“What can be done is done,” Maya told us when she arrived and checked him over. I didn’t want anybody else for him. He needed to live and get whole. “A dreamer might be useful.”
“But if he’s physically healed, shouldn’t he wake up?” Price pushed. He was holding himself together by his fingernails.
To anyone else, he probably seemed calm and contained. I knew better. He wore a mask developed over years as a cop and a Tyet enforcer. But his eyes gave him away. He’d aged a thousand years in the moment that Touray landed on the roof of the Nissan. Inside he’d shattered.
I stayed close, touching his shoulder or hand when he let me. I didn’t speak. I knew all too well what he felt. So fragile that a touch could break him. So lost, so overwhelmed with terror and worry you can’t even breathe. And so very, very helpless with nothing to do but watch and wait and hope. Nothing I could do or say would help, so I just stayed close.
“The brain works on a magic all its own,” Maya said gently. “Pray, and see if Cass can help him.”
She left us alone then. I’d already called Cass and sent an escort for her. She refused to travel, and I couldn’t blame her.
“She’s coming,” I said. Like Price didn’t already know. Like I hadn’t already told him, but I didn’t know what else to say. I blinked away the hot burn of tears. He needed me to be strong. Crying wasn’t going to help at all.
Taylor came in a few minutes later. “Any change?”
I shook my head and then went into the hallway with her. “What happened?”
Her lips firmed, and she looked up and down the hallway, and then pulled me along to a bathroom, shutting the door behind us. Her arms folded over her chest.
“It was the weirdest thing. I was in the war room and you called and Savannah’s seven cleared out to meet you. I was on my way when Touray showed up out of nowhere and snatched me. He took me up to that bedroom. I was out of it at first, and then realized he was seriously making moves on me. I kept asking why. It made no sense. Why come here just to try to seduce me? Why now?
“He kept pushing, so I pulled myself together and told him to get lost. He started telling me how bad he wanted me and that he kept dreaming about me. Then all of a sudden, he grabbed his gun and started shooting at the window and jumped.”
“Just like that?” If Taylor hadn’t been the one telling me, I’d have thought she was lying. Never in a million years would I have predicted Touray would do something like this. It really didn’t make any sense.
Her eyes widened with sudden emotion. “Oh fuck, there’s something else. Just before he jumped, he said there’s a hit out on Cass.”
It took a second for that to sink in. Fear snatched me. “A hit?” And that’s when things clicked together. Cass had said Vernon had done more to Touray’s mind and she meant to see if she could figure out what. “That’s why Touray wasn’t acting like himself. He wasn’t,” I said, after reminding Taylor what Cass had said.
She nodded, tapping away on her phone. “That makes a hell of a lot more sense.”
She sounded almost . . . disappointed? No, that was my exhaustion talking. Taylor despised Touray.
“We have to warn Cass.”
“On it,” she said, not looking up. “I sent a text to Cass and I’m telling Leo and Jamie to grab a traveller and go find her.”
I decided I’d send her a text, too, and then I called. I got her voicemail. “Cass, go underground. There’s a hit on you. Tell me where you are. I’ll come get you.”
I hung up, wishing I could do more. Wait. I could go get her. I could go through the spirit realm.
“No,” Taylor said firmly when I voiced the idea.
“But—”
“No. You can’t be everywhere and do everything, and you’re needed here. You’re the only one the Seedy Seven might take orders from. Until we can secure this place and your position in charge, you can’t go anywhere. Leo and Jamie will find her.”
I noticed she didn’t say they’d find her alive. I couldn’t argue with her logic, though. Well I could, but I wouldn’t win. I changed the subject, hoping to distract myself.
“What about Arnow and the hostages?”
“Tinkers are working on them now. Don’t worry, I’ve got everything covered. You concentrate on Price. Maybe get some rest.”
She opened the door as she spoke. Dalton stood a few feet away, clearly waiting. She flicked him a look. “What’s wrong?”
“I came to see if you needed me.”
“If I wanted you, I’d let you know. Keep an eye on the war room for now. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Her tone was brusque, even for Dalton.
