Vegetius, De re militari
ONE
“You!” I repeated, unable to get my brain to work properly. I glanced over at Cassius, who looked as stunned as I felt. All of us shared the same look, in fact.
Cassius’ jaw opened and closed a few times before he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and unsure. “Wh—what are you doing here?”
My eyes met hers, her initial shocked expression covered by a defiant gaze, piercing through me. Underneath her black beanie hat, wisps of pastel pink hair had escaped from her ponytail and were flying around her face, caught in the night breeze.
She was silent for a long moment, deep in thought, before she eventually turned to Cassius and spoke. “I’m here on behalf of someone else.”
“Who?” Caiden asked sharply.
“I can’t tell you that. Not yet, anyway.”
“Lena…please. What the fuck is going on?” Weston strode forward, gripping her arm. “Talk to us.”
She glanced around, and nodded. “Okay, but not here. Try to get out of here as quickly as possible, then meet me back at your house.”
“I’m not leaving you alone in the dark.” Cassius glared at her. “No way am I letting my baby sister stay here. It’s not safe.”
“Not gonna happen,” Weston chimed in, tightening his grip on her arm as if he expected her to try and make a run for it at any minute.
“For fuck’s sake. You have to trust me. Please. I’ll tell you what I know—what I can,” she corrected herself.
I eyed her carefully, trying to work out what to do. The boys were so overprotective, but somehow, I didn’t think Lena would listen to them. She had a stubborn slant to her brow, and she’d shaken off Weston’s grip and crossed her arms in front of her chest, tapping her booted foot on the floor impatiently. I was worried about her myself, but whatever she was doing here, she seemed determined to carry it out.
“Okay.” After carefully scanning the quiet, dark area all around us, I spoke up. “The only other person that seems to be here is the night guard. Right?” I cocked my head at Lena. She nodded. “Yeah. First thing I checked.”
“Alright then.” I turned to Cassius. “Come on. Let’s compromise. What if we all meet her outside the docks, by the car? We can keep an eye on the guard hut, make sure nothing happens.”
“Winter! You can’t be serious right now.” He stared at me in disbelief.
“I am. Come on. We’ll be right outside if she needs us.”
“Cass, please. I have my phone. Look, I’ll pull up your number and have it ready to dial if there’s any trouble. I won’t be long. Promise. I’ll even cancel my ride home and come back with you.” Lena waved her phone at him, and he gave a frustrated growl.
“No. Way.”
“Cassius. Let’s go.” I injected as much firmness as I could into my voice, and Lena shot me a small, grateful smile as I turned on my heel and grabbed Caiden’s hand. Reaching up to whisper in his ear, I murmured, “Please? The others will listen to you.”
His eyes met mine, and he sighed heavily, his gaze conflicted. “You’re so fucking lucky I love you.”
I watched as his lips tipped up at the corners in the barest hint of a smile as I replied, “I know.”
“New compromise. Everyone except Lena, back to the car. Cass, get the engine running so we can make a quick getaway. I’m staying here to keep an eye on Lena.” Caiden’s tone was commanding.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Lena hissed.
“Don’t give a fuck. I stay, or I drag you out of here, right now.” He narrowed his eyes, daring her to test him. “Don’t worry, I won’t cramp your style. I’ll wait right here.”
“Fine! I was almost done, anyway.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Come on, let’s do this,” Caiden instructed. Lowering his voice, he leaned closer to me. “Watch out for the guard. Stay between Cass and West.” He dropped a quick kiss on my forehead, before stepping back. Weston and Cassius gave him identical hostile glares, clearly unhappy with the whole situation, but they fell in line with huffs and angry sighs, Weston pulling me in front of him.
Back in the car, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I leaned forwards between the front seats and put my hand on Cassius’ shoulder as he sat, staring straight ahead, making no attempt to start the car. “Cade will look out for Lena. It’s going to be okay.”
“She doesn’t think about the fucking consequences of her actions,” he muttered, finally starting the engine. “I don’t know what shit she’s got herself mixed up in, but it needs to stop right now.”