Chapter 281: Past Operatives

XENOIS   Riley and Lake looked at each other, that silent communication happening again. Finally, Riley  answered for both of them.   "They weren't exactly friends, not the same way Lake and I were. Snow loathed me, cause I was a werewolf, and I did not really.... I do not know suffer like she did, with Andy being my aunt and everything, she did try to kill me once though, so I guess we bonded. More like... fellow prisoners who sometimes worked together. But yeah. Part of me wants to know if they're okay. If they managed to build actual lives after everything."   "And part of you wants backup," I said, not accusingly. "In case this situation goes bad."   "Is that wrong?" Lake asked defensively. "Wanting someone who understands what we're up against, who knows how Andy's people operate?"   "No," I said firmly. "It's not wrong at all. It's smart tactical thinking. But we need to be realistic about what we're asking. Dex and Snow escaped. They're living free lives, or trying to. Pulling t