Rockelle doesn’t let the threat to his job affect him in the slightest. Instead, he jerks his head in my direction and snarks back, “Oh, my head is where it needs to be, but I doubt yours will be for much longer. No doubt there'll be an exception for your Bond Group bullshit though, won't there?”
If I were a Rockelle’s superior, I would have knocked him on his ass for that disrespect. Sure enough, the look that Shore gives him would make a much stronger man’s balls shrivel away to fucking pebbles.
His voice is light in a very obviously fake way as he says, “I’ll see you at the training rooms tomorrow morning, first shift. I’ve needed a new training partner. Good of you to offer.”
The guys surrounding them both start to snicker and murmur to each other and finally Rockelle looks as though he’s regretting opening his stupid fucking mouth.
His mouth is downturned and his tone is rueful as he gripes, “I’m not in the first rounds. I was assigned the third so that I can check over new recruits—“
Shore cuts him off. “And now I’m reassigning you to the first rounds. If you have any complaints, feel free to go and raise them with my superior.”
Rockelle pulls a face and turns away from him, muttering under his breath, “You don’t have one.”
Shore turns to face Rockelle fully and the way he moves is deceiving. You’d guess he was a Shifter or some other physically Gifted with the sheer presence he has when he’s pissed off, but then I guess the level of Neuro he is isn’t something to be taken lightly.
My father would sell his soul to have access to the inner thoughts of others like that.
Shore’s voice drips with derision as he says, “Exactly. No one cares about your opinion on how things are done around here. You’ve gotten away with too much because of your counselor daddy, but that ends here. Shut your mouth and get back to work. All of you.”
The group disperses quickly, none of the other personnel have a single thing to say back to their commanding officer. Shore stays with his back to me until he’s sure they’re all heading off to where he’s assigned them. Rockelle practically runs away from us both.
I scoff at the sight of it which catches Shore’s attention. He finally looks over his shoulder to acknowledge me, his face hard. The scar on his face is darker with the exhaustion he’s clearly feeling. It makes him look older and angrier, but I’m sure the weight of the day is heavy on his shoulders.
He and Draven both carry the brunt of it all to keep the Bond Group, and more importantly, Oli, safe.
“What can I do for you, Bassinger? I thought we already assigned you cleanup duties.”
I shrug. “I’ve given them to Ardern. We thought it would be smarter if I went to speak to my sister, to see if we could figure this shit with Benson out a little faster.”
That gets his attention.
He turns on his heel to face me fully and says, “You want to speak to her? That was one of your hard lines. You really think she’s going to know something?”
I let out a frustrated breath and try not to just shrug at him again. This feels like another interrogation, and I have to remind myself that he’s doing all of this for Oli. We’re all doing it for Oli.
Except that fuck, Nox.
“I think it’s an avenue we haven’t tried yet. I’d be a selfish dick if I didn’t at least give it a go.”
It’s the truth and he knows it with a thousand percent accuracy, so in under a minute he’s told Draven we’re leaving and has a Transporter there to move us out. Things happen quickly when you’re Gryphon Shore, apparently.
Shore claps one hand onto the Transporter's shoulder with a firm nod, his mouth downturned as he widens his stance a little in preparation. All of his movements are small signs that he finds this as hard as Oli does, only he’s had years of training and experience to keep his stomach in line now.
She relies on his Neuro abilities to settle hers for her.
The Transporter stares at me like he’d rather pick up dog shit with his bare hands than touch me to do the job and he murmurs to Shore, “Are you positive that he’s not in on the attack? You know what they say about Bassingers.”
Shore stares at me and replies, “Do your job, Godden. I don’t answer to you, and neither does Atlas.”
It’s the first time he’s used my first name, and I know that it’s a very strategic move. I’m not a Bassinger to them anymore, at least not publicly, and they’ve all made their choice to side with me.
Now I just need to pull my weight and prove that I’m worth the risk to everyone, not just to my Bonded.
The Council offices are like a ghost town.
The last time we were here, they had been quiet, but there were still a few employees milling around and other council members here. Those were the ones who had refused to come to the Sanctuary and instead stayed in Draven in their gilded mansions as easy prey to the Resistance. I see their unwillingness to go through the vetting process as a clear indicator of their treachery. I'm sure Gryphon and North feel the same way.
The Transporter steps away as soon as our feet hit solid ground as though he’s worried about being near me, or maybe it’s being so close to Gryphon and his vicious mood that has the guy worried.
It doesn't worry me. Gryphon simply barks out an order to keep careful watch while we’re gone, then we’re stepping away to head to the elevator. There's only one in the building that goes down to the containment area, and it’s here in the underground parking. I’ve already mentioned to North that it’s a security risk for us to always be transported to the same spot. He’d agreed with me, but nothing has changed yet, so I’m careful as I look around, watching out for some sign that we’re about to be ambushed.
Gryphon is less concerned, and when I meet his eyes, he taps a single finger to his temple, a reminder that he can now ‘hear’ when people are around.
Right.
The moment the elevator doors shut behind us, he turns to me and then says quietly, “I will need to be present for the conversations with your sister. It’s standard procedure for me to monitor and assess whether or not she's telling the truth. It's also protocol to have a TacTeam member there with you in case she attempts to harm you or escape in any way, so don't take it the wrong way.”
I nod and shrug at him. “I was expecting you to be there anyway, and it's handy to know whether or not she's lying. I… think I can tell, but I'm also aware that I'm too close to her and can’t be completely impartial about this. I wish I could be. I want nothing more than to just be done with her but… it’s different. It’s different with her than it is with my parents.”
He nods and looks away from me, offering me what little privacy with my thoughts that he can. “Of course it is. You were raised together. You know exactly how they brainwashed her, so you’re struggling because… some of this isn’t necessarily her fault. The problem is that life isn’t fair. She’s an adult who made decisions that she has to face up to now. You made different ones.”
I scoff and mutter, “For Oli. If it weren’t for her then—“
“Don’t go there. You’ll just drive yourself insane. You can front all you want about not giving a shit about any of this, but I saw your face when you saw those kids who’d been killed. You’re not a villain, no matter how much you might wish you could turn your humanity off.”