Page 249 of Silver Elite

“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 myhead, 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 aplane?”

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?”