Page 19 of Before Their After

“That’s a given,” I chided, peering down at the person who saved me in more ways than one. A deeper dive into our vulnerable side wasn’t something the two of us shared often. We’d been in sync since the day I’d arrived. But there were moments like this when it was important to get the words out. Important to make it clear where I stood, where my priorities lied. “My mind … it’s a dark place, yet you brighten it.”

“Oh shit, are we having a moment?” Amaia chuckled only to be silenced by the simmer of my glare. “Right, sorry. Go ahead.”

“If this is truly a gift I possess, then I want to use it to help you. To keep this place safe.”

She took a step closer to me, the scent of ash and coffee filling the space between us. A heavy look of concern hung in her dark eyes. “You mean keepmesafe? We talked about this. Compound first. I’m a big girl, Ril, I can handle myself.”

“Don’t we all know it.” I brushed off her response, tipping my head at the passersby headed to mealtime. In a hushed tone, I met her stare. “That doesn’t mean you don’t need someone to have your back.”

“Well, there’s two someones technically.” She shrugged with a sigh. “Three if you include yourself. Not that any of you ever asked my permission to do that.”

“And I still won’t, but I’d like your blessing. Yes, there are two men at your back, but this place is going to be something someday. A symbol of what’s possible. A good soldier has a plan A, B, and C. A soldier thatsurvives?—”

“Doesn’t have plans, they possess an artillery of blueprints, knowledge and a solid team at their back.” The smirk she so proudly wore crept onto her face she finished my sentence. Itwas the exact phrase she’d uttered this morning to the current, pompous general who was bound to get someone killed. “You’ve been working the shadows despite your concerns.”

I held my head high, accepting the praise she always managed to provide no matter how small the accomplishment. Jax rose to his feet in the distance at the shift in my posture. His freckled face was reddened, a wide smile plastered across it. He was far more observant than the residents gave him credit for.

“You’ve shown no interest in being one of our soldiers.”

“I’m not their soldier.” I stood at attention, eyes trained on the daring woman before me. “I’myourweapon.”

“Are you sure about this?” she whispered, but the toothy grin shining back at me dimmed out any ounce of hesitancy that may have remained.

With a sharp chuckle, I saluted her. “What’s my first mission, Lieutenant?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Stick To The Shadows

RILEY

Remember who you are.If you do that, you have nothing to worry about.Those were the words Amaia had scribbled on a note stuck on the door of our shared space upon departure last night. She was on her way to a neighboring settlement in San Jose. This would be the first time she left Monterey since I’d arrived. Today was a new beginning. While my duties to Amaia had varied in nature, manning the gates had been newly appointed under my wing.

Prescott’s suggestion to which I had politely declined until Amaia agreed that there was no better place to have her back than controlling who had access inside. Who we allowed a chance inside was up to me and my men. Our team was small—only Mohammed, me, and a handful of others—but it would fulfill our needs for now.

We couldn’t go on this way forever. The planning was something I was still working out, but once we vetted the rest of the soldiers Amaia recommended, we’d be off to a solid start. A few weeks max.

The reminder to remember who I was hadn’t come as a surprise. The past few months had left me questioning myself. Now that I had settled into my role and with Amaia and Jax spending an obsessive amount of time together, my spare moments were left for nothing but reflection.Who was I really? Without my sister, without Amaia, without this place … who was I? What did I want my future to look like?Because I had that now, a future.

Mohammed shoved Jax into me as we made our way through The Compound after a sunrise training session. They laughed, Jax baiting Mohammed on the way his eye twitched as a tell before he tossed a kick in The Ring.

“Best you pray that when war comes knockin’ at our doorstep, they aren’t interested in a good brawl,” Jax teased, only to be tripped up by Mohammed in jest.

“At least my girl can’t put me on my ass.”

I stifled a laugh at Mohammed’s dig. For as long as I’d been here, I’d never seen Jax beat her in The Ring and it wasn’t for his lack of trying. It was reassuring to say the least. With the constant clashing of different settlements over land or trade,somethingwas brewing, though I wasn’t sure war was quite it. It was why she’d left The Compound after all.

“I’m getting a bit worried, ya know?” Wrinkles formed around his eyes as he looked toward me. “You’re there, we all share quarters. It’s no secret Amaia’s not sleeping again, and she’s knocking back more than her fair share. She’s spiraling. I know you, Riley. You’ve been hovering like a hawk, I know you see it.”

“Seems to be the same Lieutenant from when I arrived if you ask me. If you want to be concerned, I’d worry about Banks making his move. He’s been asking around about her. Wondering if it’s official. Considering he went out on thatmission with her …” Mohammed said in an attempt to quiet the concerns and change course.

Jax freed himself from Mohammed’s jerking grasp. “I’m working on it.”

“Well, work harder,” Mohammed said smugly, swiping his silky black hair back into a neater bun. “We’ve been settled a year, man. Almost ten thousand strong inside the walls, not counting the people nearby. Our defenses are good. Forget about stressing over the home front. I mean, come on, this is it. What are we waiting for? The world to fall apart all over again? Death? Screw that. I can’t do ‘what ifs’ anymore. Thinking about starting a family, setting down some roots.

“Aye, really? Congrats.” Jax’s catlike eyes brightened in response.

“It’s a simple thought for now,” Mohammed said, though his disposition hadn’t changed, the tone of his voice turned grave. “Yasmin and I are allowing Allah to bless us as intended.”

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