Page 130 of Scarlet Wars
No, what had me on edge wasn’t the danger or the mission, it was the thought of being crammed into close quarters with the one man who scared me more than any of it: Caden Colt.
The strategy meeting had dragged on for hours—where to go, who to take, when to move—and the entire time, he hadn’t looked at me once. Not a glance. Not a single word in my direction. Considering I was leading the retrieval team, it was a pretty damn impressive act of avoidance.
And since he was coming along, there would be fun times ahead.
Forced proximity with the magi equivalent of a glacier.
Fantastic. What could possibly go wrong?
The words echoed hollowly in my head as I packed for a mission stripped of magic. My room was a mess of scattered gear: knives gleaming dully under the lamplight, a self-heating thermos, a med kit that looked like it had never been used.
I crouched by the bed, shoving everything into a waterproof backpack and double-checking every clasp. I’d just tightened the last strap when the door flew open without warning.
Rachel stepped inside, brisk and unbothered by wildly accepted social conventions such as knocking. “We need to talk.”
I sighed and glanced back at her over my shoulder. “Great. Always means good news.”
“Have you ever heard of Alexandria Bay?” Rachel asked, ignoring my well-crafted sarcasm.
“In New York?”
“Yeah.”
I frowned as I tried to remember my geography classes. “I believe it’s in the Thousand Islands region. Why?”
“Sean nexed me a second ago. James and Jacksonoverhearda guard say that’s where they are.”
We stared at each other for two seconds too long before the conclusion landed. “It’s too easy,” I mumbled under my breath.
Rachel translated a folded map and snapped it open with practiced precision. “Look. From Gananoque, a small Canadian town right on the St. Lawrence, to Alexandria Bay, it’s a short night run by boat. No IDs, no terminals. Easy to translate a small vessel, dock unnoticed. Dozens of docking slips, boathouses, tiny islands to hide if necessary. The whole crossing would take you guys a few hours or less.”
I shut my lids and let out a slow breath, the map a blur of lines and water behind my lids. “It’s the sort of crossing designed for me not to be spotted,” I stated dryly while my pulse hammered away.
Rachel didn’t even blink. Her expression stayed calculating. “Or in other words: a trap. Custom-made for you. Whoever took the guys, wants to make sure you can get to them.”
Damn it.
My eyes snapped open, finding hers across the map. “Which also means it’s not humans behind the abduction,” I said, the words clicking together like teeth. “Humans would want the opposite. They’d make sure I got caught before I ever crossed the river.”
Rachel’s tone remained cool and clinical. “Exactly. So we’re either dealing with Collabs who we already believe are tied to the creator of the bubble, or something else entirely.”
I leveled my stare with hers, refusing to blink first. “We already knew this was likely a trap to lure me out,” I said evenly. “This changes nothing. I’m still going.”
Kanata C’s First Offensive smiled, like someone who’d already anticipated my defiance. “I didn’t expect any less,” she said, a knowing smile on her lips. “But I’m putting Cadenin charge as your second in command. Best if you two work together on this, in case…” Her voice trailed off, a faint crease forming between her brows.
My stomach tightened.
Jesus.
Being on the same team as Caden was already going to be hell. Having him as my second meant any hope of distance—of breathing room, of pretending my chest didn’t cave every time he pretended not to look at me—was officially dead. I’d barely managed to hold myself together with space between us. Now the universe was shoving him right back into my orbit with both hands, grinning while it did it.
“In case the trap’s successful,” I finished for her, folding my arms. “Makes sense. Though maybe someone else could be my second. I’m sure one of your Offensives is equally up to the task.”
Rachel smoothed her uniform jacket as she stepped a little closer, her expression unreadable. “None of them went beneath the bubble,” she said quietly. “You and Colt did.”
I froze, my mind stuttering to catch up. She knew about Dave?
Rachel took another few steps forward and stopped just short of me, her stare sharp enough to violate several safety regulations.
