Page 90 of Ashes of Honor

There was always the option to sleep when I was dead,I guess. We’d taken approximately two steps into The Compound before Amaia had sent Reina to summon Riley to our quarters and Tomoe to Tomás. It wasn’t as though we had time to fuck around. I just wished I could at least wash my ass and use an actual bathroom before getting down to business.

Suckerpunch barreled through the door to our quarters first, sprinting toward the half-full food dish he’d left behind and inhaling it. Pulling Amaia into the room, I sank onto the couch and brought her down to my lap, torturing her with the mosttender of kisses. That was something I’d learned to enjoy these last few months. The tenderness of her touch. Knowing that not every kiss, every hug, every touch was given freely and out of love. Without condition.

The knock at the door shattered any illusion of peace.Predictable.I should have known Riley wouldn’t waste a second after learning we’d returned. Tossing my head back with a groan, I plucked her off my lap and stepped to the side.

“Where are you going?” she asked, disappointment creasing the lines near her eyes. Not at my departure, but at the stolen moment now passed.

“Besides the obvious reunion I’d be forced to endure,” I said, giving her a knowing smile. “The two of you are capable of handling a debrief on your own. Give me the spark notes when you’re done, I’m off to scrub a week’s worth of hell off me, and then, a nap. Don’t wake me if the house is burning down.”

She chuckled, opening the door with a squeal. Harley barked with excitement, the commotion causing Suckerpunch to stir from the corner, pushing past me for the front of the room. I slipped out before Riley could start talking.

I wokeup from my nap in time to catch tonight’s entertainment. Riley lounged across the couch, boots kicked up on the armrest. There’d been a lot of good news between the three of us as of late and dare I say, I was excited for the … addition to the family. Amaia sat on the floor in front of him, head propped against the cushion. She seemed completely spent.

Though the hours passed in my nap, time told a different story. Despite spending half a day hiking back through an annoying amount of fucking herds, it wasn’t even dinner time yet. She smiled faintly and reached out a hand. I took it, helping her up and giving Riley a clasp on the shoulder as I passed behind him on the couch.

The front door opened, and the room froze.

Elie stepped through, “Oh great. You’re back. Do we still have to do that stupid family book club thing tonight?” Her moody hazel eyes scanned the room, landing right on Riley, locking in on him like a target. A repeat fight I’d pay great money to miss.

Amaia moved in front of him, her arms crossing over her chest, my attention stuck on the swelling of her breasts pushed up with the movement. She glared at me and cleared her throat, turning back toward Elie. “Sorry to disappoint, Els, I’m meeting with Tomás in a bit to go over some blueprints. We need every second we can get before we leave in two weeks. You can sit in on it if you want.”

“Pass.” Elie’s frown deepened, but she smoothed it quickly, always trying to play the little soldier. I recognized it because I’d done the same. Extremely different circumstances, same crushing weight. Amaia saw it too.

“It’s pretty early still,” Amaia added. “Let’s do dessert in a few hours and then reschedule for after? What’d ya think?”

“Sure. Whatever,” Elie muttered, her gaze flickering to Riley one last time. “I’ll be in my room.”

She stormed off, dogs trailing her, slamming the door with a reverberating thud that could be heard throughout The Compound. The room went silent. And awkward as hell.

“I should go—” Riley started. The neutral expression he wore day in and day out crumpled to the textbook display of regret. Something else lingered; if I was an idiot, I’d call it hopelessness,but that didn’t quite portray the crinkling lines of heartbreak etching along his face.

“No, Ril,” Amaia cut him off, reaching for his wrist. “Stay. You’re right. We should figure this out sooner rather than later.”

A heavy knock rattled the front door. All of us turned, caught off guard for a moment. I stared between them, watching them have their own silent argument.I got it, don’t worry.

“It’s Tomás,” I said flatly, crossing the rest of the way across the room to get it myself.

Amaia shot me that irritated headshake she’d perfected since the day we’d met. “It’s probably Miller, she was supposed to drop off updated patrol routes thirty minutes ago.” She pushed past me, still in her usual cargos, now stained with dirt and guts, and her tucked-in tank top. The only indication she’d even attempted to relax were the curls now framing her face. Amaia opened the door and sighed, frozen in the doorway.

“Told you,” I muttered. The knock that came hit four times, not Miller’s usual three.

“It hurts, ya know?” Tomás said, stepping inside with the same sly grin of his brother.Fuck,even the inflection of their voice when they were making some shitty joke was identical. “Being greeted by beautiful women with such disappointment.”

I clasped his hand in a quick, familiar greeting. Thumping and muffled shuffling from Elie’s room pulled our attention. The dogs were still with her, quiet, so whatever she was doing in there, she was safe. Tomás’s eyes flicked toward the door and Riley shifted, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he audibly swallowed. Without a single word, he charged through the front door.

“Riley …” Amaia’s voice wavered, her hand reaching for the empty space in front of her but didn’t follow. Her posture stiffened, the general snapping back into place, but the crack in her resolve was hard to miss—if you knew where to search for it. And I did.

Tomás glanced at the ceiling like he was trying to disappear into it, his hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders raised. “Should I come back or …?”

“You deal with this,” I said, gesturing to Amaia. “I’ve got Elie.”

Her head snapped toward me at the lack of negotiation left in my statement. Something flickered in her eyes. Gratitude. Guilt. She nodded, deciding to trust me on this.

I turned toward Elie’s room and paused, shaking my head with a wry smile. “This is going to take a while. Have a good night, man.”

“Yeah, you too.” Tomás replied, his usual jest nowhere to be found.

Amaiaclosed the front door behind Tomás. They dipped into hushed tones as their conversation began. I turned away, granting Elie no more than two quick knocks before making my way in.Fuck, wait, privacy. I’d never gotten any of that, but hey, here’s to gentle parenting or whatever.

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