something he hadnât done in years, and she slowly brought her hands up around his shoulders.
âBut Iâm ready now,â Dylan said.
Meredith smiled weakly and forced herself to hold back the tears she would later cry alone, after he was gone. Dylan pulled away and had the distinct sense that she did not want to let go. That, for Dylan, was enough. He knew. In her own unusual way, she had loved him always.
The small army of single-pulse drifters, including the big Samoan, Semana, were lined up in a row in the center of the warehouse. Behind them, Hawk and Faith and Clooger stood before the vehicle that would carry them to their destination.
âWhere are they going?â Semana asked Meredith as they walked past. All seven of the single-pulse drifters were curious about what was going on, but only Semana had the nerve to ask Meredith outright. Of course she didnât answer. Instead she walked up to Clooger and kissed him on the lips, touched his face, looked a little bit confused by the missing beard.
âYou said no more secrets, right?â Meredith said. âThis is what no more secrets looks like. Deal with it.â
âSaw that coming a mile away,â Hawk whispered to Faith.
âSure you did.â Faith nudged Hawk on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. He was still a scrawny guy, even with the protein bars heâd been devouring and the push-ups heâd been doing.
Clooger pulled Meredith away from the rest of the group. âYouâre sure we shouldnât tell them the rest?â
âWhat would be the point? They wouldnât understand, and it wouldnât further the mission. They know exactly as much as they need to know. Nothing more, nothing less.â
Clooger nodded, though there was a part of him that didnât understand at all. He let it pass, touched her on the cheek, and turned away.
âShotgun,â Hawk said, already opening the door of a vehicle that looked an awful lot like a Humvee.
âWe can really get there in six hours?â Dylan asked Hawk as he climbed into the backseat next to Faith.
âThis thing is nuclear. Trust me, weâll be fine.â
The windows were down, and Faith jumped a little bit as Meredith came up close and put her hand on the door. The two of them looked at each other, a sort of stare-down, and Dylan touched Faithâs hand on the seat next to him. She liked the way it felt, liked the fact the she was going away with him, away from Meredith.
âDonât do anything stupid,â Meredith said. âStick to the plan, and everything will play out the way we discussed.â
âIâm just a pawn in this thing,â Faith said, which was exactly the kind of sarcasm that worried Meredith. âWhatever you say.â
As the modified Humvee pulled forward and the garage door opened slowly, the drifters sent them off with a cheer. Night had arrived outside, but Clooger didnât turn on the headlights; he just rolled slowly out into the darkness. Glory flew across the warehouse and landed in front of the vehicle so Clooger had to stop. All the drifters were single pulses, but Glory rarely used her telekinetic power in front of others. Of course she walked to Faithâs window, no one elseâs. Faith seemed to be the target of all the advice on departure, and she couldnât decide if this made her feel extra appreciated or really pissed off.
âYou remember what I said.â Glory, like Meredith, was not one to mince words. âRevenge ainât gonna get you nowhere. You do this because you have to, not because you want to.â
Faith wanted to say Are you crazy? Killing the Quinns is the only thing I want. But she didnât. Instead she smiled winsomely, pulled Glory into a hug through the window, and let her go.
âIâll keep an eye on your parents, like I always do,â Grace said to Hawk. âTheyâll be comfortable. Theyâll be looked
Hugh Cave
Caren J. Werlinger
Jason Halstead
Lauren Blakely
Sharon Cullars
Melinda Barron
Daniela Fischerova, Neil Bermel
TASHA ALEXANDER
ADAM L PENENBERG
Susan Juby