The Operator
Page 72
Silas sat unmoving, his need to find Peri growing stronger. If he wasn’t there to remind her of who she wanted to be, she would turn to Bill when she ran out of options. In the meantime, Jack would be filling her head with lies, luring her not only with the chance to remember her drafts, but also with some of her past that had been erased.
He looked at Allen and Harmony, knowing his assets lay there, thin as they were. Allen was eager to give a little back if Bill was the end goal, but so bruised and beaten that he’d be little help. Harmony wasn’t a team player—unless the team was doing what she wanted. He’d have to rely on chancy intel and even more chancy follow-through. It would take all of them—and put more than Harmony’s career at risk.
Silas took a deep breath and slowly exhaled; limited options or not, he had only action. “I have to get out of here,” he said softly, and Harmony looked up from her yogurt. “I have to get to Peri before she goes into withdrawal and contacts Bill.”
“Like they’re going to let you anywhere near the door.” Allen licked the pastry frosting from his fingers. “You don’t even know where she is.”
Harmony glanced at their guard and leaned over the table. “You’re kidding, right? Steiner has the Evocane locked up tighter than his daughter’s virginity.”
He stiffened, not liking their disbelief. It was too close to his own estimations. “I have a pretty good idea of where she might be. You going to help or not?”
Harmony flung a hand in the air, letting it fall heavily on the table in disbelief. “Peri Reed just busted Steiner up. Killed three men. My career is over; I’m not killing it twice.”
“Jack killed those three men, not Peri,” Silas said quickly. “She shot two men in the shoulder and ran. That’s all she wants. To be left alone. That was all she ever wanted.”
“Until she met up with Jack and they took off together.” Allen shook his head. “She’s gone, Silas.”
Silas forced his hands flat on the table so they wouldn’t turn into fists. Allen always was one to give up on her. “She’s gone, but she’s not gone back to Bill. And she won’t if she has half a choice,” he added when Allen cleared his throat. “Steiner put her on a kill list because of me,” he said, the guilt bringing his eyes down. “Because I couldn’t figure this out fast enough and she had no choice but to run or be put in his cell, knowing there was only one week between her and dying from withdrawal. This is my fault.”
Harmony was silent. Beside her, Allen shifted uneasily, clearly still hurting. “I told you, I can’t get to the Evocane,” Harmony finally said. “The accelerator, maybe, but not Evocane.”
“I don’t need it,” Silas said, scrambling to find a justification for them to risk their lives to help him get back to Peri. “Bill was right. I can’t duplicate the Evocane, but the more I dig into it, the more I think I don’t have to. She hasn’t been accelerated, so all I have to do is create something that addresses the addictive properties, a substitute to handle the withdrawal. She has no choice. Don’t you see that? Let me give her one.”
“She can have any choice, as long as it’s the one you want?” Allen said bitterly. “Let her go, Silas. Maybe this is who she is.”
Something very close to hatred trickled through Silas. “I’m not turning my back on her again. Evocane or no Evocane, I’m getting out of here. I’m going to find her, and I’m going to keep her alive. Are you going to help me or not?”
“Fine. But I want you to take the accelerator, too,” Allen said as he wiped his fingers on his napkin.
Silas’s lip curled. “To give to Peri? No. It’s poison.”
Allen tossed his wadded-up napkin aside. “So much for choice.”
“The accelerator isn’t a choice, it’s madness,” Silas said.
“And forgetting isn’t?” Allen leaned forward, hunched over his plate. “That hallucination you put in her to cover up your mistake isn’t madness?”
Silas exhaled, putting his hands under the table to hide them.
“You know, if you have it, Steiner can’t force it on the next drafter he finds,” Harmony said, and Silas eased back. He could do that, and it might even be helpful in creating an Evocane substitute.
“Fine. I’ll take the accelerator,” he said softly. “How long until you can get it?”
The two men looked expectantly at her, and Harmony hesitated. “Ahhh, what the hell,” she finally whispered. “A few hours, maybe?”
Elation filled him, and his eyes closed in a long blink of relief. He wouldn’t let her be forced into something because he failed. He would find her, keep her from suffering through withdrawal. But what scared him most was Jack, filling her head with the memory of when she was strong, bulletproof, and more vulnerable to manipulation than a two-year-old child.
He would risk everything for her. All Peri needed was time.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
The smooth, lithe arm lying over Bill’s moved fitfully, pulling up and away as Susanne turned over. Bill’s eyes opened at the flush of cooler air on his backside. A faint glow had lit the bedroom, and an accompanying hum came from the bedside table. “Bill, get your phone,” the woman complained. “I have to be up in an hour.”
Groggy, he rolled to the edge of his bed, dragging the covers with him. She pulled them back when he squinted at the phone to read the name in a faint, holographic print. Jack? he thought, surprised the anchor had gotten himself to a phone already. He hadn’t expected to hear from him for at least a week. Maybe WEFT had believed him and given him some freedom. Idiots.
Eyes closed, he flopped back onto the pillow and thumbed the connection open. “Jack?” he breathed. “It’s five in the morning.”
“I’m with Peri,” came faintly through the line, the sound of water running in the background telling Bill that Jack wasn’t on a secure line. “She pulled me out of WEFT custody.”
“You escaped together?” His eyes flicked open as Susanne flung the covers aside and stomped to the bathroom, her black negligee showing off her pale limbs in the dim light. “Fabulous. Wipe her and get back here. You need funds? Assets?” he asked, watching the light coming in under the bathroom door.
He looked at Allen and Harmony, knowing his assets lay there, thin as they were. Allen was eager to give a little back if Bill was the end goal, but so bruised and beaten that he’d be little help. Harmony wasn’t a team player—unless the team was doing what she wanted. He’d have to rely on chancy intel and even more chancy follow-through. It would take all of them—and put more than Harmony’s career at risk.
Silas took a deep breath and slowly exhaled; limited options or not, he had only action. “I have to get out of here,” he said softly, and Harmony looked up from her yogurt. “I have to get to Peri before she goes into withdrawal and contacts Bill.”
“Like they’re going to let you anywhere near the door.” Allen licked the pastry frosting from his fingers. “You don’t even know where she is.”
Harmony glanced at their guard and leaned over the table. “You’re kidding, right? Steiner has the Evocane locked up tighter than his daughter’s virginity.”
He stiffened, not liking their disbelief. It was too close to his own estimations. “I have a pretty good idea of where she might be. You going to help or not?”
Harmony flung a hand in the air, letting it fall heavily on the table in disbelief. “Peri Reed just busted Steiner up. Killed three men. My career is over; I’m not killing it twice.”
“Jack killed those three men, not Peri,” Silas said quickly. “She shot two men in the shoulder and ran. That’s all she wants. To be left alone. That was all she ever wanted.”
“Until she met up with Jack and they took off together.” Allen shook his head. “She’s gone, Silas.”
Silas forced his hands flat on the table so they wouldn’t turn into fists. Allen always was one to give up on her. “She’s gone, but she’s not gone back to Bill. And she won’t if she has half a choice,” he added when Allen cleared his throat. “Steiner put her on a kill list because of me,” he said, the guilt bringing his eyes down. “Because I couldn’t figure this out fast enough and she had no choice but to run or be put in his cell, knowing there was only one week between her and dying from withdrawal. This is my fault.”
Harmony was silent. Beside her, Allen shifted uneasily, clearly still hurting. “I told you, I can’t get to the Evocane,” Harmony finally said. “The accelerator, maybe, but not Evocane.”
“I don’t need it,” Silas said, scrambling to find a justification for them to risk their lives to help him get back to Peri. “Bill was right. I can’t duplicate the Evocane, but the more I dig into it, the more I think I don’t have to. She hasn’t been accelerated, so all I have to do is create something that addresses the addictive properties, a substitute to handle the withdrawal. She has no choice. Don’t you see that? Let me give her one.”
“She can have any choice, as long as it’s the one you want?” Allen said bitterly. “Let her go, Silas. Maybe this is who she is.”
Something very close to hatred trickled through Silas. “I’m not turning my back on her again. Evocane or no Evocane, I’m getting out of here. I’m going to find her, and I’m going to keep her alive. Are you going to help me or not?”
“Fine. But I want you to take the accelerator, too,” Allen said as he wiped his fingers on his napkin.
Silas’s lip curled. “To give to Peri? No. It’s poison.”
Allen tossed his wadded-up napkin aside. “So much for choice.”
“The accelerator isn’t a choice, it’s madness,” Silas said.
“And forgetting isn’t?” Allen leaned forward, hunched over his plate. “That hallucination you put in her to cover up your mistake isn’t madness?”
Silas exhaled, putting his hands under the table to hide them.
“You know, if you have it, Steiner can’t force it on the next drafter he finds,” Harmony said, and Silas eased back. He could do that, and it might even be helpful in creating an Evocane substitute.
“Fine. I’ll take the accelerator,” he said softly. “How long until you can get it?”
The two men looked expectantly at her, and Harmony hesitated. “Ahhh, what the hell,” she finally whispered. “A few hours, maybe?”
Elation filled him, and his eyes closed in a long blink of relief. He wouldn’t let her be forced into something because he failed. He would find her, keep her from suffering through withdrawal. But what scared him most was Jack, filling her head with the memory of when she was strong, bulletproof, and more vulnerable to manipulation than a two-year-old child.
He would risk everything for her. All Peri needed was time.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
The smooth, lithe arm lying over Bill’s moved fitfully, pulling up and away as Susanne turned over. Bill’s eyes opened at the flush of cooler air on his backside. A faint glow had lit the bedroom, and an accompanying hum came from the bedside table. “Bill, get your phone,” the woman complained. “I have to be up in an hour.”
Groggy, he rolled to the edge of his bed, dragging the covers with him. She pulled them back when he squinted at the phone to read the name in a faint, holographic print. Jack? he thought, surprised the anchor had gotten himself to a phone already. He hadn’t expected to hear from him for at least a week. Maybe WEFT had believed him and given him some freedom. Idiots.
Eyes closed, he flopped back onto the pillow and thumbed the connection open. “Jack?” he breathed. “It’s five in the morning.”
“I’m with Peri,” came faintly through the line, the sound of water running in the background telling Bill that Jack wasn’t on a secure line. “She pulled me out of WEFT custody.”
“You escaped together?” His eyes flicked open as Susanne flung the covers aside and stomped to the bathroom, her black negligee showing off her pale limbs in the dim light. “Fabulous. Wipe her and get back here. You need funds? Assets?” he asked, watching the light coming in under the bathroom door.
