Page 58 of Silver Elite

Why else was the delivery gate left inexplicably ajar? Why is there a motorcycle here?

Either fate herself is extending a hand to me, or Cross Redden set a trap for me. A test. Will Recruit 56 stay put like a good little soldier or will she try to run?

I stop walking.

“You okay?” Kaine says.

Drawing a steadying breath, I glance at the motorcycle, then at Kaine. He’s watching me with a mixture of amusement and concern.

“What’s going on, Darlington?”

“You should go back to the barracks,” I tell him.

My gaze shifts to the bike again, then conducts a scan of our surroundings, searching the shadows for any sign of movement. About fifty yards away, the nearest guard tower looms ominously, its searchlight sweeping the grounds.

Timing is everything.

“Darlington…” It’s a warning. “Whatever you’re thinking right now…”

“Just go back to the barracks, Sutler. I’ll see you later.”

“Wren,” he growls, but I’m already darting forward, adrenaline sizzling through my veins.

I reach the motorcycle, my fingers trembling as I grasp the handlebars. A thumb pad is required to start the engine, but whoever the bike belongs to didn’t lock it. I swing my leg over, straddling the machine, and, with a rueful glance at Kaine, start the engine.

It roars to life. Without a second of hesitation, I twist the throttle and the bike surges forward, the sudden speed throwing me back. The open gate isright there.I lean into the handlebars, urging the motorcycle faster, and the world blurs around me, only the narrow path ahead in focus.

I speed through the gate, the cool night air whipping against my face. It’s an exhilarating feeling—freedom. A wild, intoxicating sensation that seizes my chest as I race down a long, paved road. Behind me, the Command base recedes into the darkness, the oppressive weight of its walls lifting from my shoulders. Ahead of me, the open road stretches out like an invitation to the unknown.

It takes a moment to gather my bearings when the road comes to an abrupt end. I need to turn. But do I turn left or right…Sanctum Point is east of here. It’ll be impossible to stay hidden in the city. Too many patrols. Drones.

I go left. E Ward borders the Point, and all those boring geography classes I suffered through in lower school taught me that E is basically one massive forest. If I could reach the forest, I could disappear.

I give the bike more gas, but it’s still not moving fast enough for me. I’d kill for a speed bike right about now. I’ve never ridden one, but Tana has. She said when that chemical thrust kicks in, it feels like a rocket ship launching into outer space.

The wind hisses and screeches past my ears, stinging my face, but I can’t slow down. This was either the best decision I’ve ever made in my life, or the dumbest, and I’m rapidly leaning toward the latter. I can’t shake the rising tension in my body, the fear that someone willcome after me. I push the bike harder, and the engine’s growl is like a defiant roar in the night.

The landscape blurs past in streaks of black and gray, illuminated only by the thin beam of the motorcycle’s headlight. I’ve just glimpsed what look like treetops in the distance when I hear it.

A second engine.

“Hellfuck!” I shout into the wind.

I risk a glance over my shoulder and see the other motorcycle bearing down on me, growing larger with each passing second. It’s movingfast.Speed bike, for certain.

Panic grips me, and I work the throttle harder, my engine screaming in protest as I try to outrun my pursuer. But he only keeps gaining on me. I see his headlight dancing in the corners of my vision. My pulse pounds in my ears, every muscle in my body coiled as I push the bike to its limits.

I look behind me again and stifle a scream of frustration.

Cross.

His face is barely visible in the shadows, but that smug smirk is unmistakable. He’s enjoying this. The thrill of the hunt.

My fingers tighten around the handlebars, knuckles white with tension. There must be a way out, a path that doesn’t end with my recapture. But the barren road stretches endlessly ahead. Where the hell is the forest?

“Darlington! Pull over.”

His voice is muffled by the wind. He’s closed the gap between us, riding alongside me now.

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