Page 66 of Bound By Thorns
What the fuck?
We all sat there, taking in the gravity of the situation, trying to understand the full implications of our boss, a man we knew as Robert Callahan, now being the Secretary of Defense under a new identity. Or his real one?
“As of this morning,” Zarek’s voice was a low growl, “I have resigned as the Squad Leader of Alpha Squad Six.”
“What?” My response came out sharp, fueled by shock.
“Robert Callahan was an alias,” Zarek continued. “Our mission to end Garret or Gao Ling was a facade. We were just pawns, designed to push them to surpass the US global defense. Robert Callahan has never existed. And as of this morning, Bridgewood is unreachable.”
I dropped my head into my hands, overwhelmed by the revelation. The entire Alpha Program was a sham? A corrupt strategy?
We were merely pieces on a chessboard, manipulated by the real players, Garret Tyson, Robert Romano, and Gao Ling, weren’t we?
“So…” Kabir broke the heavy silence. “Do we all resign? Then what? Will they even let us resign?”
“They anticipated this,” Zarek said through clenched teeth. “That’s why I’ve been summoned to a hearing for my ‘actions’ in DC. They want us completely out of the military. We can’t even go back to the CIA or the army as they so eloquently told us before.”
Leora’s hand on Zarek’s back offered a small measure of solace, and his frame relaxed slightly under her touch.
Compelled by a sudden resolve, I pulled out my phone and resigned via the official Bridgewood email we had all been provided. “There,” I declared, my voice resolute, “I’ve resigned too.”
One by one, the rest of Squad Six followed suit, each resignation sending a ripple through the air. We all watched the screen that displayed Robert Romano’s image, the face of yet another adversary.
The room fell into a deep silence, only broken by Zarek’s low muttering. We had dedicated more than six years of our lives to this squad, to Bridgewood. And it all ended like this.
“Umm,” Sebastian finally spoke, a hint of a smirk in his voice, “I happen to have exactly seven vacancies at Blackthorn Security?”
A burst of reluctant laughter broke out among us.
“This makes sense,” I suddenly realized, the puzzle pieces clicking into place. “At Ravenrock, Garret kept probing about our base of operations. If Garret is tied up with Callahan—Romano—then he must have known all along, except for the fact that Blackthorn Security was involved. They didn’t have that piece.”
Sebastian nodded in agreement. “Then we still have an advantage.” His smile was a mix of determination and reassurance, a small bridge mending between us.
I wasn’t ready to consider him my brother again just yet, but there was no denying that Sebastian and I had come a long way in sorting out our past issues over the recent weeks.
“Good thing I never mentioned to Callahan where we were in New York,” Zarek said with relief.
We spent the next few hours diligently wrapping up the remnants of our involvement with Bridgewood. The RLM technology and other equipment, sponsored independently by Blackthorn, remained with us; we saw no need to dispose of those assets. However, we methodically eliminated anything that might contain trackers or could be traced back to us—this included a range of traceable items and weaponry.
“No wonder they kept finding us. They knew about all our safe houses.” Zarek mumbled, throwing his guns in a box.
Amelia looked visibly upset, handing over her two baby drones, Hawk and Eagle which were assigned to her by Bridgewood. “I’ll miss you guys,” she whispered, dropping a kiss to each of them.
“I hope you know they’re inanimate objects,” Kabir ventured which earned him a dramatic glare from Amelia.
After ensuring everything was in order, I pulled Sebastian aside for a private conversation. “Can I have a few minutes?” I asked, and we made our way to his office.
“Do you have another empty apartment in the other building?” I queried once we were alone.
Sebastian chuckled, a light moment in the midst of tension. “Moving too quickly, are we?”
“It’s not about speed,” I explained, feeling a flush of urgency. “I just need to be with her, somewhere comfortable, not some hotel room.”
Understanding flickered in Sebastian’s eyes, and he smiled. “I’ll get one ready for you both to move into by tomorrow. Sound good?”
I nodded, grateful for his support. “Thanks, Bastian.”
We parted ways then, and I headed straight to Kaylan’s room. Slipping quietly into bed beside her, I kissed her temple gently and allowed the comfort of her presence to lull me into a much-needed rest.
