Being Sapphire. Sylvia Ryan
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Название: Being Sapphire
Автор: Sylvia Ryan
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: New Atlanta
isbn: 9781616501969
isbn:
Patrick made his way to the bedroom he and Shane used to share and sat down at the desk instead of flopping into bed as per usual. There were so many things he wanted to express to Jordan. So many ideas running around in his brain. He felt like a dumb-ass, giddy teenager instead of a grown man.
He reflected on the facts that led him to this crossroads in his life and acknowledged there was so much more that landed him in this moment of time. Shane’s designation wasn’t the only reason he’d made this sharp turn, rushing full speed toward a head-on collision with a regime fast becoming an unstoppable machine. It was that. And more.
When he’d been recruited to the National Guard seven years ago, he’d been proud of his job and held total loyalty to the Gov. Since then, leadership changed and his loyalty had eroded.
National Guardsmen, and their leader, General Morgan displayed an increasing sense of superiority toward the population. Small infractions of the law were being met with punishments of progressively disproportionate intensity. Rumors about the execution of people who wanted to leave New Atlanta to try to make it on their own in the Onyx Zone were frequent. And the massive number of surveillance cameras being installed throughout the Sapphire Zone was hard to dismiss. They were a tightly controlled population.
He’d heard General Morgan speak many times. The man delivered powerful speeches that drew the listener in and swayed them to his point of view. But lately, the speeches more closely resembled rants and his words reeked of racial superiority and the elimination of those who didn’t measure up to standards that were getting harder and harder to meet. Every year, more genetic conditions were added to the list of Automatic Disqualifiers that sent a person to the Amber Zone, and for the first time in almost a decade, the number of people being designated Amber had increased.
He was on the wrong side of what was right. He was a small cog in an authoritarian government reeking from the putrid decay of ideals the United States was built on.
Patrick sat, staring at the blank piece of paper sitting on the desktop in front of him. It took about thirty minutes of thought to sort out how he wanted to approach this first contact, this first admission of hope that there’d be something more between them. He had to address his personal feelings, his need to get to know her better as well as the cooperation and coordination of their groups. But he wanted to keep the two separate. He didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the others of her group by putting her personal business out there for all to see.
He decided on two messages: one for Jordan alone and one for the leader of the resistance. The notes would have to be in code, but not so vague the reader wouldn’t know the true meaning of what he was trying to say. He didn’t want Jordan to be caught in possession of communications that implicated her as anti-Gov. He picked up a pen and began to write.
3
At eight PM, the members of the Amber Zone resistance filled the activity room of the Wellness Center to capacity. During the day, the room was used for dance and yoga classes. It contained the standard wall of mirrors and a hardwood floor. To Jordan, the presence of the large crush of men with their rough edges and hard hearts were out of place in a room intended for little ballerinas and pregnant women learning childbirth methods.
The turnout was exceptional, all of them wanting to hear the firsthand account of how the previous evening’s mission fared. Jordan made her way toward Captain Rush and Xander to take her place next to them on the raised platform. She was unbelievably proud to be third in command and in charge of guerilla missions and covert operations.
Xander’s jaw clenched when he saw her approaching. Obviously, he was still a little ticked about her loitering to take in the fire last night. Trying to avoid the inevitable ass chewing she was sure to get before the night was over, she mouthed “sorry” from across the room and shot him her most ingratiating pout. It was about as close to a real apology he was going to get, and he knew it. He got the message and shook his head, his grimace turning into a reluctant smile.
The solidarity in the room was potent, charging the air and giving significance to the moment. The walk through the crowd was one she’d never forget. Large hands landed hard on her shoulders in rough congratulations for the success of her first act of sabotage. Their enthusiasm was going to give her bruises.
Captain Rush stood and quieted the crowd as Jordan sat down next to Xander.
“Hey,” she said, under her breath.
He grunted an unintelligible response, and she knew her small lapse in judgment was forgiven.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Rush said, and the white noise of a hundred voices fell silent. “As everyone knows by now, our mission last night was successful.”
Shouts and applause forced the Captain to stop the briefing.
“I guess we should congratulate Xander and Jordan on a job well done.”
The crowd continued to whoop and cheer. The joy in the room overwhelmed Jordan, and she was at a loss as to how to behave in response to the recognition. She forced her gaze away from her clasped hands on the table in front of her and looked out over the crowd, humbly accepting the accolades.
Experiencing the surge of pride and accomplishment that went along with her success felt unfamiliar and awkward. Her throat tightened with emotion. She was deeply moved by the display.
She’d had a lot of practice reacting to her defeats. Failure was an old friend, and through the years she’d become accustomed to picking herself up, dusting herself off and trying again.
Success. That was altogether different. It was completely unfamiliar and totally scary on so many levels. People were counting on her to be successful.
She looked out over the celebrating men. This was the exception. She liked the feel of it, though, and she aspired to become what everyone in the room thought she was.
She soaked up this giddy, bubbling feeling of success. She’d save the memory of it for later, when she needed it.
“Okay, okay, let’s get on with business,” Captain Rush said a few times before he got relative silence in the room.
“The Sterilization Center is gone. We have to focus on the next item of business. During Jordan’s escape last night, a guardsman saved her from running into a group of them heading her way and hid her until she was clear. He offered his assistance to our cause.”
The hum of the crowd increased in volume as men discussed the revelation with others around them.
“All right, quiet down,” Captain Rush shouted over the escalating din. “Xander and I have discussed how to proceed in this matter. An alliance like this could be an extremely valuable addition to our group and jump-start our efforts. It would be shortsighted of us to reject his offer, so we’ve decided to forge ahead in a way that will have minimal risk to our ongoing operations. For the time being, the only access this man will have to us is through his contact, Jordan. She’s volunteered to be the liaison and is already developing a working relationship with the contact. The rest of our identities will be withheld. It’s a risk, but we think it’s a risk worth taking. Questions, comments, concerns?”
There were low murmurs here and there, but no objections. “Okay, that’s settled. Any committee heads want to give updates before we adjourn until the next meet?”
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