Page 39 of Iridian

“Your attention, everyone,” Radock said as he stood on the other side of the map with Helen, the sun at their back. Everyone stopped talking and speculating, though most had their phones in their hands and that map on their screens.

“It seems we have a location already, and it’s only a four-hour drive,” Helen said. “Mister Tivoux and I have agreed that our best bet is to be there today, in case David already is—which we’ll know soon as we’ve sent teams to scout the area.”

“The plan is to arrive at our location by three p.m. at the latest, so that we’ll have plenty of daylight at our disposal should a fight happen with David Hill and whoever he has working for him,” Radock continued, and he was so at ease standing therewith Helen, like they’d both done this a thousand times before. “Which is why we have to prepare to leave in approximately three hours.”

“By then Madeline will have agents and soldiers at the site waiting for us, and I trust they’ll remain there as backup should we need them,” Helen continued. “More will be on standby close to our location.”

“We will act right away,” Radock said. “We will engage in the fight and chances are it will be bloody.”

“Some might not make it,” Helen added so effortlessly—again, like they’d done this a thousand times before together.

“So, if you have any doubt in yourselves, by all means, stay behind.” This Radock said with a wide grin on his face.

“That is all,” Helen concluded with a nod.

“Is it just me or is my brother rather…friendlywith that woman?” Taland whispered in my ear.

I shook my head—it did seem like it. “I wouldn’t trust Helen Paine even if she looked like she was in love,” I whispered back.

“And I wouldn’t trust Radock, either,” he said.

“Let’s just get inside and rest.” I pulled him toward the back door as everyone else moved for the mansion, too. Madeline was there, watching them like a hawk, chin raised and shoulders back. I imagined it was a dream come true that the Council had basically put her in charge of the IDD once again. I didn’t even glance at her until we were inside, and Taland whispered in my ear again.

“Rest?I’m afraid you have the wrong idea about what the next three hours will look like for the two of us, baby.”

A miracle my cheeks didn’t melt off my face completely. “There’s rest there somewhere. There has to be,” I said, and he chuckled.

“Not today, there isn’t. You’re going to come again and again and again, on my cock and my fingers and my tongue. I’ve got tomake the best out of these three hours because who knows how long that fight is gonna last?”

“We need torest,” I insisted.

“We will on our way there. Unless you want to make a couple stops…” He wiggled his eyebrows with that devilish grin, and laughter escaped me before I thought to bring my hands in front of my mouth.

He was absolutelyinsanebecause he meant it. That’s why I laughed—we were inthissituation and he actually meant what he said, and if I asked him, he’d really stopwhile on the way to Hillto have sex with me as many times as I wanted, everything else be damned.

Then…

“Hi.”

Poppy.

Black dots in my vision for a moment, probably from the shock of hearing her voice, but Poppy was right there at the top of the stairs on the second floor, hands folded behind her back, hair neatly tied behind her head, eyes big and sparkling and her smile painfully fake as she tried to hide what she was feeling but failed.

I envied her for it, to be honest.

On instinct, I made to let go of Taland and step away from his reach, except he didn’t let me. He held me right there by his side with his arm draped around my shoulders still.

“Hey, Poppy, hi,” I said, almost choking on my own spit, and I couldn’t even tell you why I was so mortified all of a sudden.

“Hello, Poppy. Good to see you again,” Taland said, and I heard the grin in his voice just fine.

“You, too.”

I couldn’t see her hands, but I could just tell she was trying to rip her fingers off from nervousness. I realized we’dneverdonethis before, never saw each other with guys, and that’s why it was equally weird for both of us.

“Ro, I was wondering if you wanted to grab some coffee in the kitchen?” Then she looked at Taland. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“He doesn’t,” I said before Taland could say anything. “I’ll be right there. Go ahead, Poppy.”

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