31. Oliver
CHAPTER 31
OLIVER
H er dark green eyes full of fear, the almost imperceptible flinch when she saw my anger; it nearly brought me to my knees. I storm out of Beckett’s office. Wrapping my hands around her throat felt wrong. Bastard. If he wasn’t dead…
Fists clenched, I stop and force my anger to recede before it sweeps over the whole compound. It’s been a long time since my control was tested. After a couple of minutes of concentration, a steady calm falls over me, and I continue to my office.
Lionel didn’t mention she eliminated anyone, which is odd. The few missions we went on together showed him to be meticulous and well organized. Although Brad did say they were in a rush to leave. I make a mental note to ask him for more details.
Quaid’s pacing my office when I arrive. “How did it go?” His amber eyes are almost burning with the fierceness of his emotions.
I tilt my head to study him. The only time he’s ever calm is on a mission, but he’s more on edge than usual. Amber eyes bright. Muscles tight and poised for action. Is it Greer or the conversation he knows is coming?
Crossing to the bar next to my desk, I pour myself a finger of bourbon and down it in one gulp. Then, pour another and take it to my desk. “It went well.”
His hands clench the top of the chair in front of my desk as he tries to rein in his impatience. He snorts, eyes falling to the glass in my hand. “Clearly. What happened? Is she okay?”
“She didn’t want me to use my abilities,” I inform him, knowing he’s going to want every detail. He always does. Even at West Point, he gathered details like a squirrel hiding nuts for the winter. I spread my hands on top of my desk and stare at them. Today wasn’t the first time I’d choked someone, but it’s the first time without lethal intent. Never a beautiful young woman who needed my help.
He drops into the chair. “Damn.” His hand rubs his head. “How did she do?”
“Beckett’s plan worked,” I tell him, swallowing the bourbon in my hand to get rid of the sour taste lingering on my tongue. “She maintained control and her awareness.”
“You felt it, didn’t you?” he asks, eyes narrowed on me.
Shifting my jaw from one side to the other, I return his stare. “I did. She’s powerful. Or she will be when she learns to wield her abilities. Maybe it’s because they’ve been repressed all these years. I don’t know.”
“You know what I mean,” he states flatly.
With a deep sigh, I contemplate the empty glass but set it to the side. My calendar is jammed packed with meetings and decisions today. “The second she used her power; it tugged at mine, searching for a response.”
Quaid leans back in satisfaction. “There’s a connection. What it means, I don’t know. We’ve felt it with others, but it’s always been muted. With her, it’s different. She sparks against me like a match.”
Hearing noise outside my office, I put the empty glass into my desk drawer and stand. “We’ll table this for later.”
Jax, Beckett, and several other officers enter, and I slip into the leadership role I fought so hard to achieve. My brotherhood. I’ve spent years with these men. Serving our country, covering each other’s six, carrying out the worst missions they could give us, and celebrating our rise in the ranks. It took sacrifice and dedication to achieve Major. Saluting my men one final time is bittersweet, but I do it because they deserve my respect.
“Thank you for coming,” I begin, leaning forward, fists on my desk. “I received some disturbing news yesterday morning. Hightower and his Ravens have been busy, capturing prisoners… to the tune of almost a thousand captives.”
Anger surges across the room, and they don’t know the half of it. “According to my father’s spies, he’s killing the weak and unstable, experimenting on the most powerful, and using others as leverage to gain favors from their wealthy and politically powerful families. He’s out of control. My father is working to stop him, but we all know politics takes time, and men are lost in the gaps.” Each one nods. We’ve all been there.
I take a deep breath. “All my life I’ve had powers. They didn’t define me. From an early age, my calling was to be a soldier and serve my country. Sure, I expected there to be conflict between the two. We all did.” I look at Quaid, whose fiery nature battles with his cool intellect.
“In the Army, we follow the chain of command. At times, it chafes, but never has it felt wrong. For the last year, I’ve repeatedly asked for permission to strike at Raven’s operations. Every day, I was told to stand down and wait for orders,” I inform them, shaking my head.
Fists clench, but nobody says a word. Code and honor are bred into us from the beginning.
“But I can no longer stand by and enjoy the safety of my position while innocent people are sacrificed to appease a mad man’s need for vengeance,” I tell them. “I’m resigning from my position in the Army to stop Hightower’s path of annihilation.”
Quaid, of course, knew it was coming. We’ve had many discussions over the last year. It wasn’t an easy decision to make for either of us. We knew at West Point we were career Army. It drew us together.
But after a year of trying to convince my father, my CO, and the rest of command that we need to act, I realized they’re scared the world will find out about us but exposure is not an acceptable reason. Every day, the cost of our silence rises.
Varying expressions of shock or satisfaction, depending on the path they’ve taken to get here, appear on their faces. Several of them have been itching to fight for a while but have stood down because of me.
