Page 80 of Echoes of War

“I know you’ve been struggling to recreate my work up in Duluth. Perhaps I’d be willing to turn a blind eye to that considering they’ve had a poor replication of some of that shit in the works for some time now.”

“How do you know what’s going on there or in Covert, Finley?” Alexiares’ eyes turned lethal, the light in them completely gone and replaced with black. “We can’t trust her.”

“I wouldn’t trust me either. Sucks for you since you have to if you want my help. And spies. My love, you know how I work, ignorance doesn’t flatter you.” Finley pulled out his vines, strolling up to him, his gun now resting on her forehead. She grinned,taking his lack of reaction for permission and grazed her hand on his chest.

He smacked her hand away, jumping back in repulsion. If I didn’t say something now, this conversation would end with a bullet in her brain. Considering the circumstances this war had placed us in, I couldn’t have that, at least not today.

I stepped in between them. “Seems like you have more to gain from our help than we do by any sort of relationship here.”

“Or maybe you just have more to lose.” The way Finley said it, like it was concrete. Something that everyone knew. “I’ve taken the liberty of sending enough shields down to Monterey that will cover the main gates of your little sanctuary. One hundred pounds of my gas too.”

“I’m listening.”

“Maia …” Alexiares warned.

I raised my hand, something he hated but every other soldier I worked with had learned to accept as my one and only warning to shut the fuck up. The general was speaking, and I was not to be interrupted, didn’t matter who it was.

He took another step back, pretending to bow to hisprincess. I would never tell him that his submission brought me pure fucking joy.

Finley smirked, the blood around her mouth and face crusting. “Hmm, good boy, Alexi.”

“Shut the fuck up and watch your mouth.” I spat venomously, “I’m listening, but your five minutes are coming to an end.”

Alexiares released a throaty, sarcastic laugh, obviously pleased with my choice of words. He waved his gun at her, a reminder and a promise.

“I can have the same resources sent up to Duluth by tomorrow morning. More to other allies if you’d like,” Finley offered.

“Oh, I’d like,” I said. “I need theexactrecipe sent to each and every one of the settlements within SalemandThe Expanse.”

She tilted her head, the stray strands of her hair sticking to her face. “Can’t do that, champ.”

“And why not?”

“Top secret.” Her response was short and sweet. “What I can do, however, is send a fraction of what I’m offering you; if they figure it out on their own, I won’t kill them for it. I promise. See, don’t even have my fingers crossed.”

“It might be in our best interest too; you don’t want the ones that were forced to join us knowing information they can take right back to Covert,” Alexiares warned.

My eyes stayed trained on Finley, making her wiggle under my silence for a few moments before conceding, “Fine. You expect me to believe the only thing you want out of this arrangement is what? Your freedom? Finding it hard to sit with that.”

“Not asking you to believe it,” she said, “but the cost of freedom is high. I’d rather not pay for it with my life, which is exactly what Covert would have to take from me if they ever forced me to work under them, to take my city from me.”

“You mean the way you took it from your father?” Alexiares’ voice broke and I turned to look at him briefly. Pain was written all over his face. “He was a good man.”

I knew it had hurt him, learning of Cal’s death. We hadn’t spoken of it in detail, he’d refused to. Alexiares had never known a father’s love, and while Finley’s dad had been the farthest thing from a fatherly figure in his life, he had shown him kindness. Kindness no one aside from Tiago, had ever displayed when it came to him. For that reason alone, he believed he owed him a life debt. Had Alexiares stayed, he would have died by his own hand, but Cal had offered him freedom, a chance to run. The unsaid words in Alexiares’ confession one night had been his guilt for leaving, the fear that Cal had traded Alexiares’ life for his.

“His death was quick.” Finley’s wicked smile returned. “Besides, if I told you I didn’t kill him, I doubt you’d believe me.”

“Did you?” The question left as a hushed whisper, forgotten to the wind.

“Yes.”

Alexiares faltered, his boots grinding into the ground. Finley had held on to that, waited to use it as ammo to wound him for good.

I scoffed. “You disgust me. This conversation is over. When we get to Lola’s, I’ll have a list of demands and settlements sent your way. If you divert from any of what we discussed, the deal is off, and your life will be threatened by more than just Covert.”

Shaking my head, I turned, making my way back toward the our bike. I brushed past her, shoulder checking her on the way out. I spat at her feet, “Patch yourself up,champ. Your blood reeks. Wouldn’t want the Pansies to come crawling for dinner.”

“Toodaloo, my new friend,” Finley chided. “It’ll be a pleasure to work by your side.”

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