Page 58

I laughed and kissed him again. “I’ll be careful. I promise. And I’ll tell you everything.”

John sobered. “Wait till Friday. That’s when I’ll have to go meet Holly, and it’ll be easier for you to blend in with people on the streets later at night. If we get it done at the same time, then when we meet next, we’ll both be able to share what we learn.”

I nodded. “That makes sense.”

He took my face in his hands and held my eyes level with his. “If something happens—if you need me for any reason—use our signal, okay? Promise me.”

I turned my head to kiss his palm. “I promise, darling.”

He gave a short nod, then checked his watch and sighed again. “It’s nearly time to go.” Reluctantly, he got up and reached for his discarded clothes. He dressed and I walked him to the balcony door, where we spent another minute kissing until it really was time for him to leave. It was getting even harder to let him go, which I hadn’t thought was possible.

As he swung his legs over the balcony, John gave me a wry look and said, “I haven’t ruled out the cotton wool, you know.”

I smiled, even knowing that the task ahead of me was the most difficult and dangerous I’d ever undertaken in my life.

Chapter 20

John

The morning after I met with Claire was busy at the White Rose garrison. As soon as Ayanna saw that I was up and about, she pulled me into a meeting with her and a bunch of serious-looking dudes that I knew were captains of various White Rose squads.

“What’s this about?” I asked Ayanna, who looked as severe as I’d ever seen her.

“We think the time is right for our biggest play,” she replied. “We’re planning our assault on the Sire’s forces, and we’re hoping to take the compound. Recruitment is way up, and our informants tell us the Sire is privately getting nervous. It’s our chance. We can’t wait for him to pull support from the other compounds, regroup, and wipe us out. There’s an outdoor festival happening in a week in the central park. Attendance is mandatory, so we plan to hit them then.”

I blew out a breath. “Alright. Where do you want me, then?”

Ayanna met my eye without flinching. “I think you know.”

I nodded, thinking. “Yeah. I’m gonna need help getting there, though.”

“These are some of our best soldiers,” Ayanna said, gesturing at the group of guys around her. “Their teams will clear the way for you.”

There were five men around me, and they all looked at me like they didn’t trust me as far as they could throw me. One of them—the guy called Hector that we’d met when we got here—was glaring at me.

“And you’re sure this is the guy you want?” he asked Ayanna. “I mean, he’s never done more than a basic raid.”

To her credit, Ayanna looked offended on my behalf. “I’ve seen him in action. He’s the best shot we’ve got.”

“He’s a Wastelander.” The contempt was obvious. “Untrained, undisciplined.”

I rolled my eyes. Only Ayanna treated me like an equal here. I didn’t care what they thought of me, but it was annoying as shit to be treated like I didn’t know anything about strategy or fighting just because I was born outside their precious walls.

“Look, buddy,” I said coldly, “I’ve been in more fights than you’ve seen in your entire life. I learned to shoot as soon as I could hold a weapon. I’ve traveled thousands of kilometres on foot with nothing but a gun and a tent. I’ve survived blizzards and stab wounds and cannibals trying to rip my fucking face off, and I guarantee that while you’re hemming and hawing over procedure and training and whatever-the-fuck, I’ll actually be doing the job I’ve been given.”

I left out the part about how I’d captured and killed Delta soldiers before. That wasn’t gonna win me any fans.

As it was, Hector rolled his eyes right back at me. “This is a damn-near impossible shot, Wastelander. Arrogance isn’t gonna help you make it.”

“Not arrogance,” I said with a shrug. “Confidence. Yeah, it’s a tough shot, but I’ve done it before. Can any of you say that?”

Silence. Just like I thought.

Ayanna cleared her throat loudly. “Now that we’re done with the pointless in-fighting, can we talk about things that actually matter?”

Grudgingly, the soldiers turned back to her, and we started planning.

“After the action starts, how do I get to Claire?” I asked Ayanna, looking down at a rough map she’d drawn of the area. “It’s not super close.”