Page 124 of Promises in the Dark

My glare could’ve incinerated him on the spot. “You’d do the same if you weren’t so busy licking your wounds. Or his boots.”

Raven intervened before things escalated further. “Maybe it was just bureaucratic red tape?” she asked point-blank.

My laughter was bitter and harsh. “Red tape? You really believe that, Raven?”

She frowned. Viper scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re basing this on a hunch and some papers you shouldn’t have seen? That’s some thin fucking ice, Rogue.”

I shot him a sideways glance that could’ve frozen water at fifty paces. This wasn’t about convincing Viper; it was about getting to the truth.

“Save it, Viper. You’re only here because I’m feeling generous.”

Pyro cleared his throat. “Rogue’s got a point, Viper. Something stinks around here and it ain’t just the latrines.”

Raven chuckled at that.

Red spoke up for the first time since we’d gathered around me. “We should be careful not to jump to conclusions—"

“Conclusions?” I interrupted her firmly but gently. “We’ve been getting our asses handed to us for weeks now. We’re not jumping to conclusions, Doc; we’re trying not to get ourselves killed!”

The corridor fell silent after that little outburst of mine. Viper looked like he was enjoying himself way too much; Red looked scared. Pyro cracked his knuckles—always a bad sign—while Raven’s eyes turned calculating.

It wasn’t exactly a rousing cheer of support, but it was enough. I’d take it.

“We use this mission to gather intel,” I said, my tone firming up. “Talk to the locals, get a feel for what’s really going on. If the captain’s playing both sides, we need to know. We gotta play this smart and watch each other’s backs.”

Viper rubbed his chin thoughtfully before speaking up again. “You really think our CO’s dirty?” he asked, still on the fence, probably wondering what’s in it for him.

My gaze swept the corridor once more before settling on each of their faces individually.

“I don’t think. Iknow,” I spat back at him. “But I need more proof. We all do. The more of us there are, the better our chances.”

For once, Viper didn’t have some smartass comment ready. Maybe even he saw how deep this shit went.

“What are we looking for?” Pyro asked.

“Anything that links our captain to those insurgents,” I replied, watching Viper; his expression didn’t change, but I knew he was listening.

We started walking again. Red spoke up next.

“So specifically, what do you want us to do in the meantime?”

I cracked a grim smile. “We play along with the captain’s little charade for now,” I replied briskly. “But I want you all to keep your ears open and your mouths shut until we know for sure what we’re dealing with. We need information, not trouble. And Viper?” I turned to him specifically.

“Yeah?” he drawled.

“I’m including you in this because we need all hands on deck,” I growled low in my throat. “But don’t think for a second that I trust you completely yet.”

Viper smirked, but said nothing. That was his tell—he was interested.

“Well?” I asked finally, looking around at my team once more. “Are you all with me?”

They exchanged uneasy glances, and Viper stopped walking, shrugging like none of this really mattered.

“Fine by me. We’re getting paid either way.”

“Alright then, we’re agreed,” I said, clapping my hands together once to get their attention back on track. “We gather intel, we find out the truth, and we take that son of a bitch down.”

Red scribbled some notes on her pad. Viper remained quiet for a change—probably calculating how he could use this situation to his advantage. Pyro was always ready to roll, no questions asked, while Raven gave me a measured look.

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