Read Online Resistance by C. J. Daugherty - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: C. J. Daugherty
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security-conscious now. Things are very tense between Lucinda and Nathaniel. Allie …’ She leaned forward, her tawny eyes urgent. ‘We’re nearing endgame on this. She needs you close.’
Allie thought of Nicole’s sombre words. ‘ I think she is not winning. ’
Her stomach tightened.
‘Isabelle,’ she asked quietly, ‘is she losing this thing?’
There was a long pause before the headmistress replied. ‘Perhaps.’
Silence fell. Allie could hear footsteps passing in the hallway outside the door. Someone talking loudly in the distance. A door closing with a hollow thud.
‘What happens if we lose?’ She could hardly bring herself to say the words. Losing was an eventuality she’d only rarely allowed herself to contemplate, much less discuss. ‘What becomes of me and you and’ – she swung out her arm in a gesture that took in the grand gothic building around them – ‘everyone?’
‘That is still to be decided,’ the headmistress said briskly. ‘We have options. There are ways to finesse this situation and we are looking at all of them but, for now, the fight is still under way and we have to keep our focus on that. It is still possible to win.’ She shifted in her seat, leaning forward into the glow of the desk lamp. It highlighted the dark smudges under her eyes. ‘I said you weren’t safe here because that’s the truth, and I never intend to lie to you. You’ve been lied to enough. But it is also true that you would be much less safe out there. Here, at least, we can do more to protect you. And you can help us.’
‘Help with what?’ Allie asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
Isabelle held her gaze. ‘We haven’t found the person working for Nathaniel. But we’re close.’ She paused. ‘Very close. We think your presence here could help us … escalate things.’ Her tone was cold. ‘Because we have to find this person. And we have to stop them.’
Finally, Allie understood why she was back.
For months they’d struggled to figure out who was betraying them. Someone among them was feeding Nathaniel a constant stream of damaging information. This person had helped him try to burn the school down. Let in his henchman, Gabe, who’d killed Ruth and Jo. They would all have given anything to identify the spy and destroy him. But for months they’d tried and failed. And it had cost them dearly.
She straightened her spine. ‘What do you need me to do?’
‘First,’ Isabelle held up a cautioning hand, ‘you should know where things stand. While you were away we eliminated all the guards from the list of possibles.’
Stunned, Allie stared at her. ‘How? Are you certain?’
The list of suspects had long included a core group of senior guards and the top Night School instructors. Every time they’d tried to narrow down that list, they’d been stymied. The students had all hoped the spy was a guard – someone they didn’t really know. Because otherwise it meant that one of their mentors had betrayed them. And that thought was unbearable.
‘It was Raj’s plan,’ Isabelle said. ‘He removed all the guards under suspicion from the school while running a thorough background check. At the same time, he planted false information with the senior teachers about your whereabouts. That information made it to Nathaniel, who acted on it, sending a raid party to an empty house in Spain.’
‘So … one of the teachers …’ Allie couldn’t seem to complete the sentence.
‘One of our three most trusted teachers passed the false information to Nathaniel.’ Isabelle’s voice was taut. ‘Yes. Thinking you would be there. Yes. Knowing Nathaniel might kill you.’ She held her gaze. ‘Yes.’
Allie cleared her throat, which had suddenly closed. ‘So … it’s Eloise, Jerry or Zelazny, then.’
‘Yes.’
Allie felt loss. There’d been a time when she would have trusted any of those teachers with her life.
‘What do we do now?’ Her voice was low.
‘Now,’ Isabelle
Allie thought of Nicole’s sombre words. ‘ I think she is not winning. ’
Her stomach tightened.
‘Isabelle,’ she asked quietly, ‘is she losing this thing?’
There was a long pause before the headmistress replied. ‘Perhaps.’
Silence fell. Allie could hear footsteps passing in the hallway outside the door. Someone talking loudly in the distance. A door closing with a hollow thud.
‘What happens if we lose?’ She could hardly bring herself to say the words. Losing was an eventuality she’d only rarely allowed herself to contemplate, much less discuss. ‘What becomes of me and you and’ – she swung out her arm in a gesture that took in the grand gothic building around them – ‘everyone?’
‘That is still to be decided,’ the headmistress said briskly. ‘We have options. There are ways to finesse this situation and we are looking at all of them but, for now, the fight is still under way and we have to keep our focus on that. It is still possible to win.’ She shifted in her seat, leaning forward into the glow of the desk lamp. It highlighted the dark smudges under her eyes. ‘I said you weren’t safe here because that’s the truth, and I never intend to lie to you. You’ve been lied to enough. But it is also true that you would be much less safe out there. Here, at least, we can do more to protect you. And you can help us.’
‘Help with what?’ Allie asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
Isabelle held her gaze. ‘We haven’t found the person working for Nathaniel. But we’re close.’ She paused. ‘Very close. We think your presence here could help us … escalate things.’ Her tone was cold. ‘Because we have to find this person. And we have to stop them.’
Finally, Allie understood why she was back.
For months they’d struggled to figure out who was betraying them. Someone among them was feeding Nathaniel a constant stream of damaging information. This person had helped him try to burn the school down. Let in his henchman, Gabe, who’d killed Ruth and Jo. They would all have given anything to identify the spy and destroy him. But for months they’d tried and failed. And it had cost them dearly.
She straightened her spine. ‘What do you need me to do?’
‘First,’ Isabelle held up a cautioning hand, ‘you should know where things stand. While you were away we eliminated all the guards from the list of possibles.’
Stunned, Allie stared at her. ‘How? Are you certain?’
The list of suspects had long included a core group of senior guards and the top Night School instructors. Every time they’d tried to narrow down that list, they’d been stymied. The students had all hoped the spy was a guard – someone they didn’t really know. Because otherwise it meant that one of their mentors had betrayed them. And that thought was unbearable.
‘It was Raj’s plan,’ Isabelle said. ‘He removed all the guards under suspicion from the school while running a thorough background check. At the same time, he planted false information with the senior teachers about your whereabouts. That information made it to Nathaniel, who acted on it, sending a raid party to an empty house in Spain.’
‘So … one of the teachers …’ Allie couldn’t seem to complete the sentence.
‘One of our three most trusted teachers passed the false information to Nathaniel.’ Isabelle’s voice was taut. ‘Yes. Thinking you would be there. Yes. Knowing Nathaniel might kill you.’ She held her gaze. ‘Yes.’
Allie cleared her throat, which had suddenly closed. ‘So … it’s Eloise, Jerry or Zelazny, then.’
‘Yes.’
Allie felt loss. There’d been a time when she would have trusted any of those teachers with her life.
‘What do we do now?’ Her voice was low.
‘Now,’ Isabelle
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