“I guess you're here to see Benson, your gal pal,” he says in a sarcastic tone, and I nod with a small smile.
“She's gotten herself into some trouble, and we're here to dig her out of it. There's absolutely nothing to be concerned about because she is one hundred percent not evil. I know it.”
He gives me a sardonic look and nods slowly. “You just know these things, do you? Because she took out the strongest Shield that we've ever had and somebody who was very important to our community.”
I swallow as the smile slides off my face a little bit. I don’t really want to make light of someone's death. “I know, and I know that that fact will be tearing her up inside. I'm not trying to say that Dara didn't matter, or that someone shouldn't be held responsible for her death. But I think that the right person should be held responsible, and that person is not Sage.”
Vivian looks at me for a second longer and then nods. “Well, we'll just have to see what you guys come up with because you're right about one thing… She hasn't stopped crying since she was brought in, and even when she has been offered her Bonds to try and help her get through it, she’s refused. That doesn't seem like something that a guilty person trying to kill us all in our sleep would do.”
I swallow against the tears that form a lump in my throat.
Gabe respectfully nods at Vivian and then plants a hand at the base of my spine to direct me through the building. I'm surprised that he didn't join in on our banter at all. It's not until we get into the elevator that he breaks down and lets out his secret.
“Vivian scares the shit out of me. I once saw him get on the mats with Gryphon, North, and Nox. He beat the shit out of them, one by one. That memory has stuck with me, and I don't think I will ever be able to look at that man without shaking in my boots.”
I scowl at the security screen in the elevator that shows our images just in case Vivian is watching us in here. I do not like the sound of him raising his hand against any of my Bonded, let alone three of them at once.
“This was early on in their training and they were all still pretty green. I'm not sure he could take them these days, Bonded. But I was young when I saw it go down, and it stuck with me.”
There’s a swirling, violent sort of feeling building up in me and I take a deep, deep breath.
“Yeah, maybe telling my bond about this isn't a great idea. I'm now feeling as though I should maybe go back up there and pull his soul out through his nostril, and Vivian is one of my favorite people on this earth. So, like, let's just leave this conversation where it is.”
Atlas scoffs and laughs at me. “How is Vivian one of your favorite people? Didn’t he torture you in your training sessions?”
That’s a simple question to answer. “Because he believed me when no one else did. He didn't let anyone treat me like shit in his presence, and he didn't try to coddle me when I started at Tac training. He just let me fall on my face over and over and over again until I figured out how to work the system myself. I think that makes him a great teacher.”
The elevator doors make a chiming noise and open up to show us a long hallway with a set of cells down either side, much like the cellblock under the council building.
I guess if something works, you don't mess with it. The design sure is creepy, if nothing else.
Sawyer is already in Sage's cell with her, right at the very end of the hallway. His laptop is waiting on a table outside as he tries to coax her out of her bed, but it's no use. She’s curled up in a ball with silent tears tracking down her cheeks. It makes my heart drop down to my feet to see because I've been there so many times before.
I might seem strong and put together now, but that's only because I’d spent years on the run having breakdowns in coffee shops, bathrooms, empty gas stations, and in the dirty kitchens of highway diners as I had done whatever odd jobs I could to survive. Yes, I was strong enough to eventually pick myself up, but there's a process to it. I hate that my friend is learning that and experiencing it firsthand.
I find Felix in the first cell, sitting with his own laptop in front of him and a stack of medical books as he studies, a reminder that he is still technically a student, even though he has become my Bonded Group's preferred physician.
I stop to speak to him for a moment and, predictably, all he can talk about is our girl. “Please, just help Sage, whatever you need to do to get her out of here. Please, Oli. I can't take much more of this for her.”
“I know, I’m working on it, I swear,” I reply. “I helped find Giovanna and Riley. Apparently, they’ve both already given information that might help, and I'm here to help Sawyer go through some things and try and present a case to Gryphon and North to get her out. Please don't be pissed at them for what they're doing. They just can't put the safety of the entire community in the hands of somebody who has been caught on camera—” I falter to a stop because I don't want to say it again out loud, and certainly not here in front of Sage, but Felix nods without another word.
“I get that, and I understand that it takes time. I just need to be with my Bonded again, and she refuses to be anywhere near us.”
I nod and move to the next cell where Kieran is doing push ups like the good little TacTeam leader he is. I scoff at him and revert back to our usual sarcastic friendship. “Really? You're spending the time trying to buff yourself up? Are you hoping to impress your Bonded with your big, strong muscles when you get out of here? Or are you just trying to get to the point where you can throw her over your shoulder and keep her away from anything that might blink in her direction?”
He huffs as he stands back up, tugging at his shirt as he grabs a bottle of water and downs half of it in one go. “It's very easy to get complacent if you're not on top of your training. I asked Shore for a set of dumbbells, but the asshole refused.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him and point a finger. “Watch it, buddy. I might be on Team ‘Get Sage the Fuck Out of Here’ but you're also not going to bad mouth my Bonded in front of me without hearing from my bond.”
He runs a hand through his hair and mutters under his breath, “Maybe we need your fucking bond to come out to sort this bullshit out.”
His frustration is palpable, and I don't blame him at all for it. I also feel incredibly frustrated at how little we've managed to figure out so far.
He turns back to me and says, oddly sincerely, “Thanks for going to get Riley and that treacherous bitch for us.”
I shrug. “It’s got nothing on snapping your own ankle to rescue your best friend’s Bonded, so don't go too far out of your way to thank me. I still owe you, big time.”
He smirks at me and I turn away from him to walk over to Sage’s cell at the end of the row, Gabe and Atlas following me without a word between them. I guess they’ve both spent time down here, so there’s not a whole lot for them to say.
Sawyer is already at the door, unlocking it and letting himself out. When he gives me a tight smile, I murmur back, “Why is she so far away from them both? That seems shitty.”
He sighs and rubs a hand over his eyes like he’s just as close to a breakdown as she is. “Because she can't stop crying. It was driving Felix and Kieran insane. They can still hear and feel it, but their bonds are coping with it better having a little bit of distance from her, and she isn't putting up so much of a fight about every little thing now that she's down here. Breathing room or some shit.”