Page 230 of Silver Elite

“I don’t have clearance.” A laugh sputters out. “Nobody in Elite is even in the system. Not officially. Only the captain can access our files. Please. I’m no threat to either one of you tonight. We’re going to a party. That’s all. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”

I focus on Lyddie, searching her expression for any sign of trust. Even a tiny trace of it.

“You know me, Lyds. YouknowI’m a good person. Please.”

She hesitates.

“All right,” she finally says.

A gust of relief blasts through me. “We’ll get everything sorted tomorrow,” I assure her. “Just promise you won’t say anything until then.”

She bites her trembling bottom lip. “I won’t.”

When I glance back at the doorway, I find it empty. Ivy is gone.

She left without making the same promise.

Chapter 51

The lilting melody of the orchestra greets me as I walk through the arched doorway of the ballroom. The instruments are set up on one of two stages in the elegant space. The second stage sits empty at the other end of the room, adorned with navy-blue curtains and a backdrop of rich blue hues. I linger near the entrance, watching the crowd and wishing I were anywhere but here.

I arrived alone because Lyddie was meeting her parents outside. My instincts had screamed for me not to let her out of my sight, but short of handcuffing her to me, I can’t exactly tell her not to be with her parents. Still, I’ll feel better once I have both her and Ivy in my sights again.

That damn Ivy. Where did she run off to? Who has she spoken to? I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her, but at the same time, she never told anybody she saw Cross leaving my quarters that day.

I perk up. And…maybe I can use that to my advantage now. Convince Ivy that Cross was only there to discuss my undercover identity.

If I can track the damn woman down.

There’s a dance floor, but only a handful of couples make use of it.They twirl and sway across the polished floor, their laughter mingling with conversations filling the room. All around me, uniformed officers mingle with civilians in their finest attire, creating a striking juxtaposition of military formality and Sanctum Point glamour.

Sadly, I’m too shaken from killing a woman today to admire the silk gowns. But I do note that there’s more color and life in this room than I’ve ever seen from the General. Even his broadcasts feature a gray background, and when he delivers them outdoors, it’s almost as if the weather knows there’s a broadcast scheduled for that day, because it’s always overcast.

Cross isn’t linking with me, and it’s starting to piss me off. I know he’s busy cleaning up my mess, but I’m worried about him, and I’m worried he might be pissed atme.

It’s not like I set out to kill Jayde today. She was a precog. She had a vision. That’s completely beyond my control, something I never could have foreseen because, well,I’mnot a fucking precog.

A waiter hands me a glass of champagne. This party is nice enough that I’m hoping it’s real, but when I take a sip, the synthetic flavor slides down my throat. Noted. The General will splurge, but not that much.

Finally, I feel Cross in my mind.

“On my way, Dove.”

“You should probably hurry. Things have gone from bad to worse over here. Lyddie and Ivy saw my bloodmark.”

“Fuck’s sake. You never should have removed that fucking scar.”

“I was trying to prove my love to you, asshole. And I did a stupid, impulsive thing. In my defense, I didn’t think many people would be seeing my bare thighs. I’m usually wearing clothes unless I’m with you.”

“Please don’t tell me you killed Lyddie and Ivy.”

“Lyddie, no. But I did get rid of your ex-girlfriend.”

“Daisy.”

“Joking. I fed them a story about how I’m undercover in Elite. I’m your secret weapon and you’re going to hold a briefing tomorrow to tell everyone in our unit.”

“Fucking hell.”

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