“Because we shouldn’t be,” Rae stated icily. “We should be fighting this. Destroying what they built, saving those kids—”
“Continue cutting the branches while the roots thrive,” the rose said, her eyes shifting to the mountains.
He watched her for a long time before his eyes found mine. “We left well enough alone—”
“Everett,” the daffodil argued.
“He’s right, Rae. I understand that you have a stake in this, but the last time we did this, all we did was drive them deeper underground. We rid the world of half a dozen when we could have rid the world of hundreds had we been a little more patient, but we couldn’t handle it.”
“They are torturing kids!” she snarled. “Children! They are doing to them what they did to us. Jack,” she went on, turning to her little prince. “He’s a part of this. He’s out there ruining other people’s lives while we, what? Chase other targets? Go on other assignments, letting him rape other girls?”
Jacky boy turned to me. “It’s been three years. How much patience are you expecting us to have?”
“All of it,” I said evenly. “If you want the innocence to survive this little ordeal, and I know how much you people do love innocence, you will continue to be patient. You will continueto wait, and you will not speak a word of this anywhere with speakers, trackers, or cameras. This includes Big Brother, or as you all love to call them, father dearest and dear Uncle.”
The cub straightened. “Why? They should know about this.”
“Sorry, little cub, this is one of those secrets we have to keep, and if I think any of you are going to waltz right back into the building and tattle,” I chuckled, “I’ll slit your throat before you leave the alley.”
The little mouse looked over to the daffodil, her expression shifting while the men stewed in their own anger. “Rae,” she said after a few seconds.
The yellow flower of fire continued to glare, her blue eyes burning with a rage I knew all too well.
“Rae,” she tried again, taking her hand.
The daffodil sneered and looked over, her expression softening.
“He’s right. We have to let him do this.”
I straightened, shocked that it was the mouse that spoke first.
Jacky boy looked over. “What are you saying, Emily?”
Her hand only tightened around the daffodil’s. “He’s been doing this for years. Going AWOL, showing up at our places, taunting us, but still always showing up when we needed him.”
My lip curled. She mistook convenience for kindness.
“He says he has a source—”
“Who histargethas already broken beyond recognition.”
“No,” the rose said, her voice clear, her eyes still trained on me. “Not beyond recognition.” She looked over to the other flower. “He’s using her for information. She’s not lost, she’s just…locked away.”
“In Wonderland, some might say,” I hummed, earning many glares.
“He’s using her to get the information he needs to finish this.” She turned to me. “You said that the ace was ready to playon December 19th. You urged us not to intervene, and I had them turn the plane around because of that. That’s when things started taking a turn, right? It went from watching to acting.”
I angled my head. “Not long after that was my first session with her.”
“Session,” the daffodil breathed out. “They havesessions.”
“You have to trust him,” the rose said as the daffodil turned away.
“And why should we trust you?” the hound asked the rose. “You’re barely a babe in this world. At least Rae went through the program and Emily knows she can’t crack it out here, but you?” she asked, angling her head. “You were nothing before you met Everett.”
My eyes shifted to the mountains. His eyes were a raging storm, but his body was calm. He made no move to stand up for his collared girl.
Probably because he knew the same thing I did.
