Page 84 of Striker

“You did well, son,” I hear Fallon say. “Was it an accident or a choice?”

When I hear the response, “Choice,” my knees buckle at Reaper’s voice. Strong but edged with something cruel.

“Your brother was stronger than we gave him credit for,” Fallon says, and I feel bile rising in my throat.

No. No. No.

Please don’t be Hunter.

If Hunter was the one to go, our unit would never survive. He’s the glue that keeps us all together. He’s the heart. The soul of us all. The only one who’s managed to go into the wilderness with his heart and mind still intact. Not even Reaper has kept all the pieces of himself from being turned hard and cold.

“Seeker will be missed,” I hear Reaper say, and my entire body melts with relief. We all know that one of them wouldn’t come back. I should feel bad that we’ve lost another brother, but I’m so glad it’s not Hunter or Reaper that I can’t feel bad.

“Hunter, Reaper,” Fallon says. “You’ve returned to us and are ready for your first mission.”

My eyes pop open and my head snaps in their direction. They just returned. They just survived the wilderness and they already have a mission?

I watch as Reaper takes the envelope from Fallon. His hand shakes, no doubt from exhaustion, from dehydration. Reaper rarely feels anything beyond rage, so I know it’s not fear or something as mild as trepidation. He tears open the envelope and that’s when I notice the blood. He’s covered in it. The entire front of his uniform drenched in rust-colored splashes. My eyes fall over the gurney and I see Seeker. His pale face. His empty, unseeing eyes. I have the sudden urge to go over and close them. Like he can read my thoughts, Hunter glances my way and delicately places his mask over our dead brother’s eyes. My body relaxes.

“I don’t understand,” Reaper says, staring down at the paper. “This says—”

“I’m well aware of what it says, son,” Fallon barks, his handsome face contorting.

Reaper’s spine straightens, and he folds the paper before tucking it back into the envelope. Fallon snatches it and turns to Hunter.

“You both leave tomorrow,” he says as he hands the envelope to Hunter.

When Hunter reads the note, his brows furrow and he glances at Reap, his arms falling to his sides. “This is our first mission?” he says, obviously in disbelief.

“We have no sides, my sons,” Fallon says. “We go where the money is, and the money is there.” He points to the paper hanging limply in Hunter’s hand. “It doesn’t matter who they are, it only matters if they pay.”

“But we just came—”

“Silence!” Fallon shouts, so loud we all freeze. “Did I train you to question me?”

“No, sir,” Hunter says.

Fallon spins and glares at Reaper. “Be ready to leave at dawn. Do not miss the flight.”

As our Father walks away, Commander tugs at the gurney and wheels Seeker inside toward the infirmary. Reaper and Hunter exchange a look, and as soon as Fallon and Maxim clear the yard, we three shoot forward. Breaker hooks his arm around Hunter’s shoulders, pulling him in for a hug as Viper awkwardly pats Reaper on the shoulder. It earns him a dark glare, and he drops his hand.

As I walk forward, Reaper meets my eyes and shakes his head. He’s not happy.

“His choice?” I ask, watching Reaper snatch the paper from Hunter’s hand and ball it in a fist.

“He chose to be the one,” Hunter says.

The one.

Bile churns in my gut. We all know what that means.

Hunter comes to stand next to me and I look up at his dark eyes. He’s so tall, just like Reaper. “You really think I’d let that place best me?” Digging into his pocket, he pulls out a little lump of wood, offering it.

My eyes flicker from his open palm to his face, my brows knitting.

“Take it.”

I pick up the small figurine, examining it. It’s a crude carving of a… “Wolf?” I ask, running my thumb over the curled tail as I watch his lips lift into a grin.

---