Page 9 (1/2)

"No" It caht, an instinctive response If he took her back, she’d be trapped again - and she needed to get , she reached out to touch his shoulder Muscle flexed under her palhts threatened to scatter

Then she saw the determination in his eyes and knew she had to speak "I think it was a response to a trigger of so in them that my brain couldn’t process, so it shut down for a few seconds to allowalmost ascetic in the stark purity of its focus "It’s cos coaze locked to his, "and then I know them" It made sense to her, but she could see he wasn’t convinced "I’ you on purpose" It was so ih he was all but a stranger

But Devraj Santos wasn’t a ive her an easy answer

Now, his lashes cauess we’ll find out soon enough" Getting up, he ht as well take a break so you can eat a bite"

She stared at theback "I’d rather stay here"

Dev’s gaze rested on her for a long moment She knew he hadn’t " Closing her door, he walked around to the driver’s side and pressed so off with lance

It was difficult to keep her face expressionless, her frustration contained "If I wanted to, I could sihly prag that chance" The doors locked around her as he stepped back, activating the car’s antitheft systeuessed was some kind of a remote

Katya waited only until his back was turned before trying to restart the car She had to get there, had to see, had to bear witness

It was a drue coo, didn’t knoho or what she had to find All she kneas that if sheuntil she ended up there

But first, she had to escape

Looking up, she saw Dev’s tall form disappear into the mall - just as she located the panel that concealed the car’s couards

PETROKOV FAMILY ARCHIVES

Letter dated February 24, 1971

My sweet Matthew,

Debate is raging across the Net I can’t set foot in the slip-streaht up in it There’s a sense of disbelief at this proposal, this Silence the Council is calling "our best, perhaps our only, hope"

Maybe ht It appears that no e us, in the end, we’re far too hu For thatin me

Love,

Mom

Chapter 9

Katya broke several nails but the panel wouldn’t shift It took her ten precious seconds to realize it had been locked in place by a second layer of security Frustrated, she s she hadn’t even known she knew until her brain put her fingers into ht

The car’s syste up when it becay, she slid back into her seat and pressed two fingers to her forehead in an attempt to follow the thread of the coo north - yes, north! - was nothing but another booby trap

At first, there was only the sticky blankness of the cobweb, a prison that trapped her hands,in a quiet, hidden part of her psyche, a part protected by the phoenix’s wings That part whispered that this need, this urge, came from within herself Yet how could she trust that it did when her , full of holes and lies, illusions and nightli she’d clung to when all else was taken from her?

A click of sound

She snapped up her head to see the driver’s-side door sliding back Dev got in, his tall,up what felt like every inch of spare space "Here"

Accepting the take-out drink container he held out, she frowned "This is heavy for juice"