Chapter 16
chapter
sixteen
Ender
Icut into my steak with careful precision, trying hard to smother my anger.
Blood trickles from the incision, pooling onto the turquoise plate.
It is almost ten, and she is still not here.
I only invited Haven so I could watch them interact and see how well they keep up the ruse.
I was hoping that they would slip and call the other by the wrong name or reveal some other detail giving me an opening to apprehend them.
“You said my sister would be here by now,” Mercy says in an accusatory tone. “Where is she?”
The only reason she’s sitting at the dining table and not holed up in her room is that she expects Haven to arrive. We both go to great lengths to avoid each other.
“It is clear to see your sister is incapable of keeping her word,” I say, between gritted teeth.
My radio beeps, and I slip it from my pocket.
I head to my private office and shut the door behind me.
“Knox?” I bark. “Where the hell are you?”
“Ender Vale,” a woman says. “It is nice to finally speak to the Supreme Director’s most brutal enforcer.”
My jaw tightens. Rebels. Of course, I should have known that Knox would never be late without an advanced warning. Despite his cavalier attitude, he is a good soldier who understands the value of my time.
“Where is he?” I ask, seething. “If you touch him, I will kill you.”
“The boy is safe for now,” she says. “As is the High General’s daughter.”
“You have Mercy?” I ask.
The question is foolish. They were both traveling together. In fact, I am certain that she is their target.
“Is that her name?” she asks. “The girls are so hard to tell apart.”
“You are going to die,” I growl. “A slow, painful death.”
“Tell the High General we want Victor in exchange for the girl,” she says. “He has until midnight tomorrow to organize the transfer, or the girl dies.”
The line clicks, and I curse under my breath. I was really looking forward to a quiet night. Or as peaceful as it would be with the sisters under my roof.
I yank the office door open to find Mercy staring at me with wide eyes.
“What happened to my sister?”
“Eavesdropping were you?” I brush past her. “You’re lucky I’m too busy to cut out your throat.”
“Is she safe?” she asks. “I just want to know.”
“So long as your father accepts their request,” I say. “Or we find them before they make good on their threats.”
Fear flitters across her eyes.
“He won’t do it.” She shakes her head. “He won’t let them win, not even if it means losing her. He’s selfish. You can’t depend on him.”
“Well, if her own father doesn’t care about her, why should I?” I ask. “I’ll relay the message and leave it to him to figure out while I track down Knox.”
Mercy grabs my wrist, nails digging into my skin.
“What is wrong with you?” she asks. Her eyes are filled with disgust. “Do you possess a soul?”
“You want me to save her?” I ask.
“Please,” she says desperately.
“Admit that you are not Haven,” I say.
“I…I am,” she stammers. “Why would I lie about that?”
“You tell me.” I sneer. “I’m not the one being deceptive.”
“You’re upset,” she says slowly. She releases me, straightening the imaginary crinkles on her dress. “Your friend was taken. It is making you think thing—”
“I don’t have time for this.”
I slam the front door behind me, boots scraping against the concrete. Knox and I met in the Forge when we’d both been fresh-faced recruits. He had a humble beginning in Division Four and grew up on a big farm with his loving parents and three sisters.
It was a wonder a bright-eyed optimist like him hit it off with a surly beast like me. But somehow it works, which means I have to do everything in my power to bring him home.
The cold night air hits like a whip, but I barely notice. I need to get to the Forge and get Orion and the others. Knox’s truck tracker should still be active—if they’re moving, I’ll know it. I already checked the one in his Bind, but they're using a jammer to mess with the signal.
My radio beeps again, and I put in my comms link while I drive.
“Vale, status? We just received word of a rebel attack?” It’s Ansel, sharp as ever. “Targets are Fraser and Warrick.”
“Brief Orion, he’ll be my second for now, tell him I want a team on standby,” I say. “I’ll send you the coordinates of Knox’s truck.”
“Understood,” Ansel says. “Do you want me—”
“No, I’ll handle it.”
I don’t need him to tag along and use Knox’s kidnapping to pad his resume. All he cares about is impressing the Supreme Director and proving me unfit for the position.
The rebels are getting bolder, and I don’t like it. I make a call to each checkpoint and ask them to keep an eye out for any unregistered vehicles.
I enter the gates to the Forge and hop out of my truck. Ansel stands by the foot of the stairs with Orion, Clover, and Spider. Behind them is an assembled troop of eight soldiers from their insignias; they’re Delta. One of Ansel’s units. He couldn’t resist keeping tabs on me out on the field.
Spider rushes past them and wraps his arms around my shoulder.
“Ender, you’re safe. I was so worried they took you, too. I don’t know what I would do if—”
“Unhand me, Spider,” I say sharply. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
He takes a step back, rubbing his head sheepishly.
“I forgot the ‘no touching’ rule,” he murmurs.
“Orion, you’re taking second,” I call. “Clover, you are his backup.”
“But I want to take second,” Spider says. “I’ll follow your every order. I promise, Ender. You have to trust me.”
Orion shoves him aside.
“Shut it, pup,” he says gruffly. “Maybe once you grow a bit of facial hair, you can sit with the big boys.”
Spider punches him in the gut, and Orion leaps at him, hands outstretched to choke him. I step between them both.
“Knox is in trouble,” I hiss. “Can we not do this for five seconds?”
Orion straightens and steps away from Spider.
“We’ll get him back,” Orion promises. “I studied the footage from the accident. They ditched the car in the forest after the collision. That’s where we should start.”
Ansel steps forward.
“We got a call from the High General earlier,” he says. “Priority one is the girl.”
“Fraser is—”
“With all due respect, sir, we answer to the High General,” Ansel says. His words are clipped and disguised under false formality.
My jaw clenches. How dare he cut me off?
“You answer to me,” I growl. “Priority one is Fraser.”
I turn my back to him and address the group.
“Listen up,” I say, voice cutting through the night air. “We have one objective: extract Fraser and Warrick. We are going in blind and don’t know their numbers or powers. We are on defense, not offense. Stay sharp, trust your instincts, and watch each other’s backs.”
I unravel a map from my truck. I always carry a paper copy in case they tinker with our satellites, and it disrupts our online grid.
“We’ll start with where they went to escape the street cameras,” I say. Orion points to the specific spot where their trail went dark. “Any abandoned houses or buildings will be considered as points of interest. Radio in before you enter.”
“Delta squad. Half of you are with me, the rest are with Orion,” I say. “Clover, you’re with me. Spider, you follow Orion’s lead. Is that understood?”
Spider drags his feet to where Orion stands.
“We move now. Keep your eyes open and your weapons ready. Extraction only. Do not engage unless necessary.”
I don’t care to kill the rebels and risk the rescue mission. Once this blows over, I will hunt them down, one by one, and show them what true pain feels like. They know that the girl is related to me by marriage and that Knox is my second-in-command, which means they dared to touch what is mine.
The engines roar to life.
“We’ll find him, Ender,” Clover says softly.
The night stretches ahead, dark and infinite, but my course is clear: return Knox and Haven home, safe and sound.