Page 8 of Silver Elite

“You gotta let me leave, Tana. Otherwise he won’t let me, either.”

“Sorry. Talk later.”

“Sounds good,” she says before wandering off.

Jordan stays hot on my heels. When we reach my dusty old motorcycle, he has stars in his eyes again.

“I’ve never seen anyone shoot like that,” he marvels.

“Like I said, I have experience from the ranch.”

“Wren,” he says firmly. “You took out itseye.That was a hundred yards, easy. A moving target. And a kid in the way. You could have accidentally blown his head off.”

I bristle, taking great offense to that.Blown his head off!Hardly. I guarantee I’m a better shot than anyone in Jordan’s unit. He’s not even in Silver Block, which is where all the elite soldiers go. I think he told me he served in Copper. I could outshoot a Copper guy with my eyes closed. I have half a mind to challenge this guy to a shooting contest—

No,rebukes my common sense.You will do no such thing.

The one rule my uncle instilled in me from a young age is to never draw attention to myself.

And like an idiot, that’s exactly what I did tonight.

Shit.

I shouldn’t have taken the shot.

“I’d love to come to the ranch and hit some targets with you. Not to brag, but I’m pretty good with a rifle, too. It would be fun.”

“Oh, my uncle doesn’t allow visitors,” I say, then wince when I remember I just invited Tana to come by. I try to smooth the lie over by adding, “Tana is really the only one he can tolerate. Probably because we’re childhood friends. She’s basically another niece to him.”

“Well, maybe one day.” Jordan shakes his head again. “That was some shot.”

I try to distract him from my feat of marksmanship by standing on my tiptoes and planting my lips to his.

He jerks in surprise, then smiles. “What was that for?”

“Nothing. I had a nice time tonight.” I take a step back. “Good night, Jordan.”

I grab the black helmet from the back of my bike and throw it on, avoiding his gaze as I fasten the strap. A moment later, the engine roars to life. I speed off, still feeling his gaze on me.

I really do need to stop sleeping with soldiers. Next time I’m feeling…needy…I might have to look elsewhere. There are a few unattached men in the village, but Tana says they’re interested in something more serious. I don’t want anything serious. I’m only twenty. Not ready to devote myself to somebody else. Other people’s relationships seem suffocating, and I’ve witnessed so many women bending to a man’s every whim.

I don’t bend.

I reach the paved road at the end of town, where a blue metal sign shines in the darkness. White lettering displays our ward, village, and population. They update it annually, but Hamlett’s population hasn’t grown much over the years. Which is how Redden likes it. The General claims that prior to the Last War, overpopulation was a serious problem. We wouldn’t have gotten to that dire point, to global conflict, to seven continents devastated, four of them razed or underwater, if it weren’t for all the people battling over dwindling resources.

Greed. Everything always comes back to greed.

I feel my mind tingle with an invitation, smiling to myself when I recognize the familiar energy. After I accept the link, a deep voice fills my head.

“You still out?”

I’m quick to answer.“No. Driving home.”

“Well, damn. You’ve already broken his heart? You work fast.”

“Oh, shut up. Like you don’t break hearts on a nightly basis.”

“I’m celibate.”

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