No wonder he’d left it behind. It was useless.
I shook my head and walked to the door, picking up my own blades and strapping them to my legs as I went. Now, these were good weapons. Anyone who wanted to stay alive in this broken section of the world knew how to use a knife. If you had the money to train, you would know how to use a sword. And if you had even more money to train with the best around the world, you didn’t use any weapons. Your hands and feet would work just fine to subdue an attacker—or more.
I peeked through the peephole of the door.
The four guards Godric had left behind definitely had pretty and deadly swords, just like the others had. The metal blades gleamed under the lighting outside, allowing me to see them easily in their black uniforms. I stepped away from the door.
I couldn’t go that way.
They couldn’t follow me.
The only other way out was a tight squeeze. But I was little. I wiggled my shoulders and went back into the bathroom and straight to the toilet. There was a small break in the wall where the corners met. I ran my fingers along it until I found the hidden latch. The housekeepers would use these hidden doors back before the base upgraded with electronic entry doors. Visitors were always losing their keys back then.
I slipped into the small hidden walkway and shut the hidden door without a squeak. I paid attention to where I was walking in the complete darkness, afraid I would trip. It was my head that jarred back when I rammed into a small area where the ceiling dipped down.
“Dammit.” I rubbed at my forehead.
After three minutes of walking in pitch black, I placed my right hand on the wall and slowed my pace. I was far enough away now that Godric’s guards would be a few hallways over. The tips of my fingers brushed dust until they dipped the smallest bit into the wall.
I stopped and turned, walking my hands up and down the wall until I found another latch. With a little muscle, I pulled the door open and snuck inside silently. I listened in the dark of a different bathroom.
The room was empty, no VIPs in this one.
I grinned and shut the hidden door as I strolled out of the quarters with no guards to follow me. Success.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I yawned behind a fist while making my way through the base. I’d walked the halls of the VIP area without seeing any of the Liberated Army, my father’s foot soldiers. There were many bases all over the world for the LA, but this was the home base for their General—and me, his child.
The main section came up quickly, and I checked my bracelet again. I’d only wasted twenty minutes eluding Godric’s guards in the hidden passageways. I had plenty of time to take a shower before leaving the base.
I lifted my head to watch where I was walking, lest I fall on my face, which had occurred more times than I liked to admit. My steps faltered though when I saw what was straight ahead a few more feet. It was a conference room my father typically used to intimidate, where plenty of LA soldiers walked by in their menacing red uniforms, showcasing the power my father had.
I stopped completely when I saw who was inside.
My father was there, and he had taken notice of me through the glass barrier. He had twenty soldiers lined up along the walls on his side of the table, and a few others were sitting next to him.
But on the other side of the room was Godric, leaning back in a conference room chair with his legs spread wide while he spoke to my father. His guards, dressed all in black, were positioned against the walls at his end of the table. He had no one sitting next to him, conducting the meeting by himself.
I looked right to a hallway I could sneak off to—but my father flicked a hidden hand, indicating he wanted me to come into the room.
My eyes widened.
My father never wanted me in his meetings.
I swallowed down my nervousness.
There was no way he could know my plans.
Or who I had been with tonight.
I hesitated when Godric stretched his neck and paused as he saw me standing outside the room. Maybe my father did know. There were cameras on base.
I wiggled the bill of my ball cap down and shoved my shoulders back. There was only one way to find out why he wanted me in there. So I walked forward with fabricated ease, keeping my attention on the door.
Godric’s brows furrowed as he scanned the area behind me, and he placed his hands on the armrests of his chair. He started to stand. But he ever so slowly sat back down, calm and casual, when he noticed my father already standing up with his attention on me.
My father arrived at the door before me and opened it, allowing me entry. All the guards on my father’s side took one glance at me and looked away, their attention back on Godric’s guards. And Godric’s guards peered in my direction, then away…and quickly back again when they realized it was me—the woman who had fucked their boss less than a half hour ago.
My father indicated for me to follow him.
I peeked at Godric’s face, but all confusion had cleared from his features. He now wore a bored expression—though his golden eyes were watching with patient intelligence. He had to be wondering why the hell I was here and why the great General Carvene seemed to want me here.
My father glanced in Godric’s direction, glaring with cool eyes. “Excuse me a moment. There’s someone I’d like Poppy to meet.”
“What?” I asked, utterly confused.
Godric raised a brow. “Who exactly is this woman to interrupt our meeting?” He flicked a finger at me. “This is highly unorthodox.”
My father snapped, “And so is your attire.”
Godric’s lips curved at the edges, enjoying my father’s anger. “You didn’t answer my question, General Carvene.”