The Girl Who Dared to Endure (The Girl Who Dared #6)

Grey snorted. “Because you didn’t betray me! You didn’t owe me anything then, and you certainly don’t now. And I don’t own you—you aren’t a possession. You’re free to make your own choices and decisions.”

“But what if Leo were another man, with another body? Wouldn’t you have an issue with that?”

“Maybe, but he’s not, and he’s not asking me not to be part of your life. Don’t get me wrong: I would fight for you if anyone tried to get between us. But Leo doesn’t want to get between us. Hell, he almost killed me to prove that point.”

I sighed. He kept trying to make me understand, but the reality of it wasn’t lost on me. Relationships were hard enough between two people. But between three? “But…”

“But, but, but!” He sighed heavily and pulled me even tighter against his chest, snuggling close. “I love you, Liana Castell. Have pretty much since the day I met you. And maybe you just haven’t experienced it before, but love, for me, is unconditional. That means I accept you, no matter what. I stand by you, no matter what. And I accept anyone you choose, no matter what.”

My heart swelled at his words, which were so sweet and honest that I felt all of my doubts about the weirdness of the situation start to crumble away. Oh, I had no doubt that we would have problems. But the way that Grey talked about his love for me made me think that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to say goodbye to either Leo or Grey.

All teams in secondary locations, Maddox declared, her voice interrupting the moment in the worst possible way—by reminding me that we had a job to do.

Then again, that should’ve been at the forefront of my mind, given our location.

All teams now ordered to move to primary ingress position and await breach orders. No one moves until all teams have reported in. Confirm orders, starting with Team 1.

Crap, we were Team 2, which meant we needed to respond right after Team 1. I craned my neck around to look at Grey and found his face hovering over mine. “We have to—”

“I know,” he said, before pressing his mouth against mine for a brief kiss. “Get moving. I’ll hand the reins over to Leo. Just be careful.”

“I will. And I’ll remind Leo to be as well.” I turned away and began to pull myself forward. Team 2, orders confirmed, I thought, using the neural transmitter to send the message. Moving to primary position to await breach orders.





38





It took an additional seventy-five feet of ventilation shaft for us to get to another junction, and by the time we were there, I was swearing to myself that the next time a mission called for us to go through a vent, I would find a way to be somewhere else.

Like where I had set Maddox and Quess up on the floor above us, giving orders and coordinating the different groups.

I came to a stop just beyond the junction and peeked around the corner, toward the opening that would let us into the maintenance room. The shaft was ten feet long, and I could barely discern the softer colors of the nighttime lighting through the black shapes made by the slats. I held my breath for several seconds, listening for any sound of life, but everything was quiet.

Team 2 in the junction, I reported, ducking back behind the corner. No lights, and no sounds.

Roger, Maddox replied. Waiting on Teams 11, 17, and 20.

Team 11 is in position, a masculine voice reported—one of Lacey’s or Strum’s people, I wasn’t sure. We had representatives from both departments in our group, to give us the numbers we needed for this mission. We have lights on in the room ahead and can hear voices. Two—one male, one female. Possibly a guard room.

Acknowledged, Maddox replied in my ear. Her tone didn’t reveal anything, but Team 11’s report had made my nervousness return. In just a few moments, we would be slipping on our masks and waiting for the gas to blanket the floor. Only then would we move—and only to get to whoever was still awake, before they managed to make a call. Hopefully most of them would be sleeping when the gas entered and wouldn’t wake up. But the matter was complicated by the guards, who were in a position to spot the gas when it started coming in and do something about it.

If they managed to rouse the others or warn Sadie or Dreyfuss, we were sunk.

Waiting on 17 and 20, Maddox muttered into the link.

Don’t get your panties in a twist, Lacey growled across the line, responding for Team 17. This particular bit of shaft isn’t exactly the easiest to navigate. We’re slipping into the air processing unit now. We need forty-five seconds to hook up the tank.

Don’t rush it, I warned over the net. Any noise you make in that unit is going to be heard.

Oh, hey, you want to reiterate that point one more time, Champion Castell, or can I just do my frickin’ job up here?

I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue, both physically and mentally. She was right—my warning was unnecessary. I just wasn’t used to this. There were so many moving parts, and so many people I had never worked with before. I couldn’t help the instinct inside me that wanted to stress how important it was that no one gave away our presence before we could enact the plan.

There were several seconds of dead air, then, and I felt each one as if hours had been compressed into it, hyperaware of my breathing, my heartbeat, and the way my skin tingled like it was drawn just a quarter of an inch too tight.

Team 21 is in position and set up, Strum finally said, and I exhaled. Apologies for the delay. We had to take down several laser defense grids without activating the monitor station’s internal security.

I gritted my teeth together. Laser defense grids hadn’t been mentioned at the meeting, but given that Strum had already deactivated them, I supposed it was a moot point. Likely, he had known about them to begin with, which was why he had been very particular about what group went where during our planning session.

Ready to activate on Command’s orders, he finished.

Show off, Lacey transmitted.

More time elapsed, and I struggled to keep my breathing even. Scipio help me, if we didn’t start to move soon, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.

Then Lacey was back. All right, we’re hooked up. Ready when you are.

I felt a finely tuned shiver of fear mixed with anticipation shoot through me, and I forced myself to remain calm, trying not to grow impatient now that the time for attack was finally upon us. I knew there were still a few steps between now and when we would push through the grate, and this was not the time to get overexcited about the prospect.

All teams, move to final egress points, Maddox said, and I took a deep, calming breath before easing forward and around the corner, trying to keep my movements spread out and slow so as not to rattle the vent too much.

In position, I reported when my face was still a foot from the grate. I slowed to a stop and leaned forward, peering out between the gaps in the slats. This opening was high off the ground, and from my vantage point, I could see the storeroom, the shelves piled with the silvery foil packets I recognized from the undoc house in the Attic. I have confirmed evidence of a legacy presence, I added.

Roger, Maddox replied. Other teams, check in.