Page 9 of BounBound By Scars

Suddenly, as though the conversation reminded her, Kaylan asked, “Has anyone heard from Pedro or Lancaster?”

“Alpha Squad Two, right?” Zane asked, and Kaylan nodded. “No, is the short answer. Kabir?”

Silence settled over the table as all eyes flicked to me. Zane’s, expectant. Kaylan’s, questioning. Amelia’s—still locked on Sebastian.

I groaned.

A sharp jab to my ribs jolted me—Logan, obviously trying to keep me chained to the realm of sanity. A brief glance at Zarek told me he’d rip my head off if I didn’t speak up within the next two seconds.

I clenched my jaw, cleared my throat, forcing my brain to remember what the hell we were talking about.

“Uh… yeah, so,” I started, my voice rough. “We made brief contact when they were in a small town about a hundred klicks north of Springfield, Missouri. That was… maybe a month ago? They’re not there anymore.”

I felt Logan watching me. Too closely.

I knew what he was thinking—whateveryonewas thinking—my head wasn’t in this conversation.

Logan finally looked away from me, deep in thought. “I’m still wondering where the damn prisoners are. There were a hundred and nine at Ravenrock, including me, and we only found thirty-eight during Operation Tantalus.”

Delara sniffed. “Onlythirty-eight? Darlin’, Seb and I almost died getting them out alive.”

Kaylan jumped in. “He’s just saying that we still don’t know where… seventy-one? No, seventy of them are. Plus Martha.”

Sebastian spoke next, but all I noticed were Amelia’s eyes tracking his movements. “We’ll get there. Right now, our priority is the Doom Switch.”

Unable to take another moment of watching Amelia watch Sebastian, even if it was just in a professional capacity, I pushed up from my chair, my movements sharp, restless.

Mumbling a half-hearted excuse, I left the lounge and made my way to the command center.

Machines will help. They’re friendly. They won’t look at SebastianfuckingBlackthorn when I demand their attention.

It wasn’t until I hit the ‘-4’ floor that I realized Zane had followed me.

I needed to get my head on straight. I couldn’t afford to bethisdistracted over a woman I couldn’t have.

Shouldn’t…have?

I really needed to talk to her.

“How do you plan to do it, though?” Zane’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

“Do what?” I frowned, confused.

Now he was frowning too. “Uh… you said you wanted to hack into the White House network for internal events.”

I did?

My brain might have been completely fried, but apparently, I was still making sense without meaning to. And honestly? That sounded like a damn good idea. A distraction. Somethinguseful. Something that might actually get us answers instead of leaving me simmering in frustration.

“Right.” I cleared my throat, rolling with it. “I’ll probably use Sentrix version 5.4 to override the White House Crazon, mask it as a false breach. Assuming they’re running Crazon for security.”

Zane’s lips twitched. “They have to be. Probably got that shit wired into the Pentagon, too.”

He stopped walking abruptly, turning to me with a gleam in his eyes.

“No.” I said firmly as he opened his mouth to speak. “I know where you’re going with this, and hacking the Pentagon is suicide, Zane.”

He clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed by my lack of recklessness. “Would’ve made things quicker, though.”

---