Breaking Sky(70)

“If you do that again,” Sylph said evenly, “I’m going to break your arm.”

Romeo raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Pippin shuffled his feet against the floor from his chair at the far end of the room. Pretending, Chase thought. He was always pretending to be someone he wasn’t—or holding back, which amounted to the same thing. It made her ache for her RIO. She knew what it was like to have a secret hovering over every moment of every day. Wouldn’t it be better if he came out?

Would it be better if Chase told everyone about her dad?

Romeo pushed closer to her, interrupting her thoughts. “I can’t wait, Nyxy. Tell me. Who is it?”

Chase glared. “Shut up, Romeo.”

“What’re you talking about?” Sylph demanded.

“Chase says one of you has a crush on me.” He looked from Chase to Sylph. “Either way, I think I win.”

Pippin’s face was scarlet. His hand tapped a thunderous beat on his leg.

“That’s not what I was saying,” Chase tried. “I was only thinking that we should, you know, be open with each other. Learn to trust each other.”

Sylph squinted fiercely. “About what exactly?” She was obviously thinking of Liam, her airman boyfriend. Chase had the distinct feeling she was about to get slugged by more than one person in the room.

Tristan turned on the bed, a warning look in his eyes. “What are you doing, Chase?”

“Yeah, Nyx,” Pippin said, his voice too smooth. “What are you doing?”

“I—” Chase broke off as a staff sergeant barreled into the room. He thrust a piece of paper in her hand and left. She opened the folded note and read the message twice.

Bad news.

“What is that?” Sylph snapped. “You look like you just read that you’re on the Down List. Are you on the Down List?” She glanced at Pippin. “This is because you two can’t stop snapping at each other.”

“No, it’s from Kale,” Chase said. “About General Tourn.” She should have lied, but she was too stunned. “He’s arrived on base.”

“So?” Sylph fished. “That doesn’t change anything. Why would Kale tell you that?”

Chase’s heartbeat took off without her. She looked around dazedly.

“Why would you need to know about General Dickhead?” Romeo asked.

Riot pulled the curtain back, rubbing a spot on his arm where he had gotten a shot. “Pippin, you’re up.” He paused to take in the weird quiet in the room. “What’s happening?”

“Nyx got a note from Kale about General Tourn,” Sylph said.

“It’s nothing,” Chase tried, but she saw Pippin sit forward.

“Tell the truth,” Pippin said, his voice cold. “Be open so we can all trust you. Like you suggested.”

“Henry,” Tristan warned.

“Tell me what’s happening,” Sylph commanded.

“Fine.” Chase stared at Pippin, and the truth scraped as it left her throat. “Kale wanted me to know because Tourn is my father.”

The silence was like flying into a cloud. All white. No sign of the world for a solid minute.

“You told me you were an orphan,” Riot said finally.

“Wait. Tourn?” Sylph asked. “The murderer of the Philippines? He’s like a hundred years old.”

“He’s in his fifties,” Chase said, finding it bizarre that the first thing they’d be discussing was Tourn’s age. Weren’t they appalled? Angry with her?

Romeo swore in French, while Pippin looked disappointed. He left for his physical without another word. Chase made a quiet, strangled sound at his back. Pippin didn’t know what the rest of the note said. She had to tell him.

In the meantime, Sylph launched an interrogation. Chase answered truthfully, all the while feeling like she was being emptied with each confession. No, she didn’t know Tourn well. No, she didn’t like him. No, she didn’t know how he felt about having dropped the nuke.

Tristan’s hand slid across the white sheet and held on to hers. He had to stop doing that. She was starting to like it too much.

“Well,” Sylph concluded after her questions ran dry. “Sucks to be you.”

? ? ?

Kale’s note was a brick in her pocket. Chase could think of little else. Not only was her father there—at the Star—but he’d requested to meet her in the hangar. ASAP. She went through her physical absently, barely even jerking when the medic stabbed her in the arm to take blood.

When she stepped into the blaring fluorescent light in the hallway, Tristan was leaning against the wall with Romeo. Waiting for her. “Where’s Pippin?” she asked.

“He took off,” Romeo said. “He seemed pretty hostile.”

“But…” Her voice ran out of fuel. “Romeo, do you think you could find him and tell him I have to meet my dad in the hangar?”

“Do you want me to tell him to meet you?”

Yes.

“No.” She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her tone. “He’s probably too busy being pissed at the world. I just…want him to know.” Chase began the long walk, making excuses when Tristan tried to follow her. She had to do this alone—well, Pippin was the only one she wanted with her, and he was gone.