Page 61 of The Last Love Story

On the other side, closer to where the end of the scaffold stretches up into three more levels—sits Hux, lounging against the V of the metal. The sight of him, so relaxed, so at ease, sends my blood pumping. At my glare, he shoves himself to his feet, and I can see every muscle tense under the all-black uniform I’ve come to recognize as his, like a cat ready to spring. His expression is thunderous. And locked on me.

I have to look away.

Even the crowd, so many faces blurring together, is a respite from that hatred. I see familiar faces, faces from home, faces from when this used to be home. I see many, many unfamiliar faces. But through it all, the crowd parts into distinct sides.

Some are Lyceum, others Machs. I turn to Becka and Nef, waiting for someone to say something.

Becka looks to the crowd. “We’re here to do something unusual,” she says, raising her voice so that it echoes down the tunnel. “I know we don’t always see eye to eye––”

“—you’reterrorists!” someone from the Lyceum side shouts.

Uriah steps up to the edge of the scaffolding and holds up a hand. “Next person to interrupt this meeting with an outburst like that is done in Lyceum. We are sitting ducks down here, but there is no other way to figure this out,so we’re risking it. Shut up and speak when necessary.” When the crowd falls silent, Uriah motions for Becka to continue.

“But,” Becka says with a new bite in her voice, “we have to come together now. We have unconfirmed reports that there is going to be a vote happening at the Union Conference. We can’t confirmwhat kindof vote, but we know that it is important enough to warrant the presence of every member of the House and the Senate. Something that big is probably not good.”

Becka turns to Uriah, who steps closer to the edge.

“That, along with the recent assassination attempt on one of Lyceum’s own.” Uriah gestures to me, but I bite the inside of my cheek. Is that what I am? They need me, but they didn’taskme about any of this.

I’m not a member. I’m a tool.

Uriah steps off the platform, stepping into the crowd as he tries to reach them with his words. “That warrants an emergency meeting. Not just with our own allies, but with the enemies of our enemies.” He’s throwing the Machs a bone, using their own philosophy. The crowd titters and I feel my brows draw together. “We have to figure out what the vote is and how to stop it, in addition to figuring out who is trying to take out Callum Graves and Ripley Hart.”

I clench my teeth. My back burns with the memory of that flash of fire.

“Ordinarily, we would make assumptions about who bombed that motorcade,” Lena chimes in.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Hux murmurs. He’s leaning against the metal arm of the scaffolding, his arms tightly crossed over his chest. He doesn’t raise his voice, because he doesn’t have to, but the implicit violence in his tone is so obvious that it sends a shiver down my spine. “But Machs didn’t do this.”

My head whips over to him.

“You didn’t?” I press. I know we’re speaking in front of a crowd of hundreds, but I don’t care.

Hux goes rigid, straightening from his lounging. His arms even snap to his sides; a scowl twists his face. “No.” The word lands like an anvil.

“You’re sure?” I shoot back, turning to face him full on.

“Ripley,” comes Uriah’s ever-patient voice. “Huxley Finn is one of the generals in the Machs. If he says they didn’t do it... they didn’t do it.”

My eyes must reveal my shock, because a small smirk appears on Hux’s face. I want to slap it off.

A general?

“There is a target on Callum’s back that wasn’t put there by any of us,” Hux says, thrusting his hands into his pockets. “Which is why I’ve decided that Ripley Hart should be removed from her assignment until we figure out what other players we’re dealing with.”

I open my mouth, but Uriah speaks up before I can: “Ripley’s post is not your decision.”

I bristle, searching for words as Hux grabs hold of the pole above his perch and gently vaults down, his inertia taking him easily across the subway rail and up into Uriah’s face before I can even suck in a surprised breath.

“Ripley’spostis more complicated than you librarians seem to understand,” Hux croons, and I see Uriah’s spine straighten.

I jump down, landing with much less grace, and step between them.

“Enough,” I call. They’re not listening. Nef grabs Uriah’s arm as Becka comes up alongside Hux, trying to convince him to step back.

Around us, the crowd murmurs, anger simmering.

“Funny how Callum Graves wasn’t in any danger until the head of the Machs broke his own council’s orders and infiltrated Graves’s personal security detail,” Lena bites out, and Hux’s grin turns feral.