Page 61 of Bound By Water
“I’m good. Really good,” I say, to my astonishment. My shitty emotions dissipating under a ray of hope. “Thank you.”
CHAPTER31
OLIVER
Her dark green eyes full of fear, the almost imperceptible flinch when she saw my anger; it nearly brought me to my knees. I storm out of Beckett’s office. Wrapping my hands around her throat felt wrong.Bastard.If he wasn’t dead…
Fists clenched, I stop and force my anger to recede before it sweeps over the whole compound. It’s been a long time since my control was tested. After a couple of minutes of concentration, a steady calm falls over me, and I continue to my office.
Lionel didn’t mention she eliminated anyone, which is odd. The few missions we went on together showed him to be meticulous and well organized. Although Brad did say they were in a rush to leave. I make a mental note to ask him for more details.
Quaid’s pacing my office when I arrive. “How did it go?” His amber eyes are almost burning with the fierceness of his emotions.
I tilt my head to study him. The only time he’s ever calm is on a mission, but he’s more on edge than usual. Amber eyes bright. Muscles tight and poised for action. Is it Greer or the conversation he knows is coming?
Crossing to the bar next to my desk, I pour myself a finger of bourbon and down it in one gulp. Then, pour another and take it to my desk. “It went well.”
His hands clench the top of the chair in front of my desk as he tries to rein in his impatience. He snorts, eyes falling to the glass in my hand. “Clearly. What happened? Is she okay?”
“She didn’t want me to use my abilities,” I inform him, knowing he’s going to want every detail. He always does. Even at West Point, he gathered details like a squirrel hiding nuts for the winter. I spread my hands on top of my desk and stare at them. Today wasn’t the first time I’d choked someone, but it’s the first time without lethal intent. Never a beautiful young woman who needed my help.
He drops into the chair. “Damn.” His hand rubs his head. “How did she do?”
“Beckett’s plan worked,” I tell him, swallowing the bourbon in my hand to get rid of the sour taste lingering on my tongue. “She maintained control and her awareness.”
“You felt it, didn’t you?” he asks, eyes narrowed on me.
Shifting my jaw from one side to the other, I return his stare. “I did. She’s powerful. Or she will be when she learns to wield her abilities. Maybe it’s because they’ve been repressed all these years. I don’t know.”
“You know what I mean,” he states flatly.
With a deep sigh, I contemplate the empty glass but set it to the side. My calendar is jammed packed with meetings and decisions today. “The second she used her power; it tugged at mine, searching for a response.”
Quaid leans back in satisfaction. “There’s a connection. What it means, I don’t know. We’ve felt it with others, but it’s always been muted. With her, it’s different. She sparks against me like a match.”
Hearing noise outside my office, I put the empty glass into my desk drawer and stand. “We’ll table this for later.”
Jax, Beckett, and several other officers enter, and I slip into the leadership role I fought so hard to achieve. My brotherhood. I’ve spent years with these men. Serving our country, covering each other’s six, carrying out the worst missions they could give us, and celebrating our rise in the ranks. It took sacrifice and dedication to achieve Major. Saluting my men one final time is bittersweet, but I do it because they deserve my respect.
“Thank you for coming,” I begin, leaning forward, fists on my desk. “I received some disturbing news yesterday morning. Hightower and his Ravens have been busy, capturing prisoners… to the tune of almost a thousand captives.”
Anger surges across the room, and they don’t know the half of it. “According to my father’s spies, he’s killing the weak and unstable, experimenting on the most powerful, and using others as leverage to gain favors from their wealthy and politically powerful families. He’s out of control. My father is working to stop him, but we all know politics takes time, and men are lost in the gaps.” Each one nods. We’ve all been there.
I take a deep breath. “All my life I’ve had powers. They didn’t define me. From an early age, my calling was to be a soldier and serve my country. Sure, I expected there to be conflict between the two. We all did.” I look at Quaid, whose fiery nature battles with his cool intellect.
“In the Army, we follow the chain of command. At times, it chafes, but never has it felt wrong. For the last year, I’ve repeatedly asked for permission to strike at Raven’s operations. Every day, I was told to stand down and wait for orders,” I inform them, shaking my head.
Fists clench, but nobody says a word. Code and honor are bred into us from the beginning.
“But I can no longer stand by and enjoy the safety of my position while innocent people are sacrificed to appease a mad man’s need for vengeance,” I tell them. “I’m resigning from my position in the Army to stop Hightower’s path of annihilation.”
Quaid, of course, knew it was coming. We’ve had many discussions over the last year. It wasn’t an easy decision to make for either of us. We knew at West Point we were career Army. It drew us together.
But after a year of trying to convince my father, my CO, and the rest of command that we need to act, I realized they’re scared the world will find out about us but exposure is not an acceptable reason. Every day, the cost of our silence rises.
Varying expressions of shock or satisfaction, depending on the path they’ve taken to get here, appear on their faces. Several of them have been itching to fight for a while but have stood down because of me.
Jax steps forward. “The only thing I like about the Army is access to the latest weapons. Do you have a stockpile somewhere?” Hands on his hips, he waits for me to confirm what he already suspects.