Jax steps forward. “The only thing I like about the Army is access to the latest weapons. Do you have a stockpile somewhere?” Hands on his hips, he waits for me to confirm what he already suspects.
“I do,” I admit with a half-smile. “Can’t wage war without them. I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I’ve been preparing for the possibility for a while.”
He nods in satisfaction and shrugs. “They were never going to promote me beyond Sergeant. Too unpredictable for their taste. I’m in.”
Beckett’s grey eyes have a sheen to them I didn’t expect. “For years, I’ve lived under their thumb, forced to use my powers to influence my friends and fellow soldiers. This compound is the first time I’ve been able to use my abilities to help those like us. Thanks to you. I’m in.”
Steven, a young officer, steps up. “My wife is pregnant. I can’t leave the Army or the safety of this compound. She comes first. I’m out.” He hesitates. “But I’ll help behind the scenes. Now, if you’ll excuse me. Plausible deniability and all that.” His arm snaps up in a salute. “It’s been an honor serving you, Major Harrison.” He strides out of the office.
Two others follow, leaving seven of us.
Jax looks around. “I assume you have a plan to grow this little group of ours?”
“Of course,” I assure him. “I’ve been speaking to our field team leads. I’ll send word tonight. Anyone who wants to join us needs to be here as soon as possible.”
First Lieutenant James Brock, who has the incredible ability to conjure realistic illusions, raises a finger. “Why so quick?”
“It’s taken some time, but we finally located one of Raven’s facilities,” I reveal in a quiet voice. “Our first objective is to slow or stop his current efforts. Give him a real target to focus on. If we strike a blow, a hard one, he’ll turn his attention to us.”
Sam whistles. “Guess we’re jumping in with a bang. Surveillance?”
Quaid stands up. “We’ve got numbers, guard routines, and the usual. Right now, we need to finalize our team and get an understanding of the pool of powers at our disposal. Once we have that information, we can create an attack plan, which is where you come in. There are civilians here who want to fight. Powerful users. At least a dozen. I’ve met them all. David. Talia. Edward. Gabe. To name a few. All we need to do is ask. If they say yes, you and I’ll assess whether they’re ready to join this mission or in need of further training.”
Adam, a young sergeant who joined us a year ago, steps forward. He’s been in charge of the stealth missions to save those on the streets. The program has been highly successful. He’s also the one who puts potentials to sleep so they can’t reveal our location.
“I’ve got a team that’s ready. They’ve been talking about leaving and creating their own group. There’s eight to ten of them. Powerful and trained.”
Quaid nods. “Trained is key. If they’re ready, let’s get them up to speed quickly.” Adam nods and sits down to jot a few notes. “Make sure you give Adam a list of their names and abilities.”
Speaking of lists… I pick up the one on my desk. “Beckett, I need you to find us a new place.” Because of the trials the Army put him through, his powers make it hard for him to engage in combat. “I’ve got a list, but I don’t have time to vet them and get everything else done. Would you mind?”
A relieved smile appears. “Thanks,” he replies, taking the sheet from my hand. “I assume we’ll need it by Friday.”
“Affirmative,” I answer with a grimace, aware of the short timeline. “It can be basic. We’ll figure out the rest.”
Once everyone has their orders, they head out, leaving me to make the calls to the rest of our team. Most of my officers are aware of the other cells, but they don’t have any details. That information has been closely guarded by my father and myself. Too often knowledge gets leaked because too many people are in the know.
But first, I have to make two calls. Technically, I should call my CO first, but the storm of my resignation will hit my father hard. I dial his cell.
“Oliver,” he says in his deep, gravelly voice. “I don’t have an answer for you. The joint committee is still debating.”
I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I’m resigning. My next call is to my CO, but I thought you should know first.”
I’ve been dreading this conversation all day. Disappointing my father isn’t something I do. Exceeding his expectations is my usual M.O. Not once have I ever taken a stand against him, but I’ve spent a year handling this his way, lying low and saving the few I can. Essentially, keeping Phoenix a secret from the rest of the world.
“Don’t be stupid,” he says after a second. “We’ll figure out a way to curtail Hightower, even if this committee doesn’t give me the vote I want.”
“They can’t afford to vote in your favor,” I reply with a sigh. “You and I both know it. If we don’t stand, they’ll crush us. We need to go on the offensive.”
Everyone in congress knows I am one of them . The military documented every experiment they conducted and shared it with the powers that be. Those trials nearly shredded me and my team to the bone, but they got the answers and the lethal soldiers they needed.
“Give me forty-eight hours,” he orders in a tone that leaves no room for disobedience. He’s used to getting his way, but not this time.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I evasively reply. By then, he’ll have heard from my CO, and it will be a done deal. “Good night… Sir.” I tap the red button and hang up. So many times, I’ve wanted to call him Dad. The closest I ever came was Father, but even then, it didn’t sit right. Sir has always been easier for us both.