“Jasper’s dad is arranging cover stories—extended internship for Jasper with his father’s company, research fellowship for Dredyn, family emergency for Talon. Mara, you’re harder. The President’s daughter going missing will make national news.”
“Let my father explain why his daughter chose to disappear rather than come home. Let him deal with the questions.”
Dredyn turns in his seat to look at me.
“You sure about this? Once we get on that plane, there’s no going back. You’ll be giving up everything—your family, your name, your future.”
“I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything.” I smile. “You three are my family now, my future. Everything else is just noise.”
“We don’t deserve you.”
“You’re right, you don’t. You deserve better, but you’re stuck with me anyway.”
Talon laughs, then winces. “Don’t make me laugh … Hurts.”
“Then don’t be ridiculous.” I brush hair off his forehead. He’s sweating—feverish. “We need to go faster. He needs that doctor.”
“Twenty minutes out.” Beck checks his mirror.
Finally, Beck turns off the highway onto a dirt road, toward the safe house.
The door opens before we’ve even stopped. A college-aged student opens the door with a bag in his hand.
“Get him inside. Quickly.”
They move Talon between them and I follow, holding his hand, refusing to let go even when the doctor needs space to work.
“Out,” he orders. “All of you except one. I need room to work.”
I stay as the doctor works in silence. Talon grits his teeth through most of it, only crying out when the guy probes inside the wound for fragments.
“You’re lucky. Another inch to the right and you’d have a collapsed lung. As it is, you’ll heal. Keep it clean, take the fucking antibiotics, and don’t call me again, Talon.”
Talon chuckles. “Best med student I know.”
“Yeah. Sure. Also, no strenuous activity for six weeks minimum.”
“Six weeks?” Talon protests.
“Unless you want infection, sepsis, and possible death—yes. Six weeks.”
The doctor finishes his work, packs up his supplies, and leaves.
Talon’s asleep now—the doctor gave him something for the pain—so I move into the kitchen where I find Beck, Dredyn, and Jasper. They’ve all cleaned up and are in new clothes.
“Plane leaves in three hours—private airfield, twenty minutes from here. I’ve got your documents, money, and new lives in a folder on the table.”
“And then what?” Dredyn asks.
“And then you disappear. You become different people. You live quietly, carefully, and hope the Syndicate has bigger problems than hunting down three kids who killed one of their leaders.”
“Do they? Have bigger problems?”
Beck considers this. “Edmund and the stranger will want revenge. But they also have a power vacuum to deal with. James’s seat is empty so there will be infighting, succession battles. It’ll buy you time. How much, I can’t say.”
“What about you? They’ll know you helped.”
“They’ll suspect, but I’m good at covering my tracks. And besides …” He grins, and it’s the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him. “I’m just a tech guy who likes a challenge. They’d have to prove I was involved. Good luck with that.”
