A young doctor unexpectedly finds herself forced to indoctrinate into a paramilitary organization, where a stoic hero silently falls in love. Slowly, he earns her trust. The love between them burns away the darkness of the past and acts as a beacon...
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Once Mitchell was undressed, we made sure he was secured before leaving Ric alone with the bastard and heading back to the cabin.
Arthur retreated to his room, and I dropped beside Caleb, who was snapping cards on the table.
His eyes lifted to mine, and my lips pressed in an aggravated thin line.
"I didn't know things were that bad." He said, setting his cards down and leaning back in his chair.
I kept my jaw synched shut, not trusting myself to keep my cool.
Caleb shrugged one shoulder, unsure how to defuse my anger, and not caring enough to try. "I'll have her evaluated by Ashlyn as part of her formal out-processing with Bravo. I presume she'll unofficially attach back to Echo now?"
"Yes," I confirmed, fighting to keep my tone neutral.
He nodded. "I tried to talk to her. She swears she is fine. Honestly, she seems fine. But it's difficult to imagine she is." He muttered, picking his cards back up. "Wouldn't hurt to check on her, though. She might be more open with someone from Echo."
"You let things go too far," I said, slowly rising.
The snapping of his cards slowed, and he put his eyes back on mine. "I did. But I don't regret it, and I won't apologize for it. Even if I had known how bad things had gotten, I would have let her stay if she wanted. She did a good job; she's useful." He said as a compliment.
"She is no use at all if she's dead," I spat. I snapped my jaw shut, caging all the angry words eager to bite the air. Annoyed, I turned my back to him to check on Ryn.
"Solan - "
Caleb called my name, but I ignored him, continuing towards the bedrooms.
I stopped by where Aldric, Arthur, and I will be holed up. Arthur looked up, and I motioned for the small bag I had packed for Ryn. He lobbed it at me. I caught it single-handed, turned on my heel, and headed straight for Ryn's room, knocking on it softly.
"It's open." She called unenthusiastically.
I clutched the knob, opening the door after a short hesitation.
Her giant blue eyes peered at me tiredly from the desk before returning to a notebook she had in hand.
I stepped forward, shutting the door behind me. I settled beside her and glanced down, seeing the beginning of a list of pertinent details from her time in the Barrons. Familiar love and concern swelled painfully in my chest, and I pulled the pen and paper from her hands. I set it on the small desk, and she looked at me with hardened eyes. I gazed at her, trying to figure out why.
She pulled her eyes away from me, suddenly looking as confused as I felt. Understanding washed over me – I can't discern how she feels because she doesn't know how she feels. I reverted to old tactics of making things only about work to keep her from hiding behind her walls.
