“I’ll tell you everything you want to know, boy, and a few things you don’t. But right now we’re shy on time. Hop in.”
The side doors rolled open with an electric whirr. David, Zack, and Mia clambered into the cushioned back rows while Theo took the bucket seat up front. His toes brushed against a wooden cane. He couldn’t imagine it was Peter’s. The man boasted a powerful build beneath his blue henley shirt. He looked like he could land a few bruises on Rebel if the need arose.
The doors closed. Peter began a convoluted series of dashboard adjustments. He caught Zack’s stony glare in the rearview mirror.
“If looks were daggers, cousin, I’d be a lot shorter now.”
“Just waiting for you to explain what the hell happened. We called the number you gave us. It served us right up to Rebel.”
“Yeah. They pulled a fast one on me too. I’m just glad you guys are all right.”
“All right? Have you bothered counting us?”
“I know exactly who’s missing. We’re getting them next.”
Theo turned in his seat. “He’s right, Zack. Trust me. They’re okay. They’ll be waiting for us.”
“Waiting where?”
“The roof,” said Peter.
“The roof,” said Theo, a hair out of synch. He cast a leery glance at Peter. “You’re an augur.”
“Nope. Just a guy with good sources.” He tilted the mirror at Mia and smiled. “By the way, darlin’, it’s great to finally meet you. You’re not fat at all.”
Mia blinked at him confusedly. “What?”
“All right. We’re good to go. Strap in.”
David skeptically eyed the dashboard. “Uh, this is a Royal Seeker. If they’re on the roof—”
“Got it covered, son.”
Technically, the van was a Royal Seeker Plus. It cost twice as much as the standard model, with one key difference.
The Silvers jumped in their seats as the vehicle emitted a steamy hiss and rose six inches off the ground. The doors locked. The tires folded inward.
They went up.
—
Hannah sat against the wall, cradling Amanda in her arms while they both stared catatonically out the window. It seemed like decades, not moments, since the Pelletiers yanked Evan away to God knew where. The sisters could have been elderly women by now, a pair of doddering old crones who were as white-haired as Azral and as crazy as Esis.
As the wall clock turned to 12:04, Hannah looked to Evan’s handheld computer and saw several tiny figures bustling about on-screen. The tragic little creep hadn’t lied about the Deps. They were all over the lobby.
“Shit.” She smeared her eyes, then looked to Amanda. “We have to go.”
While Hannah spent the last minute in a dull static haze, Amanda’s thoughts stayed sharp as swords. She played the visceral images of the day on a savage loop—the two young Gothams gored by tempic spikes, the fierce man-demon with the six tempic arms, the giant tempic fist that pulled Evan screaming to Hell. There was no sense to this life. No God. Only cruelty and madness and tempis, tempis, tempis.
“Amanda . . .”
And that was exactly how the world would end again.
“Amanda, the Deps are coming. They’ll get us if we stay here.”
The widow’s deep green stare briefly came into focus. She spoke in a broken whisper.
“Go.”
Hannah shook her head, fighting tears. “Goddamn you. Don’t.”
“Run as fast as you can. They won’t catch you.”
“Don’t do this to me. You can’t give up like this.”
Amanda covered her face with trembling hands, muffling her sobs and her horrible thoughts. What does it matter, Hannah? Where will we run? Where can we possibly hide?
“This is just what Evan wanted,” Hannah cried. “He came here to break us. It’s not supposed to work on you. You’re supposed to be the strong one!”
“I can’t go through it again.”
“You think I can? You think I will? I’ll slit my wrists before I watch the sky come down again.”
“Don’t . . .”
“Don’t what? Don’t check out early? What do you think you’re doing now?”
Amanda closed her eyes. “Hannah, please . . .”
“I’m not leaving without you. You either come with me or we sit here and wait for the Deps together. I can’t imagine they’ll be nice to us, Public Enemies Number One and Two. But hey, maybe they’ll put our brains in matching jars. At least we’ll finally look alike.”
“Hannah, what do you want me to do? My leg’s broken.”
“I’ll carry you.”
“Where? How do you expect to get past them if you’re hauling me around?”
Hannah pinched her lip in busy contemplation.
“We’ll go up.”
“What?”
“You remember when we woke up Theo at the parade? He was all confused and thought he was picking us up from the roof. Maybe it wasn’t a dream. Maybe it was a premonition.”
“That’s crazy. How would they pick us up?”