Allie’s lips tried to form the words ‘Thank you’ but couldn’t quite manage it.
Silently ordering her legs to work properly, she made her way across the stone floor towards Nine.
He sat with a cup of tea in one hand, his eyes fixed on some green point outside.
Music played quietly in the kitchen – interchangeable pop songs Allie barely knew after so long without access to a radio.
At one table she recognised two of Raj’s guards, disguised, as she was, in jeans and unremarkable pullovers. Neither met her gaze.
Raj himself sat at the back of the room, a pint on the table in front of him, newspaper spread out, apparently absorbed. But she knew he’d be watching everything.
The thought was heartening, and she hurried her pace.
Too soon she stood in front of Moran’s table, the words she’d memorised the night before circulating in her head as if on a loop. He hadn’t seen her yet – or was hoping she’d go away.
‘Mr Moran?’ Her voice was low but clear. Steady as a rock.
His head turned slowly until he was looking at her, his hazel eyes tinged with disbelief.
Her heart stuttered.
He recognised her.
When he spoke, though, he gave nothing away. ‘Do I know you?’
The low, gravel voice was much more familiar than the face.
‘Kind of.’ Without waiting for an invitation, she slid into the seat across from him.
Strike fast, Raj had said. Use honesty as your weapon.
‘My name is Allie Sheridan. Nathaniel would like you to kidnap me. I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t.’
‘You must be joking.’ Moran’s face darkened. ‘What the hell are you playing at?’
‘I’m not playing,’ Allie assured him. ‘I’m deadly serious.’
As she talked she watched him closely. He didn’t look happy to see her but he wasn’t lashing out, either. Mostly he appeared irritated.
‘We’re in a difficult position, Mr Moran,’ she said, words that were not her own rolling out with perfect smoothness. ‘You should know that most of the people in this room are here to protect me. I’ve told them I believe we can trust you. That you’re not like Nathaniel and Gabe. They think I’m wrong. They think you’ll do something to hurt me. I hope you’ll prove them wrong and just hear me out.’
He shook his head, slowly lowering it to his hands. ‘Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?’
Allie decided to ignore this.
‘I know you can’t be seen with me. But I need two minutes,’ she said. ‘Give me one hundred and twenty seconds to convince you. Then if you want to run to your car and report this to Nathaniel, you can. We’ll be gone before he gets here.’
He let out a long sigh. For the first time since she’d sat down across from him, he met her gaze directly.
‘Please, kid. Give me some credit. If I wanted you to stay here you’d never leave.’
The thin skin of ice on his voice sent a chill of fear down Allie’s spine.
She tried not to show it. ‘Does that mean you’ll listen?’
‘First I want you to answer some questions for me.’ Rocking back on his chair, he crossed his arms, studying her with disconcerting intensity. ‘How did you find me? No, wait.’ He held up one hand before she could reply. ‘Why did you choose me in the first place? There are other guards you could have chosen to approach. I’m not exactly top of the pack.’
‘We’ve been monitoring your communication for some time,’ she said.
If this revelation surprised him he didn’t let on – his expression was steady as she continued.
‘I listened to all of you. I know Gabe Porthus was called Number One. You’re Number Nine.’ She paused. Raj had given her specific lines to say now, but she decided not to use them. Instead, she said it in her own words. ‘You seemed sane to me. The best of them all.’
He barked a humourless laugh. ‘If I seemed sane to you, you’ve got a problem, sister.’
She didn’t smile. ‘The other night, you warned me. When Nathaniel was about to grab me.’
His smile faded. ‘I’d have done that for anyone.’ His tone was brusque.
‘It was my choice to come here today. My idea to talk to you. To ask for your help. To offer to help you.’ She leaned forward. ‘The people from my school don’t think we can trust you. But I do.’
For an endless moment he held her gaze.
When he finally spoke he picked up on one part of what she’d said. ‘How the hell can you help me?’
His eyes flickered across her face. It was a diminishing look. As loudly as if it he’d shouted it, the look said, ‘You are just a kid.’
‘I can help you,’ she said evenly, ‘by getting you away from Nathaniel. And I have already helped you by getting rid of Gabe.’
‘Getting rid of…’ He stared. ‘What does that mean, exactly?’
Allie brushed back her hair to reveal the bandage on her throat.
‘Last night Gabe attacked me,’ she said. ‘He tried to kill me and another girl. A good friend of mine. I…’ Killed him. ‘He didn’t survive.’