Beyond Pain Read Online Free Page A
downed her whiskey shot. "Don't ask questions I already answered, Donnelly."
"There's what she said," Dallas agreed. "But it's also time. Lex and I need to focus on the bigger game. That means Jas is stepping up here in Four to cover more of the day-to-day shit, and I need someone I can trust keeping an eye on Three. Then there's Six." His lips twisted. "The girl. Not the sector, and that's fucking confusing. Don't suppose you've gotten a real name out of her yet?"
Bren arched an eyebrow.
Dallas sighed. "Fine, I'll deal with it. But you get to deal with her . I figure she can help you cut through a lot of the bullshit over there. She knows who's who, the lay of the land."
His first instinct was to refuse. She was still on shaky ground, barely trusted him, and maybe the last thing she needed was to go back there. But to not even allow her to make the decision for herself? Unacceptable. "She's not an O'Kane, not yet. If she says no?"
Dallas opened his mouth--then shut it and looked at Lex, who laid a hand on his shoulder and answered. "If she says no, that's fine. She can answer questions and provide information without budging. But if you're going, she'll want to go with you."
"Probably," Bren allowed, dropping his gaze once more to the map. "What's my objective?"
"Information, to start." Dallas bent and resurfaced with a second map, which he unrolled on top of the other one. It outlined Three, but large parts of it had been sketched vaguely with pencil, while other parts remained completely blank. "Ace pieced this together from the intel we have, but it isn't much. We need to know what's over there, who's got it, and who might try to take more when we're not looking. And if there are people in a bad way, people who could be loyal if we threw a little help in their direction... Well, I want to know that too, so I can take advantage of it."
Lex snorted. "It's not quite as mercenary as all that. Dallas O'Kane takes care of his own, and that now includes Sector Three."
Dallas glanced up at Lex, his lips twitching, but the look in his eyes was something Bren had never seen before. Quiet, peaceful satisfaction. "If the queen commands it," he murmured, the words carrying a teasing edge.
She threaded her fingers through the short hair at the back of his neck and held his gaze. "She does."
A private moment, but Bren couldn't bring himself to look away. All the kicking and fighting had come down to this--two people who knew each other inside and out, well enough to speak without words.
It was Dallas who broke the spell, quirking an eyebrow at Bren. "Stick to people who need our kind of support, but make a list for Mad. He'll coordinate all the feeding of the hungry and healing of the sick with his cousin."
"Got it." Bren rose. "You want me to head out after the party?"
"Sometime in the next few days, yeah." Dallas rolled up the map and offered it to him. "If you want something a little less unwieldy, Noelle's been working her way through my stash of tech. You can probably snag a tablet, but everything goes on the map. I want a hard copy."
"Understood." He tucked the paper under his arm. "I know this is about intelligence gathering, but what do you want me to do if I run into something really fucking wrong?"
That fast, Dallas made the transition from love-struck man to ruthless leader. "I want you to clean house."
They'd made a few contacts in Three already, people who would be more than willing to help him eliminate the worst offenders. "I'll take care of it."
"Anything else you need?"
A clear dismissal, made clearer when Lex eased onto Dallas's lap. Bren nodded to them both and turned for the door.
"Bren?"
He tossed a look at Lex over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Don't get dead."
Chapter Three
The loneliest place at a party was on the fringes. The edge of the crowd, just on the other side of belonging. That's where Six had expected to be, drifting off into invisibility while the O'Kanes hooted and hollered and
"There's what she said," Dallas agreed. "But it's also time. Lex and I need to focus on the bigger game. That means Jas is stepping up here in Four to cover more of the day-to-day shit, and I need someone I can trust keeping an eye on Three. Then there's Six." His lips twisted. "The girl. Not the sector, and that's fucking confusing. Don't suppose you've gotten a real name out of her yet?"
Bren arched an eyebrow.
Dallas sighed. "Fine, I'll deal with it. But you get to deal with her . I figure she can help you cut through a lot of the bullshit over there. She knows who's who, the lay of the land."
His first instinct was to refuse. She was still on shaky ground, barely trusted him, and maybe the last thing she needed was to go back there. But to not even allow her to make the decision for herself? Unacceptable. "She's not an O'Kane, not yet. If she says no?"
Dallas opened his mouth--then shut it and looked at Lex, who laid a hand on his shoulder and answered. "If she says no, that's fine. She can answer questions and provide information without budging. But if you're going, she'll want to go with you."
"Probably," Bren allowed, dropping his gaze once more to the map. "What's my objective?"
"Information, to start." Dallas bent and resurfaced with a second map, which he unrolled on top of the other one. It outlined Three, but large parts of it had been sketched vaguely with pencil, while other parts remained completely blank. "Ace pieced this together from the intel we have, but it isn't much. We need to know what's over there, who's got it, and who might try to take more when we're not looking. And if there are people in a bad way, people who could be loyal if we threw a little help in their direction... Well, I want to know that too, so I can take advantage of it."
Lex snorted. "It's not quite as mercenary as all that. Dallas O'Kane takes care of his own, and that now includes Sector Three."
Dallas glanced up at Lex, his lips twitching, but the look in his eyes was something Bren had never seen before. Quiet, peaceful satisfaction. "If the queen commands it," he murmured, the words carrying a teasing edge.
She threaded her fingers through the short hair at the back of his neck and held his gaze. "She does."
A private moment, but Bren couldn't bring himself to look away. All the kicking and fighting had come down to this--two people who knew each other inside and out, well enough to speak without words.
It was Dallas who broke the spell, quirking an eyebrow at Bren. "Stick to people who need our kind of support, but make a list for Mad. He'll coordinate all the feeding of the hungry and healing of the sick with his cousin."
"Got it." Bren rose. "You want me to head out after the party?"
"Sometime in the next few days, yeah." Dallas rolled up the map and offered it to him. "If you want something a little less unwieldy, Noelle's been working her way through my stash of tech. You can probably snag a tablet, but everything goes on the map. I want a hard copy."
"Understood." He tucked the paper under his arm. "I know this is about intelligence gathering, but what do you want me to do if I run into something really fucking wrong?"
That fast, Dallas made the transition from love-struck man to ruthless leader. "I want you to clean house."
They'd made a few contacts in Three already, people who would be more than willing to help him eliminate the worst offenders. "I'll take care of it."
"Anything else you need?"
A clear dismissal, made clearer when Lex eased onto Dallas's lap. Bren nodded to them both and turned for the door.
"Bren?"
He tossed a look at Lex over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Don't get dead."
Chapter Three
The loneliest place at a party was on the fringes. The edge of the crowd, just on the other side of belonging. That's where Six had expected to be, drifting off into invisibility while the O'Kanes hooted and hollered and
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