Page 56 of Resist

“This is the Bellfire Tower,” Giza said. “Thanks to the hard work of Miss de la Puente and Mr. Calvernon, the Admin Job was a success, and, for the first time in our history, we have photos and building schematics of the prison. This data is what will make Operation Silent Night a possibility, something that would never have been conceivable for the Dissenters or Northern Forces before.”

I shifted in my chair and couldn’t help the urge to cast a quick glance at Wes. But when I did, I instantly regretted it. Because, as it turned out, he wasn’t staring at the screen at all. He was watching me. My cheeks burned, and I quickly looked away from him and back at the aerial photo.

“As you can see, we’ve discovered the tower is located on a peninsula off the western coast. Sheer cliffs, as well as the Pacific Ocean, surround the building on the northern, western, and southern ends. The only access is via this land bridge here on the east side, connecting the prison to the mainland.”

Now they had my attention. The Pacific Ocean…I had never seen the ocean before. The most water I had seen in my whole life was the river on my first day at the rebel camp. Matias spoke to me of the ocean, but I really had no idea what it was or that it was something that existed. Raúl worked pretty hard to keep the fear of drought in all Telvians, which I guessed included me too.

“I presume,” General Bynes interjected, “that the land bridge is heavily guarded?”

Giza nodded. “That is correct, General. Telvian army and REG officers appear to be concentrated on the mainland here, at a checkpoint for anyone attempting to cross the bridge. As well as here, where the bridge ends just before entering the prison. Furthermore, it appears that a fence encases the entire prison right at the edge before the land drops off into the ocean.”

Krous spoke up this time. “What about an aerial assault?”

“Too obvious,” Bynes scoffed.

“Although we don’t have confirmation, we assume the skies are monitored by radar,” Giza confirmed.

Bynes cleared her throat, a tart tone in her voice as she spoke. “Clearly, the skies are of no use. The tower is surrounded by water, high on a cliff, creating natural defenses on all sides of her. The land bridge is a deathtrap. Even if we managed to get through the security checkpoint at the entrance, our team will never escape the bridge. From this imagery, there is no cover at all. They would be exposed to aerial attack or easily trapped on the overpass by Telvian forces on either side of the bridge.” She leaned back into her chair, the disdain etched across the lines of her face. “It would seem to me, Sergeant Major, that this prison is impregnable. Any team you put together and send on this mission is signing up for their own deaths.”

My stomach twisted as my morning muffin started swirling in my stomach in the worst way. As much as I didn’t want to believe her, I wasn’t stupid. She was right. The little hope I had of saving my brother was slowly beginning to fade, to dissolve into a puddle of despair.

Giza cleared his throat as he rolled his shoulders back, standing a little taller. “That is why, General, we will avoid the skies and the land bridge altogether.”

“Oh?” Bynes’s nasty tone was still in place. “And how do you propose to conduct this rescue operation?” Lifting a finger, she interjected with a side note, “Which, might I add, I don’t consider that Telvian scumbag to be in any need of rescuing. As far as I’m concerned, whatever his awful father gives him is more than well deserved.”

I clenched my jaw as I leaned forward to say something. Because no one—and I mean no one—was going to talk about my brother that way. I opened my mouth, ready to tell this woman off when firm pressure was placed on my forearm, and my voice caught as I noticed Wes’s hand holding me in place. I looked upat him, seeing eyes that conveyed warmth and silently told me to wait, to hold my tongue, to calm down. I stared back, my breath still caught in my throat. He held me there as his thumb rubbed slowly across my skin, back and forth, stoking a new flame which had begun to burn deep within me. And all the while, he maintained the easy pressure on my arm. I shivered, exhaling as the anger slowly dissipated from my body, replaced by the familiar sensations and confusing emotions from before.

Sensing my posture relax, the corner of his lips tipped upwards, giving me a gentle and playful smile before he slowly released my arm and let me go. He shifted in his seat, and then returned his attention back to the room as I took a deep breath.

“So tell me,Giza,” the woman pushed back, purposely dropping Giza’s title as a show of total disrespect. “How do you intend to break into an impregnable prison with subpar information? Tell me, because I’m dying to report back to our president how you plan to waste Northern resources to rescue a criminal.”

Giza’s face grew cold, brows pinched, and lips set in a thin line. The silentfuck youswere loud and created thick tension in the room. Giza held his head up higher as he stared this woman down. “Excellent question,General. Our sources believe the prison has one weakness, and we plan to exploit it. It’s true that the land bridge is of no use to us. The Telvians were smart in using the natural landscape of the area to maximize the security of the tower. Butthatis their weakness.”

“Meaning?” Krous asked.

Giza shifted his attention to the Lieutenant. “We’re going to take a water approach. We’re going to approach the prison from the sea.”

“That’s insane,” Bynes said through gritted teeth. “And who the hell are you going to find to lead this ridiculous suicide mission?”

Giza stiffened, ready to respond, but this time, I didn’t stay silent. I cleared my throat loud and hard and became hyperaware as all eyes turned to me. I stood up as straight and as tall as I could. “Me,” I asserted loud and clear. “I’m going to lead the suicide mission,Ms.Bynes,” channeling my inner Chelsea as I purposefully extended her the same courtesy she extended to Giza. “And I’m going to needyouto be less of a bitch about it.”

Boom! Mic drop!

And also…that didn’t go over as well as I’d hoped.

30: Power Plays

“Miss de la Puente,” Giza admonished.

Bynes sneered, “Why you little—”

“I’d be careful, General,” Wes cut in as he remained lazily slouched in his chair, “with what descriptive words you choose next.”

Bynes slammed her mouth shut, biting her tongue, but her gaze sent a thousand knives my way. She looked from me to Wes, and then back to me, before she took in a haughty breath and sat back in her chair. Silence encased us all, and the tension grew thick like butter until Krous finally spoke up.

“So Miss de la Puente will lead the operation. No offense to you, miss,” he cleared his throat, hesitantly looking at me and Wes, “but an operation like this will require someone with greater skill and leadership training. Your team will need to know they can depend on you. They need to trust you. But your, uh…parentagewill make it difficult to form a team ready tolisten to your command. As Lieutenant General of the North, I recommend the Dissenters reconsider this decision.”

Everyone’s lack of faith in my ability to lead this team wasn’t wrong. I knew I didn’t have the skills or even adequate experience to run a mission like this. But it cut into my mushy, limited self-esteem and had me doubting myself and every decision I’d made. And I…I didn’t know what to say. Heat pumped within me as my cheeks undoubtedly grew red. And I knew what I was feeling…I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that nobody believed in me, nobody thought I could do this. And what was worse, nobody wanted to support me either. Everyone here was against this operation because it meant sacrificing their troops to rescue a man they all saw as the enemy. And I understood that, I really did. But it still sucked…majorly. Because I was alone.

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