Page 3 of Bound By Thorns
“And there you have it,” the Secretary said, spreading his hands as if he’d just unveiled the cure for cancer. “You are now part of something bigger than yourselves. Bigger than this room. Questions?”
A hand shot up near the front—some young guy I didn’t recognize. “Sir, what exactly will our mission parameters be?”
The Secretary smirked. “Excellent question. The short answer? You’ll know when I decide you need to know. This is covert for a reason. All you need to understand now is that you’rehere because you’re the best at what you do. Don’t make me regret that assessment.”
A heavy silence followed. I leaned toward Zarek again, my voice low. “So… we’re just supposed to trust a guy who opens with ‘I hate group settings’ and ends with ‘you don’t need to know’?”
Zarek snorted softly but said nothing.
The Secretary clapped his hands, the sound sharp and commanding as it echoed through the room. “Good. If there are no more questions, Officer Mercer will take it from here. Welcome to Bridgewood, gentlemen—and ladies.”
I grimaced.Ass.
And just like that, he spun on his heel and strode out, leaving the room in stunned silence as the screen behind him displayed the Alpha and Beta team formations. Nine squads in Alpha, two in Beta.
Officer Mercer stepped forward, his presence as steely as ever. His gaze swept over the room. “Consider yourselves discharged from your previous duties, officers. You are now part of an elite initiative. The best detectives, CIA operatives, FBI agents, and specialists from various agencies—including a select few from foreign soil—are standing in this room. Each of you was chosen for a reason.”
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing. “Over the next three months, you will undergo extensive training. Midway through, your Squad Leader will be assigned. As for the rest of the details?” He smiled, though it carried no warmth. “You’ll have to be patient. Each squad—whether from Alpha or Beta—will train at different, undisclosed locations. At the end of this period, you’ll face a mock test.”
His smile deepened, taking on a predatory edge. “The stakes for the mock are simple. If one squad member fails, the entire squad will be dissolved.”
A murmur rippled through the room, a mix of disbelief and unease.
Someone raised their hand. My stomach sank.Oh, hell no.
It was her—the dark-haired, unnervingly confident woman. She stood tall, her posture unshaken by the tension in the air. When she spoke, her voice was calm and measured. “Two questions, Officer Mercer. First, what does it mean to fail the mock? And second, dissolved how?”
Mercer’s smirk returned, this time tinged with something like approval. “Kaylan Bennett, is it?”
She gave a curt nod.
Kaylan. Huh.
My gaze darted to the screen behind Officer Mercer, scanning the names until I found hers.
There she was, Kaylan Bennett, assigned to Alpha Squad Two, alongside Lancaster Brewer, Riley Hayden, Kyle Deniese, and Pedro Becerra.
My attention lingered on Riley’s name for a moment. I knew her. She was unnaturally close to Dylan. Well, as close as one can be in this altered reality of ours.
“There are only two outcomes to the mock,” Mercer said, his voice turning cold. “Survive and pass. Or die and fail.”
The murmurs died instantly, replaced by an oppressive silence. The air grew thick, tension crackling like static electricity.
Mercer didn’t flinch at the collective wave of disbelief and fury radiating from the crowd. Instead, he continued with unnerving calm. “As for dissolution,” he said, his tone casual, almost dismissive, “it means your squad will be disqualified. Each of you will be honorably discharged from your prior roles. After that? Well, you’re free to explore opportunities in the private sector, assuming anyone will take you.”
The silence was deafening now. I didn’t need to look around to know what everyone was thinking.
This was bullshit.
High-stakes, life-threatening, no-room-for-errorbullshit.
Yep. We were screwed.
ONE
Logan
“Eli?” I shouted out of routine as I climbed the tattered wooden stairs of Mr. and Mrs. Tucker’s battered house. I wasn’t very fond of Nora and Clifford Tucker, for very valid reasons that went beyond just hating your foster parents on principle. Eli, Sebastian, and I were thick as thieves, though, so I considered us a family, albeit without parental figures. Sebastian assumed that role hesitantly. He was one year older than me and Eli. At fifteen, he had already completed high school. I was in awe of Bastian. He was already working and bringing in some money for the three of us. Right now, I knew Bastian was at work.
