PRENTISS AND MUSTACHE HURRIED OUT of the cafeteria as alarms sounded elsewhere in the building. Several other staffers abandoned their lunch and followed, barking orders into cell phones.
Dr. Grace stared at us nervously. She and Kaz and I were alone in the dining room now. “Everything is fine,” she said uncertainly. “I’m sure they will be back soon. Meanwhile, why don’t we, um, take a tour? I can show you the recreation facilities. We have a gym, sauna, a volleyball-”
“I don’t care about any of that. I just want to see Chub,” I interrupted.
Kaz caught my eye. He shook his head subtly and I followed his gaze to the ceiling above the door. Mounted in the corner was a tiny security camera. I glanced around the rest of the room but didn’t see any others.
Dr. Grace was shaking her head. “You know that is not possible, not without Prentiss on-site. But I’m sure he’ll be back by tomorrow, and once things are back to normal, I can suggest a visit. Perhaps you can observe me working with him.”
Kaz mouthed something, but I couldn’t make out the words.
“Um…,” I said. Dr. Grace looked at me suspiciously. “Have you been spending much time with Chub?”
“I am his principal contact, yes,” Dr. Grace said. “I am in charge of his testing, as well as his daily regimen.”
“When you say testing…,” I said, trying to keep her talking. Kaz had a plan, and I needed to keep Dr. Grace from noticing. I forced myself to look curious. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“Well, as you undoubtedly already know, Chub is a high psychic with a strong tendency toward precognition,” she said, her features relaxing as she warmed up to her subject.
Kaz raised his glass to his lips and drank the rest of his tea. As Dr. Grace talked about Chub’s abilities, he slammed the glass down on the edge of the table, smashing it into several pieces. He catapulted from his chair, picking up the largest shard and pressing it against Dr. Grace’s throat, wrapping an arm around her neck so she couldn’t move. He gripped the glass so tightly that it cut into his own flesh, and blood ran down his arm in glistening red rivulets. It was just like what had happened with Jess, and I froze at the memory.
“Lock the door, Hailey!” he said, and I snapped out of it, forcing myself to move. I threw myself at the heavy glass door, pushing it shut. There was a loud click as it latched into place. Through the door I saw the cafeteria erupt in commotion as staff raced toward us, weapons drawn.
“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 evil: 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.