“Safer than running for her life from trappers and begging chem dealers for Remedy.” Nate’s gaze flickered to Reed long enough to see him flinch. He tore his attention away.
Pixel cried softly, as if trying to silence her own tears with each short, shivery breath.
Agatha opened a cabinet and drew out a Gathos City stun gun. It was shinier than the ones A-Vols carried. She hefted it with a graceful twist and leveled it at Brick and Reed.
Brick showed Agatha her hands, and Reed followed in turn slowly. Sweat ran down their faces, and they breathed raggedly.
Guilt and fear tripped through Nate’s blood. They’d come down here to save him, and he was going to get them killed.
Without lowering the stun gun, Agatha crossed the room to Juniper and Pixel. She pried the tool out of Juniper’s hand. Wide-eyed, with tears still streaming down her face, Juniper nodded. She reached absently and touched Pixel’s shoulder.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“There now, go rest,” Agatha said. “You’ve done so well.” She made a clucking sound of dismissal, and Juniper stumbled back to the distillation room without a glance back. The door scavenged from the train closed behind her with a sound like a sigh.
Pixel dashed to Nate and pressed her face against his middle. He put his arms around her, everything else momentarily drowned out by a siren of relief buzzing in his ears. She wouldn’t be alone. He’d stay with her, no matter what.
“Got you, Pix,” he murmured.
“If you need the blood, keep Nate and leave Pixel with us.” Reed spoke like he had sludge in his throat. “Alden told me she’s not any good as a GEM until she’s older. And she wishes to stay with us.”
Reed’s words hit Nate like a blow, but his heart tripped over what Reed had said.
Wishes.
It was meant for him. An understanding. Nate exhaled heavily, shaking off the pain of Reed’s words, knowing they were only meant for Agatha—to make her believe Reed had lost trust in him. Reed knew that Pixel would be safest by Nate’s side. He squeezed Pixel tighter, his body shaking with her muffled cries.
“You’re in no position to negotiate,” Agatha said. “And besides, I’d be a fool to let her remain with you until she’s older. You have no means to shelter her or feed her, and no reason to bring her back when the time comes. I shudder to think of the living conditions she’s been subjected to in yourcare.”
Reed’s jaw clenched. Brick ducked her head, somehow looking very small.
“The question at hand is this: why should I let either of you go after you attacked me so ungraciously?” Agatha asked, waving the tip of the stun gun as if sizing each up.
Reed shrugged. “You shouldn’t.”
“Reed,” Brick said, eyes angry and sad at all once. She watched Pixel like she wanted to lunge for her—like it twisted her all up to do nothing but clench her raised hands into fists.
Agatha laughed. “Is that so?”
“It’s like you said. If you let us go, we’ll go back out on the street and probably get burned up in the mess out there.” Reed shrugged again. “We won’t have anywhere to stay or anything to eat.”
“That isn’t my problem,” Agatha said.
Nate willed Reed to shut up and leave. Nate’d traded his freedom to stay alive by Pixel’s side, doing whatever he could to atone for dragging her here. The best thing Brick and Reed could do was survive. Far from the Breakers.
“You need experienced chem runners,” Reed said.
“Ihaveexperienced chem runners.”
“Not like us. We’ve run the Withers straight across and ’round. Day and night.” Reed spoke in the confident tone Nate could never say no to. “We were born in a pleasure house. Nobody knows this place like we do.”
“And I’m to believe you’ve changed your mind this quickly?” Agatha asked.
Brick said nothing, but her eyes shone like murder when she glanced aside at Reed.
“We have nothing left if we leave,” Reed said.
Nate’s heart stuttered. Whatever Reed was playing at, it pained him to hear defeat spoken so plainly.
