Chapter 814
A cold, black rage began to build in her chest, a pressure so intense it felt like it might crack her ribs.
He knew.
Jarrod had known from the very beginning. He had sent her here, to this specific place, at this specific time, knowing exactly what it was. He hadn’t just arranged for her to join the army; he had pushed her into the deadliest crucible he could find. And yet, yesterday in the infirmary, he had held her, kissed her, given her those dossiers, and said nothing. He had let her walk out of that exam room still blind to the full scope of his design.
The feeling of being manipulated, of being a piece on his grand chessboard, was a profound violation. It eclipsed the satisfaction of her victory, the fear of the future, everything.
She didn’t look at Brenna. She didn’t offer a word of comfort.
She simply stood up.
The scrape of her chair on the concrete floor was unnaturally loud. Instructor Reynolds stopped talking, her brow furrowing in disapproval at the interruption.
Caroline ignored her. She turned and walked down the center aisle, her back ramrod straight, her footsteps echoing with a cold, furious purpose.
Beatrix watched her go, a complex, unreadable expression on her face.
She was going to find the man who had thrown her into this hell. And she was going to get answers. Not in a staged infirmary exam room this time. Face to face, on her terms.
Caroline didn’t bother with the infirmary this time. She knew where he was. She cut across the training field, her boots crunching on the gravel path that led to the small, isolated building assigned as the temporary officer’s quarters.
Her anger hadn’t cooled; it had crystallized into something harder. Something sharper. Yesterday he had sat across from her in Exam Room Three and handed her a weapon disguised as a folder. Yesterday he had let her believe he was giving her a choice. And through all of it, he’d known exactly what this program was training her to become and said nothing.
The gravel path ended at the unassuming door. She didn’t knock. She grabbed the handle and pushed.
Locked.
A frustrated breath hissed through her teeth. She raised her fist to pound on the frame, but before her knuckles could connect, the door swung inward.
K.C. Bell stood in the doorway, his expression as flat and unreadable as ever. He didn’t look surprised. He never did.
“He’s expecting you,” K.C. said.
Of course he was. The surveillance on this base was absolute. Jarrod had probably watched her storm across the field, monitored her approach. The thought only added fuel to the fire.
Caroline pushed past K.C. without a word and stepped inside.