The realization finally settled in that he wasn’t in trouble. He was there to receive his new assignment: Freya. He couldn’t comprehend how they fit together, but a deep burning in his chest radiated throughout his body.
This is it. This is my chance to matter. I wanted to get the attention of someone higher ranking. Well, I’m in a private meeting with the Head of State.
“Lewis,” Dr. Rhetta said, “we are referring to a new mission we have for you. You see, we need Freya to become a spy, but she lacks the strength and motivation to do so. We have the perfect opportunity to utilize her, but we know she cannot do this alone.”
Lewis had to fight the urge to smile or laugh. It wasn’t unheard of for Council members to go undercover with military personnel, but it wasn’t common either. He understood now why they brought him here. This mission was of utmost importance, and he had miraculously wound up in the middle somehow.
This is it. It will make my career.
“Yes, we need you to take on a very special assignment.” The Head of State tapped on his tablet as he spoke. “Dr. Rhetta and I have concluded that Freya needs a special touch to get her to transform from what she currently is, into what we need her to be. We need you to not only seduce her, we need you to make her fall in love with you.”
Lewis’s jaw dropped. There was nothing he could do to contain his surprise. He felt flustered, incapable of forming words. The truth was, had Chastity not accompanied Freya to her training, he may have been a little less professional and a little more flirtatious.
She was not only attractive, she had a playful side to her personality, while still remaining within the guidelines of compliance. She also enjoyed target practice, another trait he valued in a woman.
If he had been a civilian and not military, he could see himself falling head over heels for Freya. Could such a stroke of luck be possible? Was he about to embark on not only a mission that would give him the promotion he desperately wanted, but also connect him with a woman that he might someday love?
“Lewis,” Dr. Rhetta said, “I know it can sound overwhelming to make a woman fall in love with you, but I think this should be easy for you. You see, you and Freya would make an incredible match. If you were a civilian and closer in age, you might have been coupled. You’re both highly focused, compliant, and truly love physical activity.”
“Don’t worry too much about seducing her,” the Head of State cut in. “Just focus on being whatever she needs you to be. She still has many emotions running rampant, and she probably needs you more as a friend. Gain her trust and report back to us every time you see her. She is now your full-time mission. You will train her every night, and when we assess the time is right, we will send you together undercover.”
Lewis swallowed hard, then made eye contact with the Head of State for the first time in his life. “I won’t let you down, sir.”
Chapter 9
Ursa
The moment she walked into her apartment, her partner Rowen was instantly at her side.
“Ursa, did you have a good day?” He wore a grin, yet tension filled the space between them. “Our evening meals are here; we should eat before they get cold.”
After many years with her partner and organizing an illegal operation, she had learned to wordlessly follow any lead he gave. She sat at the small table as he placed a meal tray in front of her.
“Thank you, Rowen. I must have lost track of time. I would hate for you to wait for me and have to eat a cold meal.”
He chewed through a large mouthful of rice. “You weren’t late. I was just hoping we could spend some time in the common room tonight. I heard from an old friend of mine. He would like to meet us.”
Ursa nodded. “That sounds wonderful. I love spending time with old friends of yours.”
For Security, their conversation appeared routine, but she could read between the lines.
Something’s happened.
Rowen shoved a heaping fork filled with steamed vegetables into his mouth and swallowed hard.
“Yes. It will be fun to have a visit.”
She looked down at her hardly touched plate and realized she needed to pick up the pace. Rowen wouldn’t say a time or more specifics, but she could tell this meeting was urgent.
As she stuffed her overflowing fork into her mouth, Rowen finished his plate. “My friend Bevan, he works in dispatch.”
Ursa dropped her fork, struggling to swallow the dry rice before responding. “Isn’t that a branch of Security?”
“Yes. He patrols certain areas and receives communications if there is an incident in our area. But he doesn’t sit behind the monitors, like Colin used to.”
Her stomach churned. It was possible he had information on an access point to the surface they could use, but in her gut, she knew the information he shared wouldn’t be pleasant. In all her years coupled to Rowen, she had never heard the name Bevan before.
This is an emergency.
The last thing she wanted to do was fill her upset belly, but the State frowned on waste. Despite the cameras, she picked up her plate and scraped the final few bites into her mouth.
Rowen stood the moment she removed the plate from her lips and returned their plates to the slot in the wall before she finished chewing.
“Great. I’m looking forward to this. You really should have met Bevan long ago.”
Ursa stood and feigned a smile. “I can’t wait.”
