Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Gage didn’t smile.
Instead, he leaned in until his lips were against Scar’s ear.
“You scared me,” he whispered in a tone that sounded as if the words hurt to say.
Scar hummed low and rubbed his cheek against Gage’s, a rough, grounding touch he knew he liked. “You didn’t look scared.”
Gage stayed close.
“Why’d you leave?” he asked, quieter now. “We were supposed to be together tonight.”
Scar swallowed. “I’d planned to be back in time. Trust me. I had no intentions of missing that.”
Silence took them the rest of the way home.
When they reached headquarters, medical was already staged and waiting.
He protested the moment the doors opened, but with Gage’s express permission, gloved hands were on him anyway.
The doctor was still in the middle of taking his vitals when Jo and Meridian came in.
One look at their faces and he knew he was in deep shit.
White Ravens
Gage
After Gage’s team had gotten him out of his gear, he’d showered off the stench of battle, thrown on a jogging suit, and rushed back to the infirmary.
He sat on the edge of Scar’s bed, waiting for the results from his scans.
Scar was propped against the pillows with his shoulder freshly set and wrapped.
He had minor bruises and swelling on his face, the kind that would fade in a few hours because of their enhancements but still made something raw and protective coil in Gage’s stomach.
Scar also had defensive scrapes across his knuckles and the backs of his hands, marks that said he’d tried.
The room was quiet.
Jo stood near the door, radiating anger, and Meridian was a darker shape beside her.
Roz lingered well after their field support had cleared out.
Almost thirty minutes later, the doctor finished his exam.
“I know your pain receptors are elevated, but anti-inflammatories can still help,” Dr. Rossi said.
Scar didn’t even consider it before saying, “No.”
“You’re not proving anything.” Jo sighed.
“I’m not trying to. I just don’t like drugs.”
“Okay then. Your arm is set. Shoulder is stable. Bruising is superficial. Cuts are clean. No concussion signs. If you wake up with nausea, dizziness, or vision changes, tell the staff immediately.” Dr. Rossi concluded.
Scar lifted his good hand in a lazy salute. “You got it, Doc.”
“Why are you choosing to be in pain?” Gage asked.
After the doctor walked away, Scar gripped him behind the back of his neck and whispered, “Come closer.”
Gage leaned down until Scar’s mouth was near his, close enough that his breath mixed with his own.
Scar’s voice was rough, intimate, and shameless. “If you’re that concerned, you can kiss it later and make it better.”
The words made heat spread under Gage’s skin before he could tell his body to behave.
He smiled and touched Scar’s cheek until Jo’s voice snapped him out of his euphoria.
“Where did you go, Scar?”
Scar didn’t flinch or pull away from his touch.
“I didn’t know we were prisoners,” he said. “I thought we could come and go as we pleased.”
Jo came closer, her patience sounding close to the edge. “Cut the shit. You know the rules. Yes, you can come and go, but there are protocols. Your shadow team was created for a reason—to spot the exact kind of threats that almost got you killed tonight.”
Scar was quiet.
“Your handler is supposed to know your whereabouts. For your safety. For the anonymity of this organization.”
Gage didn’t butt in, knowing she was right, but he kept his hand on Scar’s cheek.
On the outskirts of Gage’s hearing, Meridian still lurked, all intimidating presence and no sound.
“So, where did you feel you had to sneak off to, Scar? You said it wasn’t somewhere that would expose us. Then fine, tell me,” she demanded.
Scar let out a frustrated breath. “Do I really have to—.”
“Scar,” Meridian warned.
“I went to Gage’s church on G Street,” he muttered, as if the confession cost him a bit of pride.
Silence fell hard.
He stilled his hand on Scar’s cheek. For a second, his brain refused the information because it didn’t fit any mold he’d ever formed for Scar.
Jo seemed speechless.
Even Dr. Rossi paused whatever he’d been inputting into the computer.
“Church,” Roz repeated. “On a Wednesday night?”
Gage knew his church’s weekly schedule. “You went to Bible study?”
Scar flung his other arm over his eyes, taking the ostrich approach. “Yes.”
“And you didn’t burst into flames when you walked inside a church?” Roz barked an insensitive laugh.
“Fuck you,” Scar snapped.
Roz grunted when Gage backhanded him in his stomach, but it didn’t stop his teasing.
“I’m just saying, the ceiling didn’t collapse, the reverend didn’t try to douse you with holy water, or—”
Gage turned to his friend, and he didn’t know what his face revealed, but it made Roz shut up.
“The Bible is hard to understand, okay?” Scar gritted.
Something in Gage warmed and took over.
Jo’s exhale was long. Some of the fury seemed to bleed out of her, replaced by something more understanding.
“Next time you leave,” she said in a clipped voice, “you follow protocol.”