A Forbidden Love by Lorelei Moone

ranks."
    Jamie smiled at her. "We're a complicated bunch. Anyway – let’s go in."
    Alison took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
    Jamie pushed the door open and Alison flinched at the horrible noise it made.
    "There you are," a shorter, dark haired man who sat at one of the desks said. "They just left with the prisoners." He nodded in the direction of the broken door.
    "Good riddance," Jamie remarked.
    Alison watched as Jamie walked right across the office, stepping over papers and other things that littered the floor. Nobody batted an eye. Aidan and that Heidi woman were sitting together at one of the other desks sorting through piles of loose paperwork, and the man who Jamie had just spoken to was already focused on his computer screen again.
    "Kyle, what's the damage?" Jamie asked the man, while opening the bottom drawer of his desk and pulling out some sweat pants and a T-shirt, putting the former on first.
    "Managed to retrieve the hard drive. Data's fine. Your monitor is cracked, but we've got a spare. Whatever papers they had planned to take, the Alliance guys handed 'em over to us before they took them all away."
    Jamie nodded, then pulled the T-shirt over his head and returned to Alison who still stood awkwardly by the door.
    "Guys, listen up," Jamie raised his voice slightly.
    Aidan and Heidi looked up in his direction, as did the other guy he'd just identified as Kyle.
    "What happened today was extremely unfortunate. I know you all have your own theories about how our location was compromised, but I just want to say that I take full responsibility. It was my job to keep this place safe, and I've failed you. The Alliance council will investigate, and Adrian Blacke will probably want to question every one of you individually. I can't tell you what to say, but-"
    "Now hang on." Aidan got up. "They knew our faces from Heidi's rescue. They could have followed any one of us here."
    "They could have, but they didn't." Jamie looked serious.
    Alison's heart was hammering in her chest. Was he going to tell them everything? Could they trust these people to keep their secret? It was bad enough that Alison had lost everyone from her past, would the same happen to Jamie if his people disapproved of their relationship?
    "Boss," Heidi said.
    Jamie nodded at her. "Yeah?"
    "I know what we said earlier, but it's obvious that Alison's help was instrumental in keeping us all safe. Aidan said as much already."
    "Thanks," Alison mumbled.
    "I agree. And that's what we'll tell Mr. Blacke if he asks. Unless the prisoners talk, we'll never find out how exactly they managed to track us down," the other man, Kyle, said.
    "Glad to hear it. Thanks, Kyle. Heidi." Jamie nodded at all three of them, and they settled back into whatever it was they'd been doing before Jamie had interrupted them.
    What the hell had just happened? That was it? That was the entire briefing?
Alison couldn't believe her ears.
    Not wordy enough for you?
Jamie smiled at her.
They're good people. It'll be fine.
    "Okay then. Carry on while I make sure Alison gets home safely, all right? It's the least I can do after all she's done for us."
    "No problem, Boss," Heidi responded. "We've got this."
    The other two men remained silent. All the while when Jamie was talking, so much was left unsaid their chat had been downright vague and confusing. Alison wished she could listen in on everyone else's heads too. Perhaps it was for the best that she couldn't, though, because finding out everyone's true feelings might just make things even weirder.
    Still, Alison was kind of glad that the talk hadn't dragged out further. She needed to leave this place urgently and figure out what was next for her. For them.
    Let's get the hell out of here,
Alison thought.
    Jamie grabbed his coat and marched straight to the door, Alison followed. She still couldn't believe that everyone had just accepted Jamie's non-explanation, after everything that had happened during the fight. Gareth had spelled