Rebel Heart

Brady forced his thoughts to his mission. He tucked the keypad into his pocket. Lana would know what it was, even if he didn't. He rose, unsettled by the scene around him.

His conversation with Tim returned, and he stayed the urge to call Lana as he had when he was simply the Guardian. Her voice still brought him comfort, but he'd just fucked up that relationship. The chances of them both surviving-or of Tim not finding out-were low. Not to mention lying to her had been harder than he thought. He'd wanted to admit the truth, in hopes she'd talk to him-and trust him-as she had the Guardian. Then he slept with her and walked away again. She didn't deserve that. No normal woman would deal with what he put her through.

As much as he hated to admit it, he still missed talking to her. He missed his friend. He contemplated the stray thought as he moved around the facility.

"There are a few other fed facilities around here," Dan said. "We've heard mayday calls from several of them."

"I have an idea why. There's one between us and the hard site. Let's take a look."

"What're you thinking?" Dan asked.

"I'm thinking someone is destroying the fed buildings in case a certain fed is hiding there."

"Greenie looking for Lana."

They loaded one of the transports with the supplies and sent it towards the hard site with a security force. He kept Dan and two others with him.

"You need some of this?" Dan asked with a long look at him. He tossed him a bar of chocolate he'd stolen from the supplies.

"I need a box full," Brady said.

Dan knew him well enough not to ask anything else, and they set off on foot.

"I sent Elise and Benny to teach Lana some self-defense," Brady said as they struck off in comfortable silence.

"Benny? Christ, she'll be in tears," Dan said with a shake of his head.

"She's gotta learn," Brady said firmly.

The sight of her with a gun to her head the day before made his blood boil as much as the thought of her in his bed. She was helpless in his world, and the helpless didn't normally last long.

"Go easy on her," Dan advised. "She's smart but brainwashed by the feds. She'll come around."

"I found another of those keypads," Brady said, ignoring Dan's words.

"The ones they went loony over last time?"