The Girl Who Dared to Think (The Girl Who Dared #1)

She dropped Tian’s arm as if it had bitten her and looked at me, her face quizzical and cautious. “You care about what happens to her?” she asked.

“Of course she does, Maddox,” Tian said, massaging the flesh of her arm where the woman—Maddox, whose nickname was apparently Doxy—had grabbed her. “She’s a good Knight. Like in the stories Cali tells us.”

Maddox pursed her lips. Then she looked at Roark. “You really the guy?”

“In the flesh—and in great need of your hospitality.”

Her eyes flicked back to Grey and myself. “And the Hand and Shield?”

“Strays that I just can’t bear to part with,” Roark said dryly, and I looked over to see Grey rolling his eyes theatrically.

Maddox watched for another moment, and then stepped to one side, pulling the door back. “In. Now.”

I was the last one to enter, allowing the others to go first while I glanced around us, taking one final look at the misty underbelly of the Tower. Zoe was still up in the Tower. Still angry and bitter, a four on her wrist. I hadn’t forgotten, so I just prayed that whatever was in store here wouldn’t take too long, and that they would let me get to my friend.

I stepped inside and helped Maddox close the door behind us. She slid some bars into place on the door by twisting the strange handle.

The first thing I noticed when I finally moved back a few paces to look around was the flat black material that seemed to be on every surface, including the door. I touched it and felt the roughness of it under my fingers—a graininess that was unexpected, and not unlike sandpaper.

Turning, I realized we were in a wide-open space, with another door leading deeper into the structure. Mesh lockers lined the walls, white exposure suits inside. There were a series of showerheads on the left wall, with smoky glass partitions separating them.

“What is this place?” Grey asked, his eyes looking around.

“Save your questions for Cali,” Maddox grunted, stepping around all of us. “I’m going to need you to surrender your weapons,” she announced, her hands on her hips. “That’s non-negotiable. I’m also going to have to search your bags.”

Tian clapped her hands together, an excited smile crossing her lips, and she performed a little twirl. “Oh, can I search the bags? I already know which pieces of equipment are the ‘be careful’ ones!”

Maddox smiled affectionately and nodded. “Sure, Tian. Remember what constitutes a weapon?”

“Anything that can make you bleed.” She grinned triumphantly.

Maddox’s face was deadpan. “Maybe I’d better do it, Tian. Can you ask your new friends for their stun batons?”

My hand automatically went for the handle, and before I knew what was happening, Maddox had reached out and grabbed my elbow. Instead of trying to wrench it around my back like I expected, she pushed me to one side, her foot hooking out and catching mine to send me into a head-over-heels tumble.

I managed to catch the fall in time to roll with it, then made it back to my feet and stood, baton now clear of my belt, the end crackling with activity. I whipped around and saw Maddox staring at me, a curious light in her eyes.

We stood there, staring at each other, each one waiting for the other to make the first move, until Grey cleared his throat. “Look, I’m fine with leaving my baton here. Liana, let’s just follow their lead and see what happens. It’s not like we have a lot of options. I’m sure that Roark and I have just made the Tower’s ‘most wanted’ list, if they have one of those.”

“They do,” said a roughened feminine voice from the door, and I looked over to see a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Maddox, only with vibrant red hair, stepping through the door. Her eyes held the wrinkles of a middle-aged woman. And I knew them. Because they were eyes that had always captivated me when I was in the academy portion of Knights’ school.

“You’re Camilla Kerrin,” I said, my eyes wide, and she smiled, her generous mouth spreading out in a beatific smile. “You’re the Knight Commander who competed against Devon for the position of Champion twenty-five years ago.”

“The very same,” she said with a nod. Tian bounded over, and the two exchanged a warm hug. I watched as Camilla became downright nurturing with the young woman, brushing her hair out of her eyes and planting a kiss on her forehead. “I see you’ve met Tian, and my daughter, Maddox. I know you,” she said, inclining her head toward Roark, and then looking at Grey and me. “But I don’t know you two. I also don’t know why Tian brought you back here. She wasn’t even supposed to be out this evening.”

Tian ducked her head shyly and looked at the three of us. “I know, but I heard you and Maddox talking about how much easier everything would be if you could get some of those pills, so I decided to go check it out. But then this Knight showed up—I followed him in—and he started beating up the pill-maker and his friends! So I grabbed a big wrench from the closet and brought it down on his head. He’s alive—Liana checked—and then they fed him a memory-loss pill. And then we grabbed as much of their stuff as we could, and now we’re here.”

If Cali was surprised by the speed with which Tian recited the story, she didn’t show it. I, on the other hand, wondered how she was able to pick out all the important elements, Tian spoke so fast.

“Interesting. Can you prove that he is the pill-maker?”

Tian fumbled about with the string on her neck and produced the indicator, the glowing blue nine bright in Cali’s eyes. She cocked her head at it, and then gently helped Tian tuck it back under her shirt.

I realized then that they were all wearing the same kind of clothes: all black, covering them neck to toe, in a cut similar to that of the Knights’ uniforms. Everything was black microthread, from the heavy pants to the thick, sturdy-looking jackets hung upon their shoulders, probably designed to take a hit from a knife, or even a baton, if the rubber inlays I noted were anything to go by.

The design of their uniforms was surprising, and I found myself wondering how they could fabricate anything down in this secret place nestled underneath the Tower. Or how they were even living down here. Or how they were all somehow free from the indicator that was supposed to never leave the wrist.

Cali caught me looking, and her lips quirked up in a bemused smile. “We were just sitting down to eat,” she said softly. “Why don’t you join us, and we’ll see if we can’t hash everything out. You hungry, Tian?”

“Are we having tomatoes?”

“No.”

“Then yes, I’m hungry!” The young girl’s fists punched into the air with excitement, and she darted around Cali and through the door behind her, heaving it open and racing down the passage. Cali watched her leave, a bemused smile on her lips.

“She’s very enthusiastic,” Roark commented carefully, and Cali turned, regarding him with her bright green eyes.