Page 75 of Lethal Game

“Nope,” Eugene replied. “You’re taking all this withyou.”

There was enough gear to supply an entire Forward Operating Base. “We’ll be lucky to get it all in the helicopter.”

“You’ll be in a Super Stallion so you’ll be okay. We’re sending some additional food for the refugees,” Eugene explained. “You can also request food drops if things are dire in the camp. No one wants a riot.” Eugene glanced at Max’s back.

“Makes sense.” Con looked around. “Where’s our Sophia?”

“She’s in Max’s office getting a unit of blood platelets.”

“Thanks.” Con glanced at the men with him. “Let’s get this shit to the helipad.”

“You got it,” River said.

Con knocked on Max’s office door then went inside.

Sophia was lying on a cot, a bag of straw-colored fluid dripping into her arm. Her newly dyed brown hair looked out of place.

“Hey, is this stuff going to stop the bruises?”

She glanced at him only briefly, like he was a minor irritation. “Yeah.”

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yep.”

Shit, she sounded pissed.

“Are you going to give me more than a one-word answer today?”

“Don’t know yet.”

“You’re angry—at me.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“I already told your boss, I’m no Sherlock Holmes. You’re going to have to explain what I did wrong, so I don’t do it again.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Use small words.”

“You told Max about my bruises.” Her flared nostrils and pronounced frown told him she wasn’t angry. She was furious.

“In my place, you’d have done the same thing.”

Her glare nearly stripped a layer of skin off his face. “I was going to tell him.” The look of betrayal on her face gutted him, but he forced himself to appear unaffected, and shrugged.

“You took too long and we don’t have time to spare.”

She pressed her lips together. “Asshole.”

“We’ve already established that.”

“I’m a big girl, you know. I can take care of myself.”

“Doesn’t matter. I won’t compromise when it comes to your safety.”

She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, like she was counting to ten in her head, then asked in a calmer tone, “The fire?”

“Six dead so far.”

She gritted her teeth. “If I get my hands on Akbar, I’m going to rip him a new one.”

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