Page 50 of Specter Bred

I laughed.

"And he still barely notices you, Miles."

Redwood's face darkened.

“At least he respects me,” he said proudly, puffing out his chest.

I barked out a laugh.

"Does he?"

Nobody spoke or moved because everyone knew the answer. Graves was hard on me, brutally hard, but at least he paid attention. Redwood spent every day trying to earn that same attention and still couldn't get it.

"That's got to sting," I said. "All that effort, and the only thing you've accomplished is becoming a background character. Used to being the star soldier everyone wants on their team. Yet here you're nothing special."

The other recruits winced.

Redwood took a step toward me.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Why?" I asked sweetly. "Did I hit a nerve?"

Another step.

When his hands clenched, I knew I had him.

So I kept going.

"And the worst part?"

My smile widened.

"I don't even want his attention," I said with a shrug.

That one landed hard. Because it was true. I wasn't competing for Graves' approval. Redwood was. And he was losing. Badly.

"You're a bitch."

"And you're forgettable."

His face flushed red.

For a moment, I thought he was going to stop there.

So I baited him further.

"Honestly, Redwood, your mother probably realized that the day she popped you out."

His face had turned from red to crimson, and a huge vein pulsed in his forehead. I could practically see the steam pouring from his ears.

"Do you think she cried when she realized she'd given birth to such a whiny little bitch?"

And then his control snapped. Both hands slammed into my chest, as I stumbled backward.

I could have caught myself. Probably. But I'd spent the entire day trying to provoke a reaction, and for a split second I let myself fall with it. Which was a mistake.

I hadn't realized I'd backed myself directly in front of one of the steel target stands. As I went down, I threw my arm behind me to catch myself. Pain exploded through my forearm.