He grabbed her hand and led her toward the elevator. His grip never loosened until they reached the center of the common room. Without glancing around, he took a seat.
She tucked in beside him. “What does he look like?”
“I have no idea. He is supposed to find us. All I know is that it’s urgent.”
Ursa gripped Rowen’s knee under the table, hoping to brace herself for what lay ahead.
“Rowen,” a male voice called out to them. “How good to see you again.”
Bevan was younger than them. If anyone looked closely at the footage compared to their dinner conversation, they would never believe the two men were old friends. He looked hardly older than Colin.
“You too.” Rowen stood and shook his hand. “I’m so happy you finally get to meet my partner, Ursa.”
Bevan attempted a smile, but it came across as more of a grimace. “I have heard so much about you.”
“Likewise,” Ursa responded.
He sat, leaning in.
It was time to get down to business.
“There’s a problem.”
Rowen nodded. “I assumed as much from the nature of this invite.”
Bevan cast his gaze around the room quickly before leaning in further. “Gossip has been spreading like wild-fire around all of Security, even in my lowly department. There was an attack on the dome, from the outside.”
Ursa gasped, instantly slapping her hand over her mouth. The only way to hide her reaction was to burst into false laughter. The men quickly joined in.
Hope’s army has finally arrived.
“Do you know where?” Ursa asked. “How many? What happened to them?”
“Word is, it wasn’t much, maybe 5, but no one I talked to could confirm exactly. The attack happened right outside of the State House. They tried to break the dome with a crowbar.”
That’s no army.
Her eyelids fused shut as realization set in. “Wallace. It was one of ours.”
Rowen turned to her. “How do you know?”
“Because he requested a meeting and wanted to stage an attack. I told him we had our protocols for good reason. If he wanted out, he had to follow the rules without question. But we were disrupted. I messed up.”
Rowen reached a comforting arm around her. “You had a meeting with him and reaffirmed the rules. You couldn’t have done more. Honestly, I’m surprised someone hasn’t tried something like this sooner.”
Bevan nodded. “Well, they dispatched the military. I heard one got away, and the rest were shot on site.”
“One’s alive?” Ursa shuddered. “That means they probably captured him, and he might give us away.”
“It’s possible. I wanted to give you fair warning. If that’s the case, be on guard. Plus, the State has set up extra Security cameras. Some are where the attack happened, and some I couldn’t get the location to.”
Rowen stroked his hand up and down Ursa’s back. “You think they are watching all the access closer?”
“It’s likely. Especially since the bodies were identified. You may want to halt your next group. Give this some time to cool off, or at least till we can get more information on those additional Security measures.”
“Thank you, Bevan.” Rowen shifted to place a comforting hand on Ursa’s knee and leaned forward. “I know that if they captured that man and he gave us up, you took a tremendous risk in coming here tonight.”
He dropped his gaze. “My parents left with one of your earlier groups. They told me who you were and how to find you, hoping I would join them when my son gets older.”
Ursa reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “My mother is out there too. I wouldn’t wish that kind of death on anyone, but I hope for both of our sakes, that there were no captures. The State can take me, but I’ll never give up those people who I sent out of here.”
Bevan’s eyes moistened. “That is why I’m here. I know it’s not my place, but maybe you should stop this operation, or have someone else take over. To protect those who have already left. If they suspected you before, this attack will only escalate their motive to catch you.”
Ursa looked to her partner. As she looked into his eyes, she knew they were already in agreement. “We will shut down for the rest of the season. And possibly the next. We will decide much later if someone else should take over, and if our operation should be shut down permanently.”
Chapter 10
Lewis
A light clinking sound ricocheted around the otherwise silent room. The button on his cameo-pants tapped repeatedly against the cold metal chair as his leg bounced. He couldn’t keep still.
He had exercised to the point of exhaustion, showered twice, but nothing could distract him from the turmoil in his mind. All he had ever wanted was a mission important enough to get the attention of someone higher up the food chain than him. Now that he finally had it, he didn’t know if he was ready.
Maybe it was just too much too quickly. Going from a nobody to having a private meeting with the Head of State and his top adviser seemed even more impossible than making a woman fall in love with him.
Lewis glanced at the time on his tablet again, sadly realizing only two minutes had passed since the last time he checked. With the Head of State’s direct involvement in his mission, this could impact the rest of his life. It could be the difference between training new recruits until he took an early retirement or living a long and interesting life. He had a chance to be someone who mattered.
This wasn’t his first mission with a companion, but they had never required him to seduce someone. The reality was, he didn’t feel equipped for such a task. Some military personnel always found some sort of off-the-books arrangement with a female, but he had been so focused on advancement he hadn’t invested his energy in such indulgences.
Do I know how to seduce a woman?
Manipulative tactics were part of his training, yet seduction wasn’t deemed necessary. He had worked undercover before. They indulged in their situation of living together as a couple, but it had been his partner’s idea, not his. He didn’t instigate the way they spent their free time.
Then there was Freya, a challenging task. An inexperienced girl who was innocent, compliant, and utterly heartbroken. If she had a little more life experience, it may have been simpler to flirt and to get closer to her, but her issues kept her at a distance during their interactions.
She was mildly flirtatious with him, but he saw it as more a reflection of her excitement due to her love of firearms and training rather than any sort of feelings for him.
If she had been melancholy, he could approach her as a friend; a soft shoulder to cry on. The fact she was enjoying herself during their training sessions put him in a tough position. It was difficult to flirt with her when she was so compliant and would view any relationship with him as inappropriate. Even if she wasn’t as compliant, she undoubtedly wouldn’t be ready for such a relationship because of the recent departure of her partner.
He needed to impress the Head of State. He needed to get this task done. He couldn’t comprehend why forming this relationship would be advantageous to the State, but it was his job to take orders, not to ask questions.
But if I succeed at this mission, that could all change.
Part of his mind said to just be patient, but he knew that patience was for the week. Patients never helped anyone climb to the top. The people who achieved were the ones who acquired their target immediately.
He would have to take every opportunity to gain her trust. He hoped her excitement from training would soon wear off. Eventually, she had to have a bad day and he would use it to his advantage. It was his chance to follow the Head of State’s advice to be the friend she needed. He just hoped the Head of State would be forgiving with this mission’s timeline.
He nearly sprung to his feet the moment she walked into the training room.
Careful, he chastised himself, don’t seem too eager or you will only push her away.
He guided her into the firing range—not the place he wanted to take her. During target practice, he would have to stand at a distance. It would be so much easier if he had more excuses to touch her. He had tried to assist her the first time she was trained by wrapping his arms around her to help guide her aim, but she had shrugged him off. In combat, the expectation was to have their bodies intertwined. Touch led to trust, a feeling of connectivity.
As Freya fired off a few warm-up shots, he scrambled to think of a topic of conversation. After racking his brain, he noticed that Freya had fallen silent, completely focused on her aim. His gaze skimmed over her target and realized she had unloaded more rounds than she should. It was as though she wasn’t aware of his presence until her gun clicked instead of fired.
He licked his suddenly dry lips. This could be it, his chance to connect with her.
“Whoa, where did you go there?”
Freya looked away, her face flushed slightly. “Sorry. Guess I got carried away.”
An idea struck him. It was a long shot, but it might just work. The State did everything on a need-to-know basis. She wouldn’t know how low-ranking he was. He could claim to know a lot more about her than he did, or at least pretend he was there for more than just her training.
He sighed and ran his hand down his face. “Freya, I’m going to be really honest with you. Please don’t be angry with me. I’ve been instructed to watch you for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. I have reported you sound of mind, and I don’t want to have to change that report—as you may lose your firearm, or have restrictions put into place. You kind of went off there, and it makes me nervous.”
He nearly held his breath in anticipation. It was a risky move. She could call his bluff or worse, verify his story. All trust would be lost between them if she did.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” She took a breath. “I think I just really got into the zone. I like it, you know?”
Lewis nodded, but decided the risk was worth it. He pressed further. “I have one question for you, and I need you to answer it honestly. Were you envisioning killing an actual person just then?”
Her face flushed, and she nodded while she kept her gaze on the floor.
He leaned in closer. “Was it the men who tried to break into the dome?”
“No, my partner,” she blurted.
His eyes bulged in surprise, and he tried to hide a laugh with a cough. His surprise was genuine. Although he knew her former partner was a rebellion member, he didn’t know what she knew. The Head of State sai
d she was broken-hearted, but he didn’t know if it was caused from his betrayal or departure.
Her demeanor shifted into something much more lighthearted. “Do you still think it’s post-traumatic stress disorder?”
He laughed openly this time. This shift was exactly what they both needed. Maybe getting her to laugh and joke was a better place to start than to be a shoulder to cry on.
Conspired: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 6) Page 6