Page 48 (1/2)

She heard a hiss of sound that could have been Jake uttering a curse, but she wasn’t sure "That wasn’t a good idea They’ll make us pay"

"They’re reasonable people, Jake All we need to do is sit down together and talk things over Let them show you around here, see all the kids they’ve saved, and you’ll know they’re not the ht"

"There are kids there?"

"Lots"

"Holy fuck No wonder you didn’t trigger the detonator"

"Yeah, even if they’d been the bad guys, I couldn’t have done it" Another long stretch of silence had Lexi gripping the phone hard "Jake? Are you there?"

Jake lowered his voice as if he was trying to hide their conversation "Listen, Lexi I only have a few seconds You’ve got to get out of there Get all the kids out of there Right now"

A feeling of doo down her throat until it sat heavy in her stomach "Why?"

"Do you really need to ask? Just do it"

The Defenders were attacking Lexi hadn’t done what she’d co matters into their own hands

There was a loud thud and a grunt of pain She had no idea what that noise was, but panic welled up inside Lexi,her stomach heave

Desperate, she said, "Call it off, Jake Make your dad call it off"

But it wasn’t Jake’s voice that ca sound of his anger was unot your man"

Just as he said the words, Lexi’s head was filled with the sound of Zach’s frantic cry Lexi! We’re under attack!

Oh, God It was too late They had Zach

Shesound and nearly dropped the phone Her whole body was nu to be near hireeted her was silence She couldn’t feel him

Hector went on as if her world hadn’t just spun out of control "You’ve got a couple of choices You can raise the alarht now, or you can walk calh that break in the wall, and we’ll let hi to do?"

"Don’t hurt him," she told hih her options as she spoke A sketchy plan for her an idea of how she could protect the people of Dabyr "Let me talk to Zach"

"No can do The oddamn place"

Oh God Zach

Lexi closed her eyes and sed hard, trying to clear her head of the i helpless at Hector’s whi to let Zach die His people needed him too much

She needed him too much

Lexi couldn’t let them kill Zach and whoever ith hi anyone that there was a good chance even more people would die

"Why do you wantwith everyone else?" she asked, proud of the fact that she could actually form words in thearound inside her

"I promised your mother I’d look out for you I’m a man of my word"

There was more to it than that--she could hear it in his voice--but Lexi didn’t waste any tiirl? You cole out his last breath?"

"I’ured you’d see things our way"

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked

"Are you worried we’ll hurt you? You’re one of us What they did to you isn’t your fault" Understanding sounded odd co type "We’ll clear up your confusion, and then you can tell us everything you’ve learned about that place You’re going to be a valuable asset"

That was it? They wanted inforht, but she was running out of ti up with any new options "And you promise you won’t hurt Zach?"

"No, we’ll let you have the honors of killing hiain I have to admit I’ll enjoy the show I’ve seen how ferocious you can be when you’re angry And once he no longer controls your thoughts, you’re definitely going to be angry"

"Hoill I find you?" she asked

"Don’t worry We’ll find you Just walk out, and we’ll do the rest"

Lexi would never hurt Zach Never But Hector didn’t need to know that She’d play along andshe could to keep the people here safe, and then she’d save Zach

Sure, she had no idea how she was going to do all that, but she was good at thinking on her feet She’d co in the ten or fifteen h the broken wall

Yeah, right

Before she lost her nerve, Lexi dialed Helen’s cell phone