One Breath, One Bullet (The Borders War #1)

Chapter 1

October 2542

Merq Grayson's 19th year

The Continental States

"Armise Darcan. Twenty-three years old. He's an officer in the Dark Ops corps of Singapore. One hundred and twenty-nine confirmed kills of high-level targets, with another one hundred and eighty-six attributed to him but unable to confirm."

I stared at the screen at the front of the room and tried to keep my reaction in check as Brigadier Ahriman Blanc droned on. By the trail of intel that popped up on the screen, it was clear the brigadier believed Armise Darcan was an unknown threat to the Peacemakers in the room. The identities of Dark Ops soldiers were closely guarded so I shouldn't have known who this man was, but his eyes... The distinctive silver-blue of his irises—like a crumbling ice shelf in the Northern Territories—was a color I would never forget. The color was in stark contrast to his dark skin and jet-black hair, and yet fitting for the vicious role he played in service of his government.

Armise. So that was the name of the man who'd nearly killed me a year ago.

A fist slammed against the president's desk. "Are you listening, Captain Grayson?"

I lifted my eyes to the brigadier in response. I wanted to say, give me something interesting to pay attention to and I will. I may have been his inferior by every definition of the word, but I wasn't that stupid. And the image on the screen at the front of the room was more than enough to hold my attention.

"Yes, Brigadier Blanc."

His gaze lingered on me, bored through me until I felt the uncomfortable weight of his judgment falling on me. I shuffled my feet and crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. He tapped the desk once then pointed at the screen. "From what the analysts have been able to pull together, and classified reports from an informant, Armise prefers to work alone. He rarely allows himself to be seen but he's made his presence in the States known. The analysts believe it's because he's on the hunt for the infochip under the orders of Premiere Jah. We're going to intercept him and make sure he doesn't return to Singapore. If he does have the infochip or knows where it is, then we need to take it first. Major Jegs, because of your previous experience in Singapore, this is your team to put together."

Standing in front of me, Major Jegs nodded. "We'll be ready to move on his location before nightfall."

The brigadier dismissed everyone from the room and Jegs swiveled around, calling out as she headed for the door, "Lark and Pax, you're with me."

I took two steps, grabbing her arm. Jegs scowled at me. She was diminutive—at least a foot shorter than I—but in no way weak.

"What the fuck do you want, Captain?"

"I want in."

I was nineteen years old and had only been a Peacemaker for a year but I was stronger, faster and more proficient with a sonicrifle than either of the other men she'd asked for.

She surveyed me and I was sure she wouldn't find any fault in her assessment. I'd ensured I was geared up according to the standard uniform code, then had stretched the rules, adding a sonicpistol to my side where it would be accessible even if I was carrying my rifle.

"All right, Grayson. The president's been waiting to see what you can really do." She turned around and threw over her shoulder, "And you may be the only one of us senseless enough to take Officer Darcan head-on."

* * *

"I don't want your eyes to close. Not even to blink," Jegs said over the comm.

"Yes, Major," I replied, with Lark's and Pax's affirmative responses following mine.