Page 66 of Impossible

Malevolent

Hollis

Wilderissogoddamnpleased with himself I want to punch his lights out. He’s practically skipping as he walks us across the Complex to the administrative wing.

His office has been turned into a mini-interrogation room. I grit my teeth when I see who awaits us inside: Marcus. Marcus Phoenix. Lucas Orion is next to him, grimacing apologetically. His presence should soften the blow, but it doesn’t.

Because Anthony isn’t here. Maybe it’s good that Joshua won’t be facing the head of the Coalition when he’s still so fragile, but Anthony’s absence means something else too: they really don’t believe us. They don’t take this seriously at all. Logically I already knew that, but it stings anyway. We have a very deep hole to claw ourselves out of.

What happened should have had the entire alpha community on red alert, preparing for war. But it’s been six weeks and it’s soon to be some dusty file in a forgotten storage room. Until the next omega lost.

My palms burn as my fingernails dig into the scabs I made on Monday. When I first learned of Indigo.

I frown at the thought of her, trying to wipe it from my brain even as her scent still swims around us. So sweet. She’s so frail, I want to run back and guard her so she can eat, and rest, and heal. It isn’t right, just leaving her, even in Leon and Risk’s hands. But I can’t fend off the enemy if the enemy is her.

I shake the thought loose. This is exactly why I was hesitant, why I didn’t want Joshua and Risk to know about her. She’s a distraction. Joshuaneedsme. She is cared for, no matter what my instincts might tell me.

“Joshua, why don’t you take a seat?” Marcus doesn’t stand to greet us. Disrespectful asshole.

I pull out Joshua’s chair for him and then cut Wilder off as he tries to round the desk to sit across from us. I take the chair he was headed for and yank it around so I can sit next to Joshua.

“Excuse me—” Wilder protests.

“Can somebody explain why the headmaster needs to be here? I don’t remember him being involved in tactical operations.” I look directly at Lucas as I speak, ignoring Wilder completely.

“That’s true. You can go, John.” Lucas dismisses him.

I make a mental note to ensure Orion Pack is on our list to send Christmas cards to.

“But—this is my office,” Wilder sputters, but Lucas has already turned to Joshua.

“How are you doing?” he asks.

“Fine, thank you.” Joshua’s voice is stilted and formal.

“Enough sweet talk.” Marcus is all business. Bastard. “John?”

Wilder is still standing there, mouth open like he’s trying to catch flies. He turns and leaves, the wooden door slamming behind him.

Marcus wastes no time. “Joshua Midas, you are hereby held in contempt of the Coalition’s Office of Internal Affairs for refusal to acknowledge official summons. The fine will be levied on your salary for your tenure at the Complex. You are officially relieved from duty when your assignment is complete. Do you understand?”

“That’s a poor decision,” I cut in before Joshua can answer. “You’ve never had a tactical operations coordinator as good as Joshua, and you’re about to cut him loose, for what? Being attacked?”

“I know you may be bitter about your own demotion, Hollis, but the Coalition doesn’t employ alphas who can’t be trusted to show up, much less carry out what needs to be done in the field.”

I see red.

“Enough.” Lucas’s voice bristles with dominance, shutting Marcus up momentarily. “At the end of Joshua’s Complex assignment, we can re-visit his eligibility for re-hire. Without psychiatric clearance he won’t be re-entering field duty, no matter what. Same as the rest of you.”

I grind my teeth.

I haven’t even gone in for the assessment yet. I can’t risk failing. My future in the Coalition would be doomed before it began. And all of us know better than to try and send Risk in there right now. Joshua has been bed-bound, and Leon says he has no interest in working for a government that turned its back on us so easily, so there’s no point in bothering with the assessment. I can’t blame him, but now that Indie has entered the picture, he won’t be able to avoid it. Not if he wants a chance with her.

“Fine,” I grit out.

“Ok Joshua,” Lucas gives a tight smile. “Why don’t you just start at the beginning.”

A vein pulses in Joshua’s forehead. I fight the urge to reach out and touch him. He takes a deep breath.

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