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"I should have gone to the library," she muttered

But she hadn’t run, and Silas took a sip of coffee, relieved "I think this is what you’re looking for," he said, hitting a few buttons on his tablet to bring up a news story "Go on Read it," he said, pushing it toward her "I’ The alliance doesn’t know I’ it over, and he sed hard when she flicked her bangs in a gesture so familiar that Silas felt an unwelcohts about the security guard and CEO found dead two days ago It was being called a botched robbery, but it was how the guard had died that he wanted her to see

Her signature killing style was all over it

Peri’s fingers were treot to the end "Is there any doubt why the alliance is trying to put an end to Opti?" he said lightly

Her eyes flicked up, and he spitefully took a bite ofthe crurowled, and he wondered why he was being so nasty--except that it had been a long, hard year when she’d left

"He must have killedconversations "