“I need you to—”
“I know what you need. How well do you know Denver?”
“I’ve been there a few times. The gang I was with came there to trade and unwind, but we never stayed long.”
“Then you’ve likely only stuck to the center area and not to where the former ruling houses are; those parts of the city are much more secluded and guarded. Do you still know anyone inside?”
“No. My old gang is dead.” Though that isn’t completely true. Clint separated from his brother at some point and took half of the gang members with him, but that was a long time ago, and Clint always wanted to move south because of the cold winters.
“It’s not uncommon for Raiders not to have a gang,” Zac says, “unless they live in the wild. And since you don’t have a gang, you’ll need to pretend to be local.”
“They might want to know where I live.”
Zac pulls a note and a key from his pants pocket. “Memorize this address. You’ll have a small house waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
“There are more details in the note about why you were out of town.” He gives me a once-over. “When you get to Denver, try to be a bit less… you.”
“Meaning?”
“Less like a Hiver.”
I don’t know if I should defend myself or thank him for the compliment. “I wasn’t good at being a Raider. I mostly stayed out of the raiding part.”
Zac narrows his eye. “And your old gang allowed that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Josh says firmly.
A while ago, I told him about my deal with Derek that kept me out of combat in favor of becoming his plaything. I’m not ashamed of that because I was the one who came up with that deal, and Derek didn’t need much convincing.
“For you to pull this off, you’ll need to play the part,” Zac says, and I know he’s right. I could barely pass as a Raider before my domesticated year at Unity.
“I’ll play the part,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel.
“All right. Make sure to take nova and some weapons with you.” He taps his knees. “If that is all, I’ll be hitting the road again. Tell Buck we’re even when you see him.”
Once he leaves, Josh and I go to find the rest. We reachFrankie’s Repairs and Science Things,where River holds Timothy next to Frankie’s desk, the three of them examining something. They turn their heads when they notice us approaching, and Timothy asks, “Did you speak with Dino?”
“Yes. He wasn’t happy, but he understood there isn’t a better way.”
“Based on your heart rate, you’re clearly lying,” Timothy says, and I can’t help but feel like I’m letting him down as well. We’ve been partners for the last year, sharing the burden of my workuntil it turned into ourwork. “Well, at least we were able to make this for you.”
Frankie clears his throat. “It was me who did over ninety percent of the work, but I am willing to share the credit.” He raises a necklace with a vial pendant that holds a yellow liquid.
I walk closer to examine it. “How did you get one of them into such a small thing?”
“The necklace itself is hollow,” Frankie says, “so part of the substance remains there.”
I take the necklace. It’s heavier than it seems, but it should feel fine around my neck. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes.” It’s the voice of a woman, faint but clear.
“Are you comfortable inside?”
“I do not measure sensations by comfort, but I do have sufficient space to exist.”
“Hmm, good. Are you sure that Hector won’t be able to sense you?”
