Read Online No Return (The Internal Defense Series) by Zoe Cannon - Free Book Online
Authors: Zoe Cannon
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short notice.”
“Tell me what made you suspicious.”
“A couple of months ago, she disappeared. Her contact assumed she had been arrested. Then, two weeks ago, she came back, and had her contact set her up with a new identity and a new place to live. She said the Enforcers had come for her, but that she managed to get away in time and go into hiding. She claimed she hadn’t been in touch because she wanted to cut off all contact with the resistance until she was sure it was safe. But I haven’t found a way to confirm her story. And she’s the right age for reeducation.” Meri squeezed her lips into a single chalky line.
Maybe this girl had told her contact the truth. Maybe she had simply been lucky enough to get away at the last second.
Maybe Becca was about to order the execution of an innocent person.
But if she wasn’t innocent…
The stakes were too high. She couldn’t risk it.
Jameson wouldn’t have risked it.
“It’s enough,” she told Meri, trying to ignore the other woman’s tension. “Tell me how to find her.”
“I couldn’t find any record of her arrest. If Internal sent her to a reeducation center, wouldn’t her file be in the system?”
Maybe she was never arrested.
Maybe she’s innocent.
Becca shook her head. “That could mean anything. For all we know, Internal deleted the record so we wouldn’t find it.” She sighed. “You’re going to have to tell me who she is eventually, Meri. Let’s get it over with so we can both be done with this.”
“You mean so you can kill her.”
Becca didn’t allow herself to flinch at the word. “You know how this has to work.”
Meri nodded. “I know. I know what we’re going to have to do when we find them. But what if we’re wrong?” She turned to Becca with anguished eyes. “She’s one of my people, Becca. It doesn’t matter that we’ve never met. She’s in my network. You know what that means to me.”
“I know.” Out of all the core members, Meri had the largest network by far, and she saw them all as her family. She loved them with a ferocity that more than equaled Sean’s passion for the ideals of the resistance or Alia’s desire to protect the innocent.
“I know,” Becca repeated. “But if we don’t stop the spies, it won’t be just one person in danger. It will be everyone in your network.”
“You don’t have to teach me about sacrificing one life to save others.” Meri’s voice grew sharper. “You should remember which of us thought up the plan for the liberation. But shouldn’t we wait until we’re certain? Isn’t the life of a resistance member worth that much?”
“You came to me because you saw a threat,” Becca reminded her.
“I came to you because I know how important this is. I thought you needed to have all the information. And I still do—which is why I’m asking you to wait. Let me try to find out more. Let me be sure before we do anything we can’t take back.”
Just let me take care of this and be done. “Every day we wait is another day she could do more damage.”
“There’s not much she can do right now,” said Meri. “She only knows three other resistance members—and if she’s a spy, they’re already lost no matter what we do.”
Maybe Meri was right. Maybe another couple of days, another couple of weeks, wouldn’t make a difference.
Becca had already lost one person this week. Maybe she didn’t have to lose anyone else.
But she was making excuses, and she knew it.
And the resistance didn’t need a leader who couldn’t do what had to be done.
“Give me the name,” she said. Soft. Gentle. Inexorable.
“Just listen first,” said Meri. “Let me tell you about her. Maybe then you’ll understand.”
There wasn’t any point. The situation would be the same either way. Listening to whatever Meri had to say would only make it harder.
Becca needed to tell her to stop. To give this up.
She didn’t.
“She’s sixteen years old,” said Meri.
“Tell me what made you suspicious.”
“A couple of months ago, she disappeared. Her contact assumed she had been arrested. Then, two weeks ago, she came back, and had her contact set her up with a new identity and a new place to live. She said the Enforcers had come for her, but that she managed to get away in time and go into hiding. She claimed she hadn’t been in touch because she wanted to cut off all contact with the resistance until she was sure it was safe. But I haven’t found a way to confirm her story. And she’s the right age for reeducation.” Meri squeezed her lips into a single chalky line.
Maybe this girl had told her contact the truth. Maybe she had simply been lucky enough to get away at the last second.
Maybe Becca was about to order the execution of an innocent person.
But if she wasn’t innocent…
The stakes were too high. She couldn’t risk it.
Jameson wouldn’t have risked it.
“It’s enough,” she told Meri, trying to ignore the other woman’s tension. “Tell me how to find her.”
“I couldn’t find any record of her arrest. If Internal sent her to a reeducation center, wouldn’t her file be in the system?”
Maybe she was never arrested.
Maybe she’s innocent.
Becca shook her head. “That could mean anything. For all we know, Internal deleted the record so we wouldn’t find it.” She sighed. “You’re going to have to tell me who she is eventually, Meri. Let’s get it over with so we can both be done with this.”
“You mean so you can kill her.”
Becca didn’t allow herself to flinch at the word. “You know how this has to work.”
Meri nodded. “I know. I know what we’re going to have to do when we find them. But what if we’re wrong?” She turned to Becca with anguished eyes. “She’s one of my people, Becca. It doesn’t matter that we’ve never met. She’s in my network. You know what that means to me.”
“I know.” Out of all the core members, Meri had the largest network by far, and she saw them all as her family. She loved them with a ferocity that more than equaled Sean’s passion for the ideals of the resistance or Alia’s desire to protect the innocent.
“I know,” Becca repeated. “But if we don’t stop the spies, it won’t be just one person in danger. It will be everyone in your network.”
“You don’t have to teach me about sacrificing one life to save others.” Meri’s voice grew sharper. “You should remember which of us thought up the plan for the liberation. But shouldn’t we wait until we’re certain? Isn’t the life of a resistance member worth that much?”
“You came to me because you saw a threat,” Becca reminded her.
“I came to you because I know how important this is. I thought you needed to have all the information. And I still do—which is why I’m asking you to wait. Let me try to find out more. Let me be sure before we do anything we can’t take back.”
Just let me take care of this and be done. “Every day we wait is another day she could do more damage.”
“There’s not much she can do right now,” said Meri. “She only knows three other resistance members—and if she’s a spy, they’re already lost no matter what we do.”
Maybe Meri was right. Maybe another couple of days, another couple of weeks, wouldn’t make a difference.
Becca had already lost one person this week. Maybe she didn’t have to lose anyone else.
But she was making excuses, and she knew it.
And the resistance didn’t need a leader who couldn’t do what had to be done.
“Give me the name,” she said. Soft. Gentle. Inexorable.
“Just listen first,” said Meri. “Let me tell you about her. Maybe then you’ll understand.”
There wasn’t any point. The situation would be the same either way. Listening to whatever Meri had to say would only make it harder.
Becca needed to tell her to stop. To give this up.
She didn’t.
“She’s sixteen years old,” said Meri.
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