“Don’t worry,” Rosemarie adds, picking up a cookie from the plate. She takes a bite, crumbs falling on the table. “We have a plan for Anton.”
I look up at her, wondering how she’d stop him. I’m not going to turn down the offer, though. But it occurs to me …
“How did you already know that we’d found the investor?” I ask, and glance at Leandra.
Leandra sips from her tea, taking her time.
“Winston called me last night,” Leandra says. I can feel Rosemarie’s eyes on her without even looking over. “And after he informed me of Mr. Goodwin’s identity,” she continues, “I paid the investor a visit.”
My heart nearly stops. “You went to see Mr. Goodwin?” I ask.
“Of course. I had to be sure he pulled his funding from Innovations Academy. And then I had him forward me all his information on the corporation.”
Rosemarie sits forward at the table. “Useful information?”
“Quite.” Leandra smiles at her.
“Yes, well,” Rosemarie says, picking up her cup. “Men know no loyalty except to their own power.”
“What kind of information?” I ask.
“He gave us the names of the three other investors and where to find them,” Leandra says. “But … he did ask for something in return.”
“A bargain?” Rosemarie muses. “How cute. What was this bargain?”
“He wanted me to spare his daughter’s life,” Leandra says. I push back in my chair, horrified.
“You didn’t hurt her, did you?” I demand, worried for Adrian.
Leandra looks offended. “Of course not,” she says. “I gave her a rather handsome sum of money and sent her on her way. Shehas an aunt in some”—she waves her hand—“other state. She’ll be fine. Promise.”
“You killed him?” I ask, shocked. “Winston said the corporation was murderous, but you’re just as violent.”
“Have you learned nothing?” Leandra demands, glaring at me. “Were you just going to trust Goodwin like you trusted Dr. Groger with Annalise?”
The comment hurts because she’s right. I sink farther into the chair, my thoughts growing unsure. Leandra eases away from me.
“By the time I got to his house,” she continues, her voice calmer, “Mr. Goodwin had already alerted the corporation to your presence. They’re sending the bloodhounds after you, Mena. You’re not safe here. Then again, you’re not safe anywhere.”
I’m shocked and strangely hurt. I shouldn’t have trusted the investor; she’s right. But how can society function without some basic level of trust?
Rosemarie nods sagely, her lip on the edge of her teacup as she blows on it to cool it down. Leandra sighs like she’s exhausted.
“I’m sorry I got upset,” she tells me. “You just frustrate me sometimes, Mena. You make very human decisions.”
“Which isn’t always a bad thing,” Rosemarie points out. “It’s just not useful in this scenario.”
I look between them, both of them urging me toward some future that I’m not sure I want to be part of. The simple fact is that Leandra is a murderer and I’m not. It could be what she and Rosemarie have in common, actually.
“Don’t look so scared,” Rosemarie says softly. “We have eachother, and soon, we’ll create a society run by intelligent, compassionate women—girls. Can you imagine?” she asks. “Can you imagine the safety?”
The wistfulness in Rosemarie’s voice turns to pain. “Once we’ve shown the men a better way, trained them properly, they won’t hurt us anymore,” she says. “This is just the beginning.”
“What are you planning to do?” I ask. “Start a war?”
“War?” she repeats with a laugh. “That’s a man’s game. No, Philomena. I’m developing a procedure. You see, human coding can be overwritten too, with the right tools. I just need … I just need a little more time to perfect the details. It’s going to fix men.”
Heat creeps over my neck. I know what it’s like to be controlled by men, and I won’t live under their cruelty. But I also understand that there are people like Jackson and Quentin. And men like Mr. Marsh who need a push rather than a hatchet to be a better person. She’s talking about brainwashing half the human population.
