Page 35 of Breaking Point
“That’sthe shitty part?”Brice asked in disbelief.“There isn’tanypart of this that isn’t shitty!”
Bronson just stood there.He didn’t agree or disagree.His understanding expression made Brice feel sub-human.
Brice rubbed at his temples.“Maybe…I should take a day or two.”It hurt to even say it, to admit that this was getting the better of him.
“In a couple of days, maybe you can,” Bronson said.“For now, Brice, I need you to brace yourself.”
Brice lowered his hands.“Why?”he asked suspiciously.
Bronson told him.
Chapter Thirteen
LUCIANA HAD NEVER BEEN INSIDEthe Bridge area.She had never taken the tour of the actual bridge, where the captain had once sat when directing the ship and crew.She had never moved beyond the old arena and into the Collinas Gate area where the security gates to enter the Bridge were located.
She’d never had a reason to come to the Bridge until today.
The guards who watched her with suspicious gazes as she showed her wrist to let them scan her ID made her nervous and afraid that at any moment they would leap into some sort of violent action.Or that they would tell her she couldn’t enter.
None of the guards, today, wore side arms.They did have their batons, and she had heard, over the years, how effective the batons were at quelling any resistance.Yet she thought that refusing to let her into the Bridge would be even worse than beating her.
One of the guards came up to her as the scan of her wrist finished.“Come with me,” he said, his tone wooden.
Luciana meekly followed him along a wide, deserted passage, with many doors and other passages along it.He turned through a set of doors that opened silently as he approached them.
Inside were many automated desks, each with screens hovering over them.The people sitting at the desks wore guard uniforms.An enormous screen floated up by the ceiling, overallthe desks.It was displaying a list.Items on the list blinked out as she glanced at the screen.Luciana was too nervous to try to read it.
“Sit,” the guard said, pointing at a metal bench at the front of the room.
Everyone at the desks ignored her as she sank onto the cold bench.The guard that had brought her here turned and left.
How long should she stay here?Did anyone know she was here, apart from these people who were ignoring her?
It felt as though she had sat on the bench for hours, before a woman in a guard uniform came out of an inner door and stopped a dozen paces from the bench.She beckoned with her finger.
Luciana got to her feet and followed the woman back through the door, into a corridor with even more doors.The woman approached a narrow door on the right, which slide silently aside.Over her shoulder, Luciana saw Devar, standing at the back of the room.
She hurried forward, her eyes stinging.She breathed hard.She would not cry.Not in font of Devar.She hugged him.Until the woman cleared her throat.When Luciana looked around, she shook her head, and pointed at the chair on the other side of a narrow table.
Luciana sat.
Devar sat, too.He wasn’t cuffed or restrained in any way, and for that, Luciana was grateful.
The woman left and the door closed behind her.
Luciana examined Devar.He was pale and he’d lost weight.He looked tired, and a lot older than he was.“Oh, Devar…”
He shook his head.“Not here.”He said it gently.
Luciana straightened up.Yes, of course.He was right.They were likely recording both audio and video.She cleared her throat.
“How is Caelen?”he asked.His voice was remarkably steady.
“She’s fine.”Luciana added quickly, “They would only let one of us come today.And Caelen has to work.The rent on the Aventine apartment…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.Caelen couldn’t afford to pay the rent on the apartment if Devar wasn’t paying his share.She was working overtime every day, just to try to cover it.And Luciana would help, too.She could afford it.She told Devar none of that.
“Caelen should probably give up that apartment and go back to the Wall,” Devar said calmly.
Luciana stared at him in horror.“No!You’ll be out of here soon, and you can return to work—”
