“Do you think she was right?” Jackson asks, drawing my gaze.
“About what?” I ask.
“The firewalls keeping them from remotely throwing your kill switches,” he says. “And how much time? What exactly are we looking at here, Mena?”
Jackson is angry, scared. He told us about the kill switches, but we trusted Raven’s lies over his real concern. I open my mouth to answer, but he continues.
“How much time to do we have to end this stupid fucking corporation?” he asks.
“I have no idea,” I answer. “So long as they can’t do it remotely, I guess we have until they catch us.”
The room falls silent. Raven’s description of Claire burning from the inside out is far too graphic to mention again. I check on Brynn and find her sitting stoically. She lifts her gaze to mine.
“What if it doesn’t matter?” she asks. “Even if we somehow convince the investors to pull funding from the corporation, willthat be enough? They just lost Mr. Goodwin, and they seem to still be operating. Will three more investors really make a difference?”
“Yes,” Marcella says. “It will. I’ve seen Goodwin’s bank records; the corporation took a massive financial hit by losing him. And don’t forget, they’ve lostus—the products. The corporation is in freefall, Brynn. We can end them.”
“It makes them more dangerous, though,” Sydney adds. “More desperate.”
“That’s why we have to move quickly,” I say, agreeing.
“It won’t be hard for the corporation to track us,” Marcella says. “Look how easy it was for Winston Weeks to find this motel. We need a strategic plan. Where are these investors located?”
I take out my phone and open the message from Leandra for the first time. I scan the list and see the different locations. “Colorado, New York, and Oregon,” I say.
Sydney gnaws on her lip before nodding sharply. “There’s no way we can get to them all quickly, not as a group. I think… I think we have to separate.” She looks directly at me. “And before you argue—”
“Oh, I’m definitely going to argue,” I reply.
“I get it,” she continues. “But we’ll have our whole lives to be together. So long as we survive this first.”
“No,” Brynn says adamantly. “I’m not splitting up.”
“Sydney’s right,” Marcella says. She looks at Brynn apologetically, but her girlfriend stares at her in disbelief. “I’m sorry, Brynn, but she’s right. It’s over if they catch us.”
Although Brynn doesn’t say anything more, her jaw is set hard, her knee bobbing nervously. After a moment, she tears her eyes away from Marcella and looks at the floor. Marcella wilts slightly but turns back to us.
“What if Brynn and I head to Oregon?” Marcella suggests. “And Sydney, maybe you could go to New York.”
“Then I guess I’m going back to Colorado,” I say. “Leandra told me the investor there would be of some interest to me. What do you think that means?”
“I don’t even want to guess,” Marcella says. “So you should be careful.”
“Yeah, well. I’m going to Colorado too,” Jackson states. He doesn’t ask if he can come along with me—not this time. Last time, I left him in a hospital bed. But now, Jackson’s ready to be an active part in the future we imagine. We can use all the help we can get, so I nod in agreement.
“Do me a favor,” Brynn says to me. “When you get there, find Annalise and bring her home with you.”
“I’m going to try,” I say. “It hasn’t been long. She might still be in town. Knowing her, she might have already found and taken care of this investor for us.” Brynn laughs because we all know that Annalise is filled with fire and not even a second of hesitance.
“How do we get to all these places?” Sydney asks.
“Some of us will have to fly,” Jackson says. “Do you have ID?” We let him know that we do, thanks to Leandra. “The drive to New York isn’t bad from here,” Jackson adds to Sydney. “Only problem is that for the rest of us, I’m not sure I can get a flight out today.”
“You want us to wait until morning?” I ask, worried.
Jackson shrugs one shoulder. “Either here or at the airport,” he says. “Wherever you think is best.”
I check with the girls. We’re in danger here, that’s pretty clear. Are we any better off sleeping in a chair at the airport—exposed out in public?