“What was that about?” I asked as he stalked away.
Taylor frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I know he irritates the fuck out of you, but that was kind of harsh.”
She glared at me. “What do you know about it?”
“Nothing. That’s why I asked. Care to let the air out of your bitch balloon and tell me what’s going on?”
She sighed, her voice dropping low so that I could barely hear her. “He . . . confuses me. And now with what happened with Touray. . . . Riley, he turned me on. I wasn’t expecting it, but . . . shit.” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration.
Oh. “So let me get this straight,” I said slowly, trying to wrap my head around the concept. “You’re into Dalton and Touray.”
“No!” She looked up at the ceiling and blew out a breath. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Not now.” Not ever. I didn’t say it. Who was I to tell her who to care about? “You’ve got time to figure it out. Just be careful. You can’t trust either of them.”
“I know.” She shook herself and straightened her spine. “This conversation is now over. I’ve got work to do. Go be with Price. I’ll send you guys up something to eat. When was the last time you got any sleep?”
“Sleep is for quitters,” I said, opening the door to return to Price.
“Consider it a favor to me.”
“After what you just told me? I’ll have nightmares about you and your boy toys.”
“Welcome to my world.”
With that, she strode off.
WHEN AN HOUR went by without a word from Leo, Jamie, or Cass, I started getting antsy. Two hours, and I was climbing walls. I tried texting and calling, but no answer.
“How did your brother know there was a hit out on her?” I asked Price, not really expecting a reply.
“Because he posted it.”
I stared at him, wide-eyed. “Oh my God. That makes sense.”
Price’s lips twisted. He sat with his elbows on his knees, his gaze fixed on Touray’s slack face. “He must have come here to fight the mind control. Somehow he realized. Maybe the brain jockey taunted him.”
Vernon. The brain jockey could only be Vernon. “I don’t understand. Why would he come here? Are you saying he came to kill himself?”
“Taylor said he came on to her hard and heavy. Right?”
I couldn’t interpret Price’s look. “Right.”
“That’s why. Primal emotions like lust and hate can keep a brain jockey from seeing intent.”
“Really? That works?”
He shrugged and looked broodingly at his brother. “It’s something we were taught in order to resist dreamer interference. I think he picked Taylor because she’d know it didn’t make sense, and it gave him a chance to warn us about Cass.”
“So you think he jumped deliberately. He wasn’t forced.”
“I think he wasn’t going to let himself be used.”
Now that sounded like Touray.
Price’s face contorted and he looked at me, eyes anguished. “What if Cass
can’t help?”
“Cass can’t help,” Taylor said from the doorway.
I turned to look at her. Her face was ashen.
“Cass was shot.”
The End
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Acknowledgements
As always, this book was made possible by the support and help of many people—too many to mention here, but I have to try. First, my editor Debra Dixon who gave me encouragement and helped me find my way through the enchanted forest to finish the book. This book wouldn’t exist without her. Then I had my secret cabal on Facebook who gave me advice, suggestions, and help whenever I asked. My beta-readers were phenomenal, as were my colleagues and friends who helped me stay sane and find my path in this book: Lucienne Diver (agent extraordinaire), Christy Keyes, R.J. Blain, Devon Monk, Adrianne Middleton, Cynthia Dix, Megan Thyagarajan, Justin Barba and Dorri Kay. Thanks also to the Miscon gang and the members of SFNovelists. I also want to thank you, my wonderful readers, for liking what I write, for reviewing my books, for telling your friends, and for being so kind and generous whenever we interact. Thanks also to the amazing team at Bell Bridge Books. You’ve been terrific and I appreciate you so much. And finally, my long-suffering family who keep me grounded and believe in me, even when I’m bouncing off the walls. They mean everything to me.
I know I’ve forgotten some at this moment, but if I have, know that I’m hugely grateful for everyone that helped me write this book.
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About the Author
DIANA PHARAOH FRANCIS is the acclaimed author of over a dozen novels of fantasy and urban fantasy. Her books have been nominated for the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award and RT Magazine’s Best Urban Fantasy.
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