“Physically yes, mentally is another story.” I lied. I had no idea what the status of my nerve damage was, but there was no sense in worrying about itnow.
“What are you doing outhere?”
I sighed and held up the burner phone. “Your house is bugged, and ourphones.”
He nodded, seeming unfazed. “Ifigured.”
Oh.
“And… you were right. They stole it and are keeping it for themselves,” I admitted, my whole body sick as I said those words. The country I fought for, the country I believed in and trusted to protect its people had failedme.
Damien looked at me with those arresting blue eyes. “You know, that’s one of the things I like about you. Your eagerness to believe the best inpeople.”
I blushed. He kept saying he liked me and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. All I knew was that it was hard to look at him and not feel like a stupid girl, with stupid girlyemotions.
Oh, Kit, you’ve gone and done it thistime.
“Maybe we can steal it back? Santiago will help,I’ll—”
“No need. I’ve backed most everything up on a cloud server they won’t know about, and Jeremy probably has 99 percent of the datamemorized.”
“Oh. You seemed so mad before, I thought they’d takeneverything.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “That was for show. So they would go in confidence that they’d gotten itall.”
I nodded. “And throwing thechair?”
He chuckled and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “That time I was really pissed off. We can’t stay here now that it’s bugged, and the move is upsetting Jer. He likes things to stay the same. Change is hard forhim.”
I’d noticed that. Poor guy. He was brilliant and yet seemed to be hindered by his own mind. “So you’removing?”
He stepped closer to me. “We’removing. You’re coming with me, right? I’m still payingyou.”
For some reason, relief spread throughout my body. “It’s not about the money. Full disclosure, I won’t be able to go into the Dream Wars for six days until I’vehealed.”
He shrugged. “Then we don’t sleep for sixdays.”
My eyes bugged. “No, my team will take you in. You guys can sleep, and I’ll join you in sixdays.”
He shook his head. “I heard you had a team motto that you guys don’t splitup.”
I groaned. “Well obviously we break that for specialoccasions.”
Staying up for six days was going to mean coffee and stims, and being a bitch from hell. No one wanted to willingly dothat.
“We’ll talk about it at the new house. You’re coming,right?”
“My team and I are still with you.” Now more than ever. If the government thought they could keep this band from the people, they had another thingcoming.
Relief spread across hisface.
“All right, why don’t you go home and pack a bag. Let’s meet back here in a couple hours, and then you guys can follow me to the newhouse.”
I simplynodded.
What the hell had I gotten myself into? I was packing a bag to run away from a house that was bugged by theFBI.
My mom would get a kick out ofthis.
