Chapter 26 #3
The words ring true because they are. As much as he goofs around and indulges Spider’s silly tactics, Knox is my second-in-command for a reason.
He is keen-eyed and rational. He even saved Orion’s life once, and now the big guy is indebted to him.
Knox keeps our team safe and provides them with the emotional support I am incapable of giving.
“I was just teasing,” Mercy says gently.
“Oh,” Knox says. “I knew that.”
“Are you blushing?” Mercy asks, staring interestedly at his cheeks. “I’ve never seen a man blush before.”
There is a child-like curiosity to her words, and I feel a strange tug of guilt that we are using her to uncover her family secrets.
I see why Haven is so protective of her, why she shielded her from the brutality of the Forge.
I can’t believe Warrick wanted this girl to fight her way through the rough conscripts.
She wouldn’t survive a week at the Forge. Haven did her a favor.
“I am not blushing!” Knox says. “It is hot, and my skin is sensitive.”
“But the windows are open.”
“My body temperature does not react according to the environment.”
“What does it react to?”
“You are a curious cat, aren’t you?” Knox says sharply. “Do you intend to drown me in a sea of questions? Is this an interrogation?”
“Well, I warned you I’m not a good conversationalist.” She tosses her handkerchief on the table. Her mouth turned down in disappointment. “I will depart with my questions, so you are not burdened by my presence.”
“Wai—”
Knox reaches for her, but she slips through the doors, vanishing down the corridor.
Knox’s chair screeches as he stands up.
“Don’t bother,” I say. “Give her a moment.”
“I upset her,” he says, frowning. “I didn’t know she would…she is nothing like her sister.”
“If they didn’t look alike, I’d doubt they were related.”
“I have to go apologize,” Knox says. “It’s best not to let her dwell on my bad manners too long.”
“Fine,” I say.
I have a call to make to Warrick anyway.
I close my study door. I’ve been at the Forge for so long, it’s been a while since I worked from here.
I set up my monitor and dial his number.
The video feature is on, and it takes several long seconds for him to answer.
When the light blinks, I see Warrick’s sharp-boned face.
He is dressed in a midnight blue suit and is staring at me with a straight-faced expression.
“I was wondering how long it would take for her to drive you insane,” Warrick says. “I didn’t anticipate that you’d survive two months.”
“Haven is…she is not the reason I called,” I say.
I can’t believe I was about to defend her in front of this terrible man. The last thing I want to do is have Orson Warrick think that his daughter has brought me to heel.
“Then what could we possibly discuss?” Warrick asks.
“I’m working on a rebel case,” I say. “I believe the leader was associated with Astrid Mallory. I tried to locate her file, but I couldn’t seem to access it.”
Warrick straightens, his eyes narrowing.
“Those records were sealed by your father,” Warrick says tightly. “You should speak with him, not me.”
“But you must know something,” I press. “You did execute her after all.”
“My orders came from your father. After she was fired from the research lab, I didn’t want to be associated with her in case it tainted my reputation,” he says.
“She was shunned for losing such a prestigious position and moved to a different division to escape society. It was years later when I received a call from the Supreme Director who asked me to publicly execute her. I didn’t ask questions. ”
“It wasn’t you who discovered her ties to the Resistance?” I ask.
“That intel came from your father.”
I frown.
The Supreme Director didn’t involve himself in specific cases. Sometimes, he’d attend a high-profile execution to show the people that the regime was unafraid, but he did not trouble himself with the day-to-day operations.
“Listen, kid,” Warrick says. “You want my advice?”
I grit my teeth. “You forget I outrank you, old man.”
“My daughter must despise you.” Warrick smiles thinly. “We are more alike than you think.”
“I am nothing like you,” I spit. “And Haven adores me.”
The lie slips out of my tongue effortlessly. He doesn’t need to know just how right he is.
Haven hates me.
“If my daughter likes you, it is a ruse. She is similar to her mother in that way. Deceptive and untrustworthy,” he says bitterly. “Mercy, on the other hand, possesses my good senses. She would have suited you far better, but I could not resist punishing Haven for all her years of disobedience.”
“Perhaps, Haven simply detests you and not everyone else,” I say. “You killed her mother in front of her when she was just a child.”
“Are you sympathizing with a rebel?” Warrick hisses. “Is that befitting the Commandant of the Forge, and the future Supreme Director?”
“You could have protected them. You could have kept them away from the execution,” I say, fists curling on my thigh. “But you couldn’t resist hurting them.”
Warrick laughs, a dark, humorless sound.
“You idiot,” he says. “She has you wrapped around her finger, and you can’t even see it.”
“Good night, Warrick,” I say with a forced smile. “It’s been a pleasure as always.”
I hang up the call before he can respond.
I can see why Haven hates him so much. That man is as unbearable as they come.
I step out of the room to debrief with Knox.
He’s not in the dining hall, nor is he outside Mercy’s bedroom.
I stalk out to the garden and find Mercy sitting on a swing.
Knox is standing above her, hands clasped around the chain, leaning down ever so slightly.
Mercy’s cheeks are flushed, and she looks like she’d rather be anywhere else than trapped by Knox.
I never put up a damn swing. Come to think of it, the backyard looks nothing like I remember. There are bright flowers scattered around and some leafy vegetables.
“Who destroyed my garden?” I ask.
Knox straightens, and Mercy glances sheepishly at me.
“Do you like it?”
“I’d toss you out on the streets for this if I didn’t think your sister would kill me,” I respond.
“He’s joking,” Knox says. “You’ve done a great job.”
I wrinkle my nose. I can’t tell if Knox is being so flirty because he intends to gain her trust or because he’s enjoying himself.
It seems to be a bit of both.
“Can I speak with you, Knox?” I ask. “In my study.”
“It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Warrick,” Knox says.
“Please, call me by my first name.”
“As you wish.”
I spin on my heels, Knox close behind me.
“So?” I ask when my door clicks shut.
“I didn’t learn much,” Knox says. “She isn’t really forthcoming. She prefers to ask questions rather than answer them.”
“Did you ask about her mother?” I ask.
Knox nods. “She said her mother was kind and sweet. That it destroyed her to learn she was working with the rebels. It seemed like she held a bit of resentment towards her.”
“Interesting,” I murmur.
“She did make a strange comment,” Knox says.
“What?”
“Mercy mentioned that she didn’t know how her mother could leave her sister behind,” Knox says. “And when I asked why, she said her mother was always protective of her.”
“Of Haven?” I raise a brow. “Mercy is the one who needs protection, not Haven.”
“That’s what I thought,” Knox says.
It is clear to see that Haven didn’t share the same opinion about their mother as Mercy did, which meant that Haven didn’t blame her for joining the rebels.
“Do you think Haven intends to follow in her mother’s footsteps?” I ask.
“Maybe?” Knox says. “I can see the events of her mother’s death tainting her perception of the regime. I can understand why she would desire revenge.”
“Why would she risk it?” I ask. “She knows the punishment of disloyalty. She has witnessed it first-hand.”
“I’m not sure she cares,” Knox says.
If Haven supports the Resistance, it will reflect poorly on me. I accepted her into my unit, which means I trained her to take us down.
“Ender, if she is guilty of what we think she is, you will have to kill her,” Knox says softly. “You understand that, right?”
“I know how the system works,” I say tightly. “Leave.”
Knox stares at me with a pitying look before the door clicks shut behind him.
The second I’m alone, I sweep my arms across the table, watching everything crumble to the ground. The screen of my monitor shatters, and glass shards lie on the floor.
If she is guilty of what we think she is, you will have to kill her.
Haven will be loyal. Even if I have to force her.