Page 119 of Scarlet Wars
It had been over two weeks since I’d come all over his fingers, and I’d done everything in my power to avoid him ever since.
Why? Because I was an emotional coward. Because seeing him meant feeling everything I wasn’t ready to look at, the want, the danger, the Chiefs, but most of all…the way he could break me without even trying.
At first, he’d found it amusing, smirking every time I dodged his gaze, every time my cheeks betrayed me with that stupid flush. He’d tried, too. Reaching out. Nexing me. Sending little invitations to read or train together, each one I pretended I never saw.
And then last week… Silence.
No playful Caden. No smug Caden. Just—gone.
Which made this week the first time I hadn’t seen him at all. Not even from a distance. Not a godsdamn glimpse.
I was slowly going out of my mind, because Imissedthe asshole.
Also, without Caden to distract me from the gut-wrenching grief I wrestled with daily, I’d gone full dark mode. No sleep, too much caffeine, and an obsessive spiral I couldn’t crawl out of.
I’d picked apart the warrant I’d pulled from that soldier’s memory a thousand times by now, and it sucked to admit there was nothing useful there. Not a single lead.
Of course, all I had was a fractured memory of it. However I spun it, I needed the real thing.
Which is why I’d called the guys into Sean’s room, hoping someone could help me track down the original warrant.
“He’s following up some lead at Sisu with Rachel,” Sean mumbled, his attention locked on Jackson.
Alone with Rachel?
Jealousy flared so fast, I nearly tripped over my own feet—an impressive feat considering I was very muchsitting downat Sean’s desk.
James stood near the window, arms crossed and quiet. Sean sat on the edge of his bed, Jackson beside him, looking at each other like they were about to fuck each other in the middle of the room.
“Any word on the Chiefs?” I asked, pushing down the irritating thoughts of Caden and Rachel off on a mission, just the two of them.
James shook his head once. “Radio silence. For now. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
I nodded, catching something different in his voice. Softer than I was used to. Since our last fight, he’d been ignoring me, same way I’d been avoiding Caden.
But these last few days... James had been warmer. Offering me coffee in the mornings. Asking if I wanted the last piece of cake at night. Small things.
“I still can’t believe how they behaved,” Sean said quietly. “They should know better. Between pressuring you two to formthe True Bond and forgetting everything Caden ever did for them?—”
“What do you mean,everything Caden did for them?” James cut in as he turned to face us.
Sean shrugged, leaning back slightly. “I meant generally speaking. Like when they nexed him for help right after the Amplifier went missing. He joined their search, no hesitation, no questions asked. Then again when Crown was tasked to track it down, he agreed to it without complaint.”
James’s frown deepened. “Hejoinedthe Chiefs on a mission? When the hell was this?”
“Last year. Right after you guys fought the Board at Alliance.”
I drew a steadying breath, trying to redirect. “Okay, so, the reason I called you guys here?—”
“Hold on,” James interrupted, his gaze sharp. “Caden joined the Chiefs in their search for the Amplifier? InAsia?”
Sean raised a brow. “Yeah. Why?”
James’s expression turned to ice. “Because that’s when Stephen luredmeout of Cyclos and sentmeon a wild goose chase for the Amplifier, soyouguys could abduct Emma.”
Sean blinked. Then his eyes widened in realization, and his face drained of color. Visibly.
I sat straighter, tension spiking. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”
