Page 246 of Fractured Allegiance
Then she turns, leaves me pressed against the wall with my rage still clawing inside me.
The distance between us throbs more viciously than any wound I’ve ever nursed.
The warmth of the wall behind me is solid as her scent surrounds me, locking my muscles in place, until I hear her footsteps fade down the hall, not until the sound of the bedroom door closing slices the tension in two.
I drag a hand through my hair, tasting blood where her teeth split my lip. My chest is heaving, not from the fight, not from the kiss, but from the way she left — like she got the last word without saying a damn thing.
The atmosphere inside is suddenly suffocating. I shove the back door open and step out onto the narrow balcony. The metal railing rattles under my grip, rusted thin, and the city yawns wide beyond the rooftops. Orange streetlights flicker on broken poles, casting shadows that stretch too long.
“You look like shit.”
Elias’s voice cuts in as he steps outside. He doesn’t bring the smell of smoke; he brings antiseptic, coffee, and the iron weight of someone who’s seen me unravel and isn’t impressed.
I don’t turn. “You’re one to talk.”
He leans against the railing, mug in hand. His gaze slides sideways, amused in that quiet way that says he’s already decided what I am. “You nearly took her head off in there.”
“She kissed me first.” I say.
He chuckles. “Yeah. With enough venom to kill a horse.” He sips his coffee, grimaces at the taste, then mutters, “You sure know how to pick your moments.”
I glance at him. “Better than your men. Ren shakes so badly with a gun in his hand, we should tape it to him like a crayon.”
That earns a short laugh, brief but real. He shakes his head, muttering, “Christ.”
The humor doesn’t last. It never does with him. His eyes turn back to the city, shoulders tight. “You’re not going to last like this, Ward. Rage is a leash same as obsession. Drazen tugs either one, you dance.”
Before I can answer, the burner buzzes in my pocket. The vibration jolts against my thigh.
Elias doesn’t even look. “That's your leash now?”
I fish the phone out, press it to my ear without stepping away. Naomi’s voice is there instantly, clipped and clean. “Ward. Where’s your report?”
Her tone is ice over wire.
I watch Elias watching me, his smirk curving like a dare, his silence louder than any words.
“Nothing to report,” I say flatly.
Her inhale crackles down the line. “Bellamy lit up like a warzone. One of Drazen’s men is off the grid. You were there. Are you fucking kidding me?”
I force the words out. “I’m running parallel intel.”
“You’re lying,” she says, too calm. “And if I dig hard enough, I’ll find out why.”
Beside me, Elias mutters low enough for only me to hear: “She sounds like a fun date.”
I ignore him. “Stay out of Bellamy,” I tell Naomi. “Leaks are everywhere. You push now, you hand Drazen every name you’ve got on a silver plate.”
A pause. Then: “Stay put. Don’t move until I say. You hear me?”
I hang up before she can finish.
The night is too still again. Elias tips his mug in my direction, mouth curving. “So. You’re lying to them, you’re lying to her, and you’re lying to yourself.” He sips again. “It should be fun when it all blows up.”
My voice comes out rough. “Let it.”
He studies me a long second, then grins thinly. “Monster suits you, Ward. You wear it well.”
