Had I not known him so well, I would have thought him heartless. But I did know him, and I knew he was struggling to hold it together, just like me. I leaned my head against his shoulder. My eyelids instantly grew heavy, and I had to blink faster than usual to keep them open.
“Normally I charge a very steep price for this type of info,” River said, “but all I want from you is an equal exchange. Whatever you learn, I want to know.”
Please. He’d want more, and soon, no question. He had gimme written all over him.
“Done,” Cole agreed. “What about your spies on the inside? Have they learned anything else?”
“Not really. They aren’t all that high on the totem yet, but they’re digging for information, and they’re not going to stop until they’ve got something. Because here’s the thing. Anima hurt your people, hurt them bad, but they blamed my people, which means they’re determined to take us both out, and fast.”
“And if they can’t do it,” Cole said, rubbing his fingers over his jaw stubble, “they’ll be satisfied if we take each other out.”
River nodded. “Exactly. By the way, the second you cleared the warehouse, I had a team go through it, as well as the alleyways, and wipe your prints. They’ll move your boy and bury him here with our slayers. If that’s agreeable to you.”
Had they gotten up and walked away from me? They sounded faraway, as if they’d moved to the other side of the room. I tried to open my eyes, to no avail. And then even their voices were lost to me. I was floating...drifting away...
And, oh, wow, there was Helen and the little girl. They were inside a small bedroom. The girl, perhaps five now, sat at the edge of an unmade bed while Helen shoved toys and clothing inside a bag.
“I don’t want to leave you, Momma. Please.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you must.”
Tears ran down the girl’s cheeks.
“Mommy’s made so many mistakes. This is the only way to make things right, to give you the life you deserve.”
“I don’t want a life I deserve. I want you.”
Helen froze. Her back was to the little girl, but I could see her face. She was choking back quiet sobs, and it was breaking my already tattered heart. Her inner pain was so staggering, I didn’t know how she would be able to bear it much longer.
But she pulled herself together somehow, wiped her eyes and turned to give her daughter a faux bright smile. “Think of this as an adventure.”
“No,” the girl said, petulant.
“You’ll finally get to meet your father. I told him about you, and he’s excited to see you.”
“Don’t care.”
Helen crouched in front of her. “Listen to me. I know you hate when we visit the people in the lab coats. Right? They stick you with needles. They strap you to tables, and no matter how hard you fight, you can’t get free.”
The little girl shuddered.
I had to look away. My attention snagged on a calendar hanging on the wall. According to it, this had happened eleven years ago. The girl had to be a year older than I’d been at the time.
“Well, they want to keep you now. They want to take you away from me forever.”
A continuous shake of that white-blond head.
“I don’t want that for you. That’s why you have to go away. Your daddy will keep you safe.”
“Come with me. Stay with me and my daddy. Please, Momma. Please.”
Pain...desperation...so strong even I felt them soul-deep. Don’t send her away, I thought. She needs you, just as you need her.
But Helen was made of sterner stuff and returned to her packing. “I’ve already made the arrangements. I’ve planned everything, down to the last detail. They’ll think that you’re... Well, all you need to know is that you’ll never have to worry about them again.”
The scene faded and I floated away. I fought to stay, grabbing at walls, digging in my nails.
“Ali, love, wake up.”
Cole’s voice startled me, yanking me the rest of the way out, and I jolted upright with a gasp.
Strong arms banded around me, tugging me back down, forcing me to lie against a warm, strong chest. Familiar. Cole’s chest. I sagged against him.
“You were thrashing. You okay?” he asked, tracing his fingertips along the ridges of my spine.
A tremor swept through me. “Nightmare.” For Helen and the little girl.
Why was I seeing them in my dreams?
“I happen to be a very good nightmare slayer,” Cole said. “Want to tell me about it?”
Not even a little. “Where are we?” I asked. Moonlight spilled into a small room I didn’t recognize. There was a desk, a dresser and a bed. Wallpaper covered the walls in patches, and the dark shag carpet sported several bald spots.
“We’re at River’s place,” he said gently. “Remember? He gave us a room for the night.”
That was all well and good, but... “We trust him enough to stay?”
“Right now, we don’t really have a choice. We need his help.”
“And he needs ours,” I reminded us both.
“Yes. In the morning, he and Milla are going with us to Ankh’s. We’ve seen their base of operation, and now they want to see ours.”
First: Cole got to call River’s sister by her nickname, but I didn’t?