DIVISION 52 - BOOK II

CHAPTER XXXIX

M A K A Y L A 

The light of morning cut through the curtains and hit my eyes. I groaned and rolled over in the plush sheets looking for the sculpted body of my crime lord. But my hand hit nothing but more sheets. I turned my head and groaned louder.

I need to spell out to Alex exactly what a lie in was. I didn't care if it was a Sector 52 thing to be up before the birds even had time to find themselves. She should be mine for longer.

I stretched my hands high and smirked at the great feeling of aches that came with... Certain activities.

I dragged a hand through my messed blonde waves and slapped water over my face in her cool stone floored bathroom. My ice blue eyes stared back but I couldn't focus on them–a very red mark was developing on my neck.

"God damnit Alex." I growled.

I brushed my teeth and freshened up with a bit too much aggression. It took a few minutes to outfit myself in something appropriate. By the time I left our room I had enough weapons strapped to my hips and legs to rival a personal guard and an expression to match.

I found Proximo before her.

"Don't you look well prepared today..." He drawled.

I didn't fail to notice Art propped against a nearby holo screen who winked at me under a blue glow. I ignored his quip and fired my own.

"I'm so glad to see you two getting along–"

"There's that irritating royal blonde again." He interrupted before I could focus the conversation on the larger man with dark eyes watching the screen intently.

"Where's Scorpion." I deadpanned.

"Gym."

"What floor is that?"

He couldn't even resist the smirk that took his tattooed face.

"Unsurprising you have no idea."

I waited with my arms crossed and my hand inching closer to my throwing knife. Art sensed it and drew up from his screen. "You'll find that down on 37, Miss Xavier."

"Thank you, Artella." I said, emphasising gratitude. "At least one of you knows how to communicate effectively."

Proximo flexed his jaw and dismissed me with a hand wave returning to his work. Art rolled his eyes and suddenly they dropped to my neck. I covered it with a hand and turned rapidly.

"Do tell Scorpion not to mark Division personnel quite so obviously–"

Proximo didn't get to finish his words because he had to dodge a throwing knife that left my hand. I could have sworn I heard Art laugh but it could easily have been a cough.

The trip to the lift was quick.

Maybe it did say something about me that I didn't even know this base held a gym... For all the muscular men and women walking around I had to question if it was the training room alone. It was designed very simply. Concrete walls lit by floor and ceiling lights. They changed colour in certain areas of equipment–or maybe it was preference.

I had to walk for quite some time to find the queen among it all.

That was because she didn't want to be found. I had entirely missed the hooded head of her but not the tattoo running down her right arm. The sleeveless top was dark and loose but could not deny the curves and lines of her arm muscles as she drew down the weight bar.