Rage and Ruin | 2

6 | 6

R I L E Y

      My lungs felt overwhelmingly tight, like the air had been sucked right out of my chest. I'd always been afraid of Imperium's extensive power but this was far worse than I had feared. Imperium had another fortress. And if this one somehow existed against all odds, that meant that there could be more.

     I found myself unable to tear my eyes from the second fortress. This was bad. This was very bad.

     The shock on my teammates' faces was obvious. Out of all the outcomes of this mission, I doubted anyone had expected this one. I'd thought they might turn on me again, that another fight might break out because of my presence. I'd been prepared for that to happen again. But not this. I wasn't sure how we'd ever be prepared for this.

      Kane uttered a soft string of Spanish curses as Arlo let loose with some of his own in English. Arlo had the mouth of a sailor, but I knew that Kane only cursed when something was bad enough to admit it. That somehow made things seem even more dire.

      "I think it's safe to say that nothing can shock me anymore," I said, my words flatter than I'd intended.

      "I wouldn't be too sure about that," Arlo said in front of me. He was still furious with me—like everyone else—for what Benny had told them I'd done. Jake and Delphinium had said nothing of it yet, knowing that another fight would surely break out when they did. I'd gone into this mission worrying about that, but now...?

      "We need to get in there. I need to get in there. It's not as large or advanced as the one in Romania. Those workers would be easy to sneak in with. I can do it." Delphinium was practically shaking—with anger or fear or something else entirely, I wasn't sure. She seemed unsure of what to do with her hands, so they were clenched as she paced back and forth.

     "Your hair is so white it's nearly blinding me," Jake said cooly. "They'll notice you in seconds and the plan will be ruined." He had a point; even if they didn't know exactly who she was, she had a fierce energy around her now, an aura that demanded people give her respect, and if they didn't, their blood. That, paired with her stunning features, would give her away.

      No, if anyone was to get inside the fortress, it would have to be someone able to blend in, someone they wouldn't recognize. Someone like...

"Me," I blurted out. "I'll go inside and investigate."

For the first time in a long time, I felt small under all their stares. They hated me for what I did, even if Benny had been the puppet master of it all. But I needed to make things right. Even if this went badly, even if I got caught...I'd be glad to do this for them and for the sake of bringing Imperium to its knees.

I gestured to the men in the distance. "They're going to be leaving soon. Delphinium, you were right. I can sneak in with the soldiers and get as much information as possible."

      "Yeah, we all know how well you can gather information," Arlo muttered. I let it slide, having nothing to try to protect myself with anymore.

      "We need a way to communicate," the assassin said slowly. "Some way for you to tell us your findings in case..." She trailed off, but I knew what she'd been about to say: in case I didn't come back.

      "Luckily for all of you, I'm a genius," I told them as I pulled out one of Jaxon's inventions from my pocket. He'd happened to have left lying on the kitchen counter and I thought they might be useful. "I think these will allow us to talk to each other."

      Delphinium put one side in her ear and I took the other. "I'll do my best to guide you from what I know about the other fortress. But I just hope..."