her?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “No,” he said sullenly, and Peri couldn’t tell if he was lying. “I figured if you left me a note, I should keep it to myself when Bill showed up.” He cocked his head quizzically. “The mall , Peri?”
She frowned at the accusation in his voice, shifting to try to hide Rachel setting up her . . . spell. “Does Bill still have the accelerator?” she asked, heart sinking at Jack’s flash of doubt. “Jack, if you ever trusted me, trust me now. Does he have it?”
Jack flicked a look at Rachel, then back to Peri. “Last I saw it, it was in Bill’s pocket. I doubt he’d courier it over to Opti at this hour. Why?”
Behind her, Rachel harrumphed, her lips moving as she looked over the words of power she’d scribbled on a receipt she’d found in the Mantis’s console. Peri warmed at Rachel’s low opinion of Bill. Her handler wasn’t dirty, but still . . . here she was, running an elaborate plan to find out for sure, half done and vulnerable.
Seeing her flustered and confused, Jack took her hand. “What is it, Peri?”
Peri sat beside him, the soft mattress pushing them together. “I need to see it,” she lied. “I think it’s fake. That we’ve been duped.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “No . . .” he breathed, his head jerking up when Rachel reached out, wanting his hand.
“Can I have your finger, please?”
Jack didn’t move, eyeing the finger stick in her other hand. “What for?”
“Big strong man afraid of a little poke?” Rachel mocked, and Jack’s jaw clenched.
But then his head snapped up and they all turned as Bill walked in, shoulders hunched and looking like a mobster’s thug even in his two-thousand-dollar suit and shiny dress shoes.
“This sort of complicates things.” Rachel made a fist, hiding her finger stick and backing up to the poured wine on the desktop.
Bill shut the door with his foot, never taking his eyes from them. “You look taller than the tapes suggest.” The door clicked shut. “What were you doing at the mall with Peri?”
Peri lifted her chin, thinking fast. “She told me the accelerator was fake. Is it?”
Bill’s thick hand touched his breast pocket. “No. It’s real. Where are you from?”
He was talking to Rachel, and the woman sat on the desktop, arms over her chest. It made her look vulnerable, but Peri knew it was to free her feet to slam into someone. “Cincinnati,” she said shortly.
“Really. Let’s find out for sure.” Bill reached for her, blind to Rachel’s foot coming up.
It struck Bill’s arm, and he pulled back, hissing in anger. But Rachel had moved, spinning to the center of the room and landing a back kick square in his gut.
Bellowing, Bill went crashing into the wall and slid to the floor.
“What are you doing!” Jack exclaimed, standing aghast beside the bed.
“You should have let me stick your finger,” Rachel said, then punched him.
Silent but clearly shocked, Jack fell back onto the bed, his hands drenched in the blood streaming from his broken nose. The white sheets went crimson. “Jack!” Peri cried, reaching to help him, and Rachel spun, her entire weight focused on her knee as it landed on Bill before he could get up, knocking the breath out of him.
“Excuse me,” Rachel sang lightly, Bill’s eyes going murderous as she plucked the accelerator from his pocket.
“Bill, I can explain,” Peri gushed as Rachel smeared Jack’s blood on the accelerator and dropped it into the wineglass. White wine tinted pink, and Rachel turned, eyes alight.
“I don’t think you can,” Bill said, and Peri gasped, seeing the Glock in Bill’s grip. It was pointed at her. “But you have three seconds to try.”
“Bill.” Peri looked at Rachel, knowing she wouldn’t leave without Jenks.
“One,” Bill intoned, the muzzle never wavering as he got to his feet, hunched like a bear.
“It’s not what it looks like. She said the accelerator was fake. I
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “No,” he said sullenly, and Peri couldn’t tell if he was lying. “I figured if you left me a note, I should keep it to myself when Bill showed up.” He cocked his head quizzically. “The mall , Peri?”
She frowned at the accusation in his voice, shifting to try to hide Rachel setting up her . . . spell. “Does Bill still have the accelerator?” she asked, heart sinking at Jack’s flash of doubt. “Jack, if you ever trusted me, trust me now. Does he have it?”
Jack flicked a look at Rachel, then back to Peri. “Last I saw it, it was in Bill’s pocket. I doubt he’d courier it over to Opti at this hour. Why?”
Behind her, Rachel harrumphed, her lips moving as she looked over the words of power she’d scribbled on a receipt she’d found in the Mantis’s console. Peri warmed at Rachel’s low opinion of Bill. Her handler wasn’t dirty, but still . . . here she was, running an elaborate plan to find out for sure, half done and vulnerable.
Seeing her flustered and confused, Jack took her hand. “What is it, Peri?”
Peri sat beside him, the soft mattress pushing them together. “I need to see it,” she lied. “I think it’s fake. That we’ve been duped.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “No . . .” he breathed, his head jerking up when Rachel reached out, wanting his hand.
“Can I have your finger, please?”
Jack didn’t move, eyeing the finger stick in her other hand. “What for?”
“Big strong man afraid of a little poke?” Rachel mocked, and Jack’s jaw clenched.
But then his head snapped up and they all turned as Bill walked in, shoulders hunched and looking like a mobster’s thug even in his two-thousand-dollar suit and shiny dress shoes.
“This sort of complicates things.” Rachel made a fist, hiding her finger stick and backing up to the poured wine on the desktop.
Bill shut the door with his foot, never taking his eyes from them. “You look taller than the tapes suggest.” The door clicked shut. “What were you doing at the mall with Peri?”
Peri lifted her chin, thinking fast. “She told me the accelerator was fake. Is it?”
Bill’s thick hand touched his breast pocket. “No. It’s real. Where are you from?”
He was talking to Rachel, and the woman sat on the desktop, arms over her chest. It made her look vulnerable, but Peri knew it was to free her feet to slam into someone. “Cincinnati,” she said shortly.
“Really. Let’s find out for sure.” Bill reached for her, blind to Rachel’s foot coming up.
It struck Bill’s arm, and he pulled back, hissing in anger. But Rachel had moved, spinning to the center of the room and landing a back kick square in his gut.
Bellowing, Bill went crashing into the wall and slid to the floor.
“What are you doing!” Jack exclaimed, standing aghast beside the bed.
“You should have let me stick your finger,” Rachel said, then punched him.
Silent but clearly shocked, Jack fell back onto the bed, his hands drenched in the blood streaming from his broken nose. The white sheets went crimson. “Jack!” Peri cried, reaching to help him, and Rachel spun, her entire weight focused on her knee as it landed on Bill before he could get up, knocking the breath out of him.
“Excuse me,” Rachel sang lightly, Bill’s eyes going murderous as she plucked the accelerator from his pocket.
“Bill, I can explain,” Peri gushed as Rachel smeared Jack’s blood on the accelerator and dropped it into the wineglass. White wine tinted pink, and Rachel turned, eyes alight.
“I don’t think you can,” Bill said, and Peri gasped, seeing the Glock in Bill’s grip. It was pointed at her. “But you have three seconds to try.”
“Bill.” Peri looked at Rachel, knowing she wouldn’t leave without Jenks.
“One,” Bill intoned, the muzzle never wavering as he got to his feet, hunched like a bear.
“It’s not what it looks like. She said the accelerator was fake. I
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