Page 109 of Consume Me

“Bad, but I can’t tell you more. It is his story,” I say. Maybe one day he’ll be comfortable enough to tell them too.

Both Abi and Celine nod in understanding, and I sigh, relieved.

“Where is Bailey?”

“Locked in her room, trying to find something,” Abi says.

“And Hunter is losing his shit by the minute. Those two are going to clash,” Celine replies.

Just then, the door opens, and Bailey walks inside. Bags lie under her eyes, and her hair is pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. “I found a lead,” she says.

“You’re freaking incredible,” Abi praises, clapping her hands.

“Let’s go,” Celine says.

We all go downstairs, where the guys are standing around with stiff postures.

“Don’t even think about it.” Celine looks at Kaden, and after they share a silent conversation, he nods.

“Nope, not one word,” Abigail tells Dane, who closes his mouth.

Blake comes to me, tucking me to his side.

“I have your back.”

“And I will have yours,” I reply, and he leans in to brush his nose against my cheek.

“I’m coming with you,” Bailey announces.

“The fuck you are,” Hunter snaps, and they do that weird eye battle thing.

“I guess the vote is redundant,” Kaden says, then adds, “Let’s go. Cassandra is waiting for us.”

We take two cars. I am with Blake, Abigail, Dane, and Bailey while the others are in Kaden’s car. We have to keep Hunter and Bailey separated because no one wants to deal with their passive aggressiveness toward each other.

As soon as we park, Samuel leads us inside Cassandra’s office. Cassandra, Sebastian, and Cillian are waiting for us in front of the bookshelf that hides a set of stairs leading to the tunnel entrance. After Felix and Caleb escaped, Cassandra closed the other exit on the property. Now, she has total control and access to the tunnels through her biometrics: retina scan and thumbprint.

Descending the stairs, we reach the tunnel leading to the underground chambers. We walk down the long corridor, the lights flickering above with every step, until we stop in front of a metallic door.

We walk inside the weapon room, which is a candy land for weapon enthusiasts. Combat gear is neatly arranged in large glass display cases along the back wall.

Cassandra gestures toward a long table. “Take a seat,” she says.

When we do, she adds, “There’s no need for you to go on this mission.”

“With all due respect, Ma’am, we are the ones responsible for continuing the legacy. It’s our duty,” Kaden says.

Sweeping her gaze over us, she offers us a strained nod. “I had little hope to convince you, but you will go with a team ofour trusted men. No one knows about the mission except for the people in this room and them.”

We all nod, and she continues, “It’s a scouting mission. But the moment security feels like you’re in danger, they have my full authority to remove you from the perimeter by any means.”

Our group exchanges a look, as if to say,They could try, but none of us voice it.

“A cargo plane is waiting for you. Pick up your gear and choose your weapons.”

We each fill a duffle bag with ammunition, guns, rifles, grenades, and knives.

As we exit the tunnel, two black vans await us in the heart of the forest. The security chief, Maxim, jerks his chin in greeting and says, “Five of my men will go with you. So who’s riding in which van?”

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