“I can leave if you want to get back to it,” Angus held a scathing look of bemused judgment in his eyes, as he placed a boiled cup of earl grey tea to his lips, which he had taken to making at liberty upon entering the room, scouring through the amenities with little reprieve, and even less shame. He seemingly singed his lips at the touch, and backed off quickly. It was one of the few things that brought me joy since he interrupted us.

  “Shut it,” I said, sitting on the bed and wallowing in the disappointment of him barging in earlier and seeing me in the state I was in. Rage still twitched upon my lips, dancing up on occasion whenever I thought of the moments that were stolen from me...well, from us.

  “Oh, fiery,” Angus said, “I’m starting to like her more and more,” he looked to Jack. “Maybe I’ll try and steal one from you this time.”

  “I have my own agency, ya know?” I fired back, cutting off Jack as he looked about ready to strangle Angus verbally and physically. I was certainly thinking about the latter, if he could.

  “Let’s just get to it,” Jack cleared his throat and boomed throughout the room, as he leaned against a desk in the hotel room.

  “Right, right,” Angus said. “Didn’t go how we hoped, now did it?”

  I shared an exhausted expression with Jack, who crossed his arms and rolled his neck, cracking it all around as he took everything in.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “We’re all blacklisted now,” Jack said. “Fugitives, at least in the division.”

  “Still,” Angus said, “they’ll want to keep it concealed. Too many eyes on them.”

  “How does Beckman hope to achieve this takeover?” I jumped in, trying to ease myself down from the overt sense of anger that had washed over my words throughout the evening so far, ever since Angus arrived, that is.

  “He’s already set up Nanamin, your Father, and us to take the fall,” Jack said. “He’s probably already made plenty inroads with other higher ups in EXODUS as well.”

  “What do we do to clear our names then?” I strained my voice, as it was tightly wound anyway, and swallowed deep as silence was deflected back at me from around the room.

  The disquiet felt odd and disconcerting as it fell upon us.

  “Maybe we don’t,” Jack and Angus said at the same time, before shooting suspect glances at each other.

  I cocked my head in confusion. “How will that help us?”

  “While Beckman is on high alert, we can keep our distance from him,” Angus said, carelessly shuffling through some pamphlets on the cherry wood desk next to him. “We can gather assets and intel from other areas, in the meantime. Take him down, and the rest of EXODUS with him.”

  Jack nodded. He looked at me as if expecting my next question altogether. “There are numerous ways we can go about this...but I’ve been thinking lately about one in particular...”

  “What’s that?” I was able to get in the question, that he was already about to answer.

  “We need to contact one of your old friends,” Jack leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers to rest his chiseled jaw on.

  My head piqued in confusion. “I don’t have any friends here.”

  “Wrong,” Jack said, “you almost did...but she unceremoniously disappeared.”

  “Well,” I bobbled my head in thought. “I guess she kind of did...and her supermodel friend too.” My eyes widened, thinking about the benefit, the newspaper, and the connection that left them in a peculiar state of disappearance.

  “That’s right,” Jack nodded, “I think it’s time we find them.”