Page 66 of Dissent

“Yeah, I see it.” Wes grabbed at his backpack. After a few seconds of rummaging inside it, he pulled out a pair of binoculars. He looked through them while we waited expectantly. “It’s dark.”

“Dark means it’s empty.”

I glanced at Matias, face stern and calculating. “If no one’s in the room, why leave a window open?”

Wes agreed. “I don’t like it.”

“You know, boys, sometimes an open window is just that…an open window.” Chelsea teased with a bite to her tone. She was clearly tired from the night. “I say we stun the guard and sneak in the window.”

“That’s stupid,” Wes snapped back. “We don’t even know what’s in there.”

“What about the other buildings? Maybe we can see what’s inside one of them?” I offered.

“Barracks. We’re too far from Telvia for people to travel back and forth. They’re probably just sleeping corridors for these people. I wouldn’t even bother trying to sneak a peek. That building”—Chelsea pointed out—“that’s the one we want.” She took a deep breath before looking at all of us. “So, are we doing this or what?” The guys looked at one another, each one communicating the way they always did with that silent macho stare down crap.

Finally, Wes shifted and broke the silence. “Let’s do it.”

We all moved away from the clearing and back into the safety of the trees. Together we formed a quick plan, running through the minor details once, and then twice, until we felt ready. Of course, I got the boring job of lookout.

“Use your tab to message us if anyone else comes around to the back.”

“I’m not a dummy, you know. I can do more than hide.” This wasn’t what I had in mind when I snuck into the back of the damn truck.

“Hell no,” Wes grunted out. “I can’t have you getting caught. It’s already damn near risky enough. Stay put, stay low, and message us if something weird goes on.”

“But—”

“Mara,” Matias cut me off. Our eyes met. “Please.” As much as I wanted to resist him, my insides melted. The look on his face was all but begging me, and I didn’t have the heart to disappoint him. So I simply nodded. His lips cracked the hint of a smile before he turned back to the rest of the group.

We hiked further downhill until we reached the bottom, and then we made our way back toward the facility. Through the brush, we could see the building, the door, and the lone guard right in front of us. It was a direct path; the bunkhouses scattered on either side of us. They started muttering to themselves again, reviewing the plan once more. I didn’t understand it much, however. Frankly, it sounded like a stupid plan, but hell, what did I know? I was just the damn lookout.

Wes and Chelsea were going through their gear, making sure they were ready while I just kept staring out at the facility, my thoughts running wild.

What are you doing, Raúl? What are you planning?

Slight pressure on my upper arm drew my attention to Matias. Tugging on me, he coaxed me to follow him deeper into the brush. I did. We weren’t far from the rest of the group, but a few bramble bushes gave us the illusion of privacy. He stopped and faced me, an expression on his face that I couldn’t read in the dark. But I knew one thing—he was worried. His concern registered within me, setting off alarm bells inside.

“Give us fifteen minutes. If you don’t hear from me or we don’t come back, you run. Got it?”

“Fifteen minutes? That’s hardly enough—”

“Yourun,” he emphasized, the hard lines of his face set. “And if anyone comes for you, or we don’t respond, or something goes wrong, you run. Okay? Just run and get back to camp.”

Now he was scaring me. The way he was talking, it was like he really didn’t think he was coming back. “I’m not just going to leave you guys here. Besides, I can help, I can—”

He sealed the space between us, and his presence sent my senses swirling, causing me to drop my argument mid-sentence. I was overcome by the smell of evergreen and citrusy pine that I recognized as his natural and personal scent. Dropping his face down, his eyes sought mine, and I was instantly drawn in by their brown depths.

“I promised I’d protect you. This is how I’m going to fulfill that promise. Don’t wait for us.”

No, no. I don’t like this plan.Grasping to collect enough of myself, I placed a hand on his chest. “What if you don’t come back?”

His eyes flickered then, and I saw it. I didn’t know if I truly understood what it was, but I recognized it. It was the same look he gave me after the mountain lion attack. The same look I’d caught on him while we were eating, or training, or talking to friends. It was the same look Chase would give me…right before he’d sneak a kiss at the corners of my lips. The knowledge swept through me, sending a shiver down my spine.

The intensity in his eyes had my senses on overdrive, and I couldn’t help but glance at his lips before returning to the cavernous depths of his eyes when he spoke. “I will always come back for you.”

I melted all over again, and I remained as a puddle of nothing as his heady gaze shifted downward. And Iknewhe was looking at my lips. He inched himself closer, closing the fraction of space that still sat between us, drawing his face toward mine. Everything inside me buzzed with an intense fire of anticipation because I knew exactly what was about to happen. And I was ready for it. I wanted it. Ineededit.

His lips came down, a mere inch from my own, and I turned my head slightly, tilting my chin upward to meet him.

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