Page 23 of Red Marked

“Then you need to leave without me. If we hit an hour before dawn and I’m not here, you need to go back to the clinic without me.”

“Flint—”

“Listen to me.” I take them all in one at a time. “You need to shift and wait here, in scale, all four of you, and you don’t put a foot in that ravine. If I’m not back an hour before first light, you go back without me.”

Rex shakes his head. Dane won’t look up.

“My cell phone is in the drawer next to my bed,” I tell Atlas. “The code is one, two, three, four.”

Atlas barks out a laugh.

“One, two, three, four. Are you kidding me?” he asks.

“Nope, that’s my password,” I tell him.

“You should change it,” Brian remarks, smiling.

The others are smiling too.

“Call Magma if I don’t make it out. He’s the head of security on Draig Island and my friend. Tell him everything.”

“And then?”

“Then you keep your mouths shut. All five of you. You were in your beds, you don’t know a damn thing, and when I come up missing in the morning count, you look as shocked as everyone else. Make sure Rift is briefed as well.”

Atlas nods.

“I can do shocked,” Brian says. “I’d rather not, but I can.”

Atlas fidgets, moving forward a step or two and then back. He folds his arms and then unfolds them.

“I think we should plan this better.” Saber’s jaw is tight. His eyes are hard. “I agree with Atlas. I don’t like the idea of you going in alone. We can’t just leave and pretend it never happened if you don’t come back.”

“You won’t be doing nothing. You’ll be informing Magma, who will send a team in to get me.”

“You’ll be dead by then,” Atlas deadpans.

“I doubt that very much.” I turn to him. “I have to do this, and it has to be alone. We can talk about this for days, but there won’t be a better plan that doesn’t involve red tape. We don’t have time for bullshit.” I look them each in the eye as I talk. “There are Draig females in there. This is my call to make, and I’m making it.”

Saber holds my eyes for a second, then lowers them, looking down at his feet.

Atlas keeps his dark stare on mine.

“You’re not hearing me.” His voice is deep. “There are also Red females up there. A group of them. It sounds like they’ve been living on that rock for years.” He puts a hand flat on his chest. “That makes this our fight, just as much as yours.”

“Those Red females will kill any Red male who comes up that pass on sight,” I say. “They’ve had years of practice, and they are very fucking good at it,” I tell them. “That’s the whole reason I’m going alone. You have to trust me on this. I’m done arguing the same point.”

Atlas sighs. “Okay…fine.”

“Good.” I look over at Saber. “You too.”

The male nods.

“You need to keep watch,” I tell them. “Keep Brian safe. Brian, you shoot anything that comes this way.”

“You bet your ass I will,” he says.

“Don’t fucking die!” Atlas growls.