Chapter 3Partners, Not Wives

The syndicate had been under Command's microscope for three years. The intel was dense.

Our squad sat around the conference table, methodically breaking down the entry strategy. Because she was now paired with Gideon to play his wealthy wife, Ruby couldn't stop beaming.

As the briefing wrapped, she pulled a small, tarnished silver pendant from her pocket and slid it across the table with a shy smile. "Gideon, I got this from St. Jude's cathedral yesterday. For protection."

Gideon was a hardline atheist. He despised anything related to faith or prayer. After his father died when he was seven, his mother drained their bank accounts, gave the money to a cult, and abandoned him to live in an ashram. He grew up eating scraps and surviving on pure spite.

Once, during a heavy firefight, I had muttered a quick prayer to survive. He had shoved his rifle barrel against my vest and snarled, "Say that again and I'll kick you out of my unit myself."

So, when Ruby offered the saint's medallion, the entire squad collectively held their breath, waiting for the explosion.

Instead, Gideon's lips curled into a gentle smile. He took the pendant, looped it around his neck, and reached into his tactical vest. He pulled out a heavy, vintage silver locket.

I recognized it instantly. It was the only thing his mother had left behind. The man was a walking contradiction—he hated her guts, but carried her memory over his heart.

In our past life, shortly after we married, I accidentally knocked that locket off a table. He didn't say a word. He just grabbed my collar and flipped me over his shoulder onto the hardwood floor.

Jax, our comms specialist, leaned back in his chair and whistled. "Damn, Cap. You finally thawing out?"

I unscrewed the cap of my canteen and took a long drag of water. For some reason, it tasted like ash. Bitter. Worse than the black sludge from the breakroom coffee maker.

Another teammate chuckled. "Our girl Ruby is unstoppable. She bagged the Captain, and now she's gonna go deep cover and wrap Silas around her little finger. This op is in the bag!"

My head snapped up. I stared at Ruby in total shock.

She avoided my gaze, suddenly fascinated by the stitching on her holster.

She hadn't told them.

She was letting the team believe she was the one going in. I couldn't fathom why she was playing this game.

Jax grinned. "Hey, you better watch your six in there, Ruby. Silas eats pretty girls for breakfast."

I watched Gideon's knuckles turn white. He slammed his fist onto the metal table, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "Shut your mouth!" he barked.

The room instantly flatlined. Nobody dared to breathe.

After the meeting, Ruby cornered me in the shadowed stairwell.

"Raven, I... I didn't mean to take the credit for the undercover gig. It's just that Gideon pulled me aside." Her face flushed a deep crimson. "He was so worried about me. He spent the whole night going over deep-cover protocols and infiltration tactics with me."

She looked up through her lashes. "I just didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't the one going in."

Looking at her playing the bashful maiden, everything clicked into place.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "It's fine. He's the team lead. He should be training you. Just soak up the intel."

After all, she was going to be his partner in the field from now on. I had to keep telling myself that.

I honestly couldn't remember how I walked back to my room that night.