The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(83)

“Did he?” Again, Lindsey wondered how much people knew about her affair with Torran.

“So...”

“I will join the squad for a drink,” she answered, ignoring the proposed date and the possible poke at her romantic relationship.

“Excellent!”

Hobbes didn’t seem disappointed in the decline of a date, but he also never lacked for bedmates. At one time, Lindsey may have considered a little tryst with him, but his dashing good looks and muscled physique didn’t appeal to her like they once had. Her heart definitely lay with Torran, and that thought both thrilled and terrified her.

When they entered the building, Lindsey saw that several squad members were already milling about as the hour of their departure drew near. She excused herself and headed for the prep room. Maybe she could find a quiet place to get her thoughts in order and do a bit of snooping. When the doors opened, she found Torran leaning over the console, already at work with a frown on his face. Glancing up, he killed the screen he’d been studying and swiveled about to face her. Again, he had an inscrutable look.

Instantly, Lindsey’s heart beat a little faster. What had he been looking at? She was about to open her mouth and ask what he’d been up to when the doors opened behind her.

“We need to leave now,” Chief Defender Solomon announced. She was already in her gear. “An unexpected snow storm is in route.”

With that proclamation, Solomon retreated into the hallway.

Lindsey took a deep breath, and started to follow.

Torran fell in behind her.

Just as she slipped through the doorway, he lightly brushed his fingers over hers.

Looking up at him, she saw the deep concern in his eyes.

But concern about what?





Chapter 24


Earlier—



Torran was not in the best of moods.

He’d been peeved when Lindsey had been summoned to see Commandant Pierce just a few minutes after they’d awakened. He wanted to spend a few more hours alone with her before they had to report for duty. Every time they successfully returned from an excursion, he wanted nothing more than to never revisit to the dead world. Though the squad success rate was one hundred percent and there had been zero loss of life, Torran knew that every time they ventured out the chances of something dire befalling the squad amplified.

As Lindsey had dressed for her meeting, he sat on the bed watching her with a heavy feeling inside. She appeared oblivious to his growing anxiety over her safety, or maybe he was just very good at hiding it. When she finally pressed a kiss to his lips, he held onto her, drinking in the sensation of her in his arms. Chances were they wouldn’t be able to share a quiet moment before deployment, so he relished their embrace. With a contented sigh, she snuggled against him and ran her fingers through his hair.

Their last kiss was long, deep, and smoldering.

It took all his willpower to let her out of his arms.

Then she was gone, and he was alone.

His bed, flat, and heart always felt much emptier when she wasn’t around.

Sitting in the gloomy room, it was easy to start to dwell on all the possible terrible scenarios that could develop during their excursion to the Notre Dame Depot, so he forced himself out of bed. A shower and breakfast helped him feel a little more stable, but he couldn’t shake the anxious haze encompassing him.

After dressing for the day, he decided to check over the excursion specs one more time. Leaving his flat, he trekked across the quad. The heaviness inside his chest was not alleviating, but growing. Something was wrong, and he feared he had missed something important in all the intel he’d been assimilating for the excursion.

Torran was almost to his destination when his wristlet had chimed. Fortis Prime Trevino was calling a meeting, so he redirected his path toward the main building. The buzzing sensation in his nerve endings increased with each step. He wanted to believe it was just his anxiousness over the coming excursion, but the analytical part of his brain whispered that all was not well.

When Torran entered the designated conference room, he was surprised to find himself alone with Fortis Prime Trevino. The man wasn’t seated, but watching the staging area several floors below, where the aircraft were being prepped for departure.

“Master Seeker MacDonald, thank you for joining me,” Trevino said in greeting, though he didn’t remove his gaze from the scene on the ground.

“How can I be of service, sir?” Torran clutched his hat in his hands and waited for the officer to either motion him to sit or join him.

“As you know, we’ve been searching for the missing vanguard and castellan. The pulses during the squad’s excursions have failed to detect living humans.”

Since Torran had never been notified by anyone that the pulses had been used for such a search, he remained quiet. Apparently, someone was keeping him in the dark. He’d wondered a few times when the SWD would be called upon to recover Maria Martinez and Dwayne Reichardt, but had maintained his silence according to his directives. Though a part of him had been anxiously awaiting the order to retrieve the couple, he’d also dreaded the moment. He hoped Lindsey would understand that he had to obey his orders. It would be more difficult to explain that he supported their apprehension for the sake of keeping her safe.

Trevino finally looked Torran’s way. “The deserters couldn’t have gone too far.”