Page 118 of Silver Elite

“I said don’t touch me.”

Kaine squares his shoulders, baiting Anson even further. “You’ve got some real anger issues, brother.”

Hissing out a breath, Anson gives him another hard shove.

“Enough!” Hirai rounds the table and firmly plants himself between the two young men, and I take the opportunity to slip into the cage unnoticed.

I know exactly what I’m looking for, and it takes all of three seconds to retrieve it. With deft hands, I slip it into my pocket, then duck out of the cage and hurry over to pull Kaine away from Anson.

“Stop being such a troublemaker,” I chastise him.

I can see him trying not to laugh.

That night, I wait until everyone is asleep before sliding out of bed, fully dressed in my black uniform. I activate the signal jammer and clip it to my belt. It’ll stop the cameras from recording while I sneak out of the training facility. The moment it’s out of range, they’ll start recording again, but unless someone’s paying extra-close attention, my bunk will look occupied at a glance, my pillow creating a humanlike lump beneath the blanket.

Outside, the summer air is warm. Somewhere on the base, someone is smoking euca, because the minty scent floats in the breeze. The sentries must be bored on their graveyard watch.

With the jammer on my person, cameras won’t catch me, and alarms won’t trip. But the guards themselves aren’t transmitting any signals that can be circumvented. I’ll need to avoid their detection. I wait until the guard at the first tower turns his head before rushing forward.

With cautious steps, I make my way to the south end of the base, where the officers’ quarters are located. Far from prying eyes. The soldier barracks are by the training facility, but the officers have their privacy.

A few minutes later, I reach the two-story building, eyeing thegray exterior and flat roof. According to the map Declan projected for me, my target is on the second floor.

I place all my trust in the device on my belt and enter the building, praying I’m invisible to the cameras mounted on the ceiling. So far, nobody has come running. No alarms blaring. I want to take this jammer back to the bunks and hide it in my locker, but I know that’s not an option. It’ll be confiscated from me soon enough.

One flight of stairs, and I’m stopping in front of Cross’s door. I push on the handle with the lightest touch. Locked. A thumbprint scan is required to open it. It’s fine. I expected that.

I freeze at the murmur of voices beyond the door.

Is he not alone?

I wait, letting a few seconds tick by, but there’s only one voice now. Maybe he’s talking into his comm.

I take the stairs up to the roof, where I peer over the edge to study the balcony below. The fire escape ladder from the roof doesn’t reach all the way down.

Stifling a groan, I descend the ladder as far as I’m able to, then solo it the rest of the way. Scaling the wall like one of those monkeys in the Blacklands. God, I hated those things. They were so cute. Their little pink faces. Then they opened their mouths and revealed three rows of razor-sharp teeth that could rip your throat out.

There really is nothing left to fear after you’ve lived in that nightmare.

My boots barely make a sound as they connect with the balcony. The door’s been left open to let in the night breeze. He’s not worried about intruders, because he knows he’ll be alerted by the alarms hardwired all over this building. Or maybe even earlier, the second a shadow crosses one of his precious cameras. The soldiers staffing the security center probably wake him if a recruit so much as sneezes. Which means I can waltz right in without a care in the world. This is what happens when people get complacent.

I pull out my knife, the same one he gave back to me. I enjoy the irony.

A soft moan echoes through the apartment.

Female.

My shoulders snap straight. So he’s not alone.

Something sharp and unpleasant clenches in my chest, but I ignore it. Doesn’t matter. It’s probably better this way.

His quarters are spacious but not elaborate. A nice living area, tidy kitchen. I move like a ghost. I don’t exist. He thinks I lack covert abilities?Watch this, asshole.

I follow the corridor off the kitchen, passing two closed doors toward one at the end that stands ajar. My heart beats faster as I peer inside.

They’re on the bed.

“Wanted this for so long.”

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