his sister and her kid.”

“Doesn’t surprise me that Ayanna Taylor is leading this,” Leo added. “She was always pretty vocal about how putting down the revolt before we left was wrong.”

There was a pause before Dom asked, “Is this Jim J still out there, then?”

Claire swallowed hard and nodded. “The Order is still active. Stronger than ever, from what we saw. But with the collapse of the Delta military, the White Rose might have what it needs to fight them off.”

The three former soldiers all exchanged looks that told me they were worried. Join the club.

“We want to help them,” Leo said. “With the uphill battle they’re facing, they need every extra body they can get, and if they’re short of medics as you said, then I can be of help.”

“And we know what they’re capable of,” Cade interjected. “If Jim J is as bad as he seems, then we need to take him down.”

I shot him a disbelieving look. “What part of he can’t be killed don’t you get? You think I haven’t tried?”

“Evidently, not hard enough,” he retorted, and I scoffed. “But you say that Julius died when you shot him. There must be a reason, and I intend to find out what it is.”

I shrugged. “You want to sign yourself up to die, be my guest.”

“And you’ll do what, exactly?” Cade asked, full of contempt. “Run and hide in that safe little community of yours? Safe for now, I should say, because if we fail, there’s zero doubt these assholes will seek you out. They’ll probably do that regardless. Forgive me for being proactive and not waiting for them to come kill my woman and destroy everything I love—but no, you’re right. Your plan is solid.”

I nearly hit him. The only thing that stopped me was Claire’s hand in the crook of my arm, and knowing that beating Cade to a pulp would only upset her more.

“And what’s your plan, huh?” I shot back. “Throw yourself at a war that you don’t even know you can win? Make sure your woman—” I nodded sharply at Asha, “—sacrifices, suffers, and dies for a compound that may not deserve to survive? The place is rotten to its core, and the only reason you’re so hellbent on saving it is because you still somehow believe you’re better than us. Better than this. All I can say to that is, kindly fuck off.”

Claire fidgeted in the tense silence that followed. Everyone except her looked thoroughly pissed off, but I didn’t care. Finally, she said to the group, “I can’t stop you. What you do is your choice. But I fear it’s far worse and more complicated than you think.”

“Then help us,” Cade said, frustrated.

“Cap—” Leo started, at the same time that Asha said, “Cade—”

“No, listen,” he continued, like an unstoppable moron. “You don’t have to wait for this maniac to come get you. Help us find our way to the White Rose, and we’ll—”

“Do you hear yourself when you talk, asshole?” I cut in, and I physically moved in front of Claire, shielding her from view. “You’re asking a horribly injured woman—who already did the hardest part for you, by the way, by exposing the regime—for loyalty you sure as shit haven’t earned. No wonder you pricks come from a compound; you’ve got the gross sense of entitlement down pat. There’s no way I’m letting you suck her into this.”

Claire exhaled slowly behind me. She was still having trouble breathing, and that did nothing for my temper considering what these dicks wanted from her.

“She knows things that can help us,” Dom said flatly. He said it like he was just stating a fact, rather than condemning her to death. “She’s been on the inside of the elite circle Julius created.”

Cade nodded vigorously, pissing me off even more. “This is her fight. They killed her father. They took her mother and sister. She deserves to see justice done.”

Asha laid a hand on his shoulder and said his name again, clearly trying to calm him down. He softened a little at her touch and covered her hand with his, but he was obviously still on his hate boner for the Order.

I saw the guilt in Claire’s eyes, and the pain in the soft lines of her face. She was in no condition to help anyone, and she didn’t deserve to have her goodness used against her. And I knew that if I let them, they would.

I failed her before, and I wasn’t going to do it again.

“Shut the fuck up,” I snapped. “The interview is over. Go die in whatever wars you like, but you’ll do it without us. Goodbye.”

I pulled Claire to her feet and led her by the hand towards the door.

“We can protect her—”