Chapter 3

The rain in the Pacific Northwest was relentless. It drummed on the roof of Kade’s rusted Ford F-150 like a thousand fingers.

They were parked down an old logging road, five miles deep into the national forest. The heater was blasting, fighting the damp chill.

Elara was shivering in the passenger seat, her wet clothes clinging to her frame. Kade sat behind the wheel, watching the tree line, a tire iron resting on the dashboard.

"You kept the unit patch," Elara said.

Kade looked down. His sleeve had ridden up, revealing the faded tattoo on his forearm: *Unit 7.*

"Reminder," he muttered.

"Of what?"

"Of what happens when I screw up."

Elara turned in the seat, pulling her knees to her chest. The condensation on the windows isolated them from the world. It was a small, intimate space, heavy with the weight of unsaid things.

"You didn't screw up, Kade," she said quietly. "The camp was burning. The Master unleashed the Rogues. You cleared the fence."

"I heard you screaming," Kade said, his voice rough. He stared out the windshield, unable to look at her. "I was halfway to the highway, and I heard you scream. I turned back. I saw them drag a body out of the barracks. It was small. Dark hair. They threw it in the pit."

He gripped the steering wheel until the leather creaked. "I thought it was you. I thought... if I go back now, I die for nothing. So I ran. I ran until my paws bled. And every day for six years, I’ve wished I was in that pit with you."

Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.

Elara reached out. Her hand, cold and trembling, covered his on the steering wheel.

"It wasn't me," she whispered. "It was Maya. Unit 4."

Kade closed his eyes. Maya. He remembered her. She liked to braid grass.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be sorry," Elara said fiercely. "Be angry. Be useful."

She squeezed his hand. "We have the list, Kade. We can burn them down. All of them."

Kade opened his eyes. He looked at her. He saw the fire in her amber eyes, the same fire that had kept her alive in the Pit. He felt his "Grumpy" shield crumbling. He couldn't push her away. Not this time.

"Who is the contact?" Kade asked. "You said you had a meet."

"Friday night," Elara said. "During the football game. The noise and the crowd make it a good drop. An Enforcer from the defectors' alliance. He goes by the code name 'Chimera'."

"Friday," Kade nodded. He started the truck. "Okay. We hide until then. You stay with me."

"I'm trouble, Kade," she warned.

"I know," he said, putting the truck in gear. "I'm a mechanic. I fix trouble."

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