“Here’s what’s going to happen now,” Kaz said, talking fast. “I’m guessing that door is reinforced and it’ll take a few minutes for anyone with the right code to get down here.”
“But, Kaz, we can’t-” I stopped myself before I said it: Can’t leave here, not without Chub.
Kaz stared deep into my eyes and said, “Trust me, Hailey.”
Only once before had anyone said those words to me. It was the night Gram was shot. Prairie and I were careering across a moonlit field in her old Volvo, pursued by Gram’s killers in a much faster car. Until that moment, I’d never believed I could trust another human being, but I closed my eyes and did my best. And we survived.
Now, for the second time ever, I put my life in someone else’s hands.
“Open this door!” one of the men yelled. His voice was only slightly muffled by the glass.
“I’ll kill Dr. Grace!” Kaz shouted.
I knew that it was a bluff, that Kaz wouldn’t take a life unless he was defending himself or someone he loved. But he looked convincing. The sharp piece of glass had grazed the tender skin of Dr. Grace’s neck, and her blood trickled down and mixed with Kaz’s, dripping to the floor as he held her immobile.
The men outside conferred in whispers.
“Empty the cafeteria,” Kaz ordered.
The guards hesitated; then one barked a command and the remaining diners filed out, followed by the kitchen staff.
“Now set your weapons against the wall and lie on the floor,” Kaz yelled. “When we come out, we will take your guns. You will not get up. You will remain where you are and order the hallways to be cleared. We will take one of you with us, and if we see anyone as we exit the building, we will kill both you and Dr. Grace. Do you understand?”
The shorter guard, who seemed to be in charge, shook his head. “No way.”
“I said I’d kill her,” Kaz roared, jerking Dr. Grace around so that the guards could see her terrified face.
“Then do it,” the guard said. “The outcome is the same either way. You’re screwed.”
Of course.
Dr. Grace’s life was not a big enough bargaining chip. They would rather let her die than risk losing the two of us, a Seer and a Healer. After all, we were the keys to all the work they were doing here. No matter how brilliant Dr. Grace was, they could always find another scientist.
They couldn’t find more Healers or pureblood Seers, and they knew it. More important, Prentiss knew it, and I had no doubt he had communicated his priorities very clearly. Life here was not sacred.
Kaz’s gaze met mine and I knew he had reached the same conclusion.
“If you’re going to do it,” Dr. Grace said, her voice shaking, her eyes squeezed shut in fear, “please make sure you kill me clean. If you don’t…”
It was a moment before she managed to complete her sentence. “If you don’t finish me, they’ll turn me into one of them.”
I knew it was true. They wouldn’t waste a dying woman. They would force me or Prairie to turn Dr. Grace into a zombie.
That was it, the end of hope. As Kaz looked at me with terrible regret, the shard of glass clattered to the floor.
He didn’t need to tell me that he wouldn’t-couldn’t-kill Dr. Grace. But the way she sagged against the wall with relief made it clear that she hadn’t been sure.
Outside, the two guards smirked. We had played our last card. Now they knew our limits, and we were no longer a threat to them.
I thought of Rattler, so far the only one of us Banished to stand up to Prentiss and win.
I wondered who was the greater eviclass="underline" Prentiss, who thought nothing of creating and selling human killing machines, or Rattler-my father-who wanted to turn us all into a twisted kind of family in which love was laced with fear and tainted with spilled blood, whose destiny came from a cursed patch of earth in Ireland.
Rattler was a killer. But his life and his history were bound forever with mine. In that moment I couldn’t help being glad he had seized Prairie from Prentiss. At least now she had a chance.
Dr. Grace crossed her arms tightly over her chest and pressed herself into the wall as though she wanted to disappear. The taller man, who had a thick drawl and a Texas Longhorn tattoo on his forearm, tapped his gun against the glass. “Open this door.”
The shorter guard, who was wearing a tight-fitting shirt that showed his powerful arms, shook his head. “We need to just leave them in there until Prentiss gets back.”
“With her? Are you crazy?” Texas said. “There’s no telling what they’ll do.”
“You saw that-they didn’t kill her when they had the chance.”
Texas snorted. “Yeah. But there’s no telling how they’ll feel in an hour, you keep them locked up. I’m bringing ’em out.”
“No.” Biceps stepped between Texas and the door. “With Prentiss and Barbieri and the others gone, I’m next in command.”
Texas looked surprised, then pissed off. “Really? What are you, Employee Number Thirty or something? Bryce brought me in on the ground floor. Anyone’s going to take care of business until they get back, it’s me.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Bryce is a crispy critter,” Biceps shot back. “No one gives a shit what he thinks.”
Texas pushed Biceps out of the way and started to open the door, but I was focused on what he’d just said: Bryce is a crispy…
Is. Not was.
Not dead. Alive.
27
I LOOKED AT KAZ and saw that he had heard it too, his eyes wide with surprise.
We had seen Bryce taken from the building, seen the burnt flesh, the missing shoe, the sheet covering his body-but what if he had somehow lived? What if someone had covered him to disguise his still being alive? Prentiss, with all his connections, might have gotten to him first. Prentiss had access to the best technology available: could it have been enough to save Bryce?
But there was no time to think about it now as Biceps grabbed Kaz roughly and pushed him toward the door. I tried to follow, but Texas stepped between us.
“Where do you think you’re taking them?” Texas demanded.
“What do you care? They’ll be secure. Why don’t you take care of rearming the controls?”
“Don’t you tell me-”
“I’ll tell you whatever I want,” Biceps said. “I’m in command, remember?”
“I’ll write you up.”
“Stop, just stop it,” Dr. Grace said, finally finding her voice. “Bickering’s not going to help anything. We need to work together until Prentiss gets back-”
“I’ve got it under control, Genevieve,” Biceps interrupted her coldly.
She glared at him, and I could tell she didn’t care for being addressed by her first name. Or for being told what to do by these men, who, moments before, had told Kaz to kill her.
Tensions were high, and the haste with which Prentiss had assembled his team clearly hadn’t helped. Only a few months had passed since Bryce’s lab was destroyed, and Prentiss-with all his money and connections and resources-had rebuilt with astonishing speed. But some things could not be rushed, and unity was one of them. There were serious cracks in the organization. I wondered how we could take advantage of them.
Biceps forced Kaz to walk in front of him, and waved me along to join them. Texas stepped aside, but the glare he gave us was furious. “I’m writing this up,” he repeated, and Biceps flipped him off as we walked single file toward the elevator.
“Look,” Kaz said to Biceps when the elevator doors shut. “There’s no reason for the gun. We’re cooperating. If you just-”
“Shut it, Boy Scout,” Biceps snapped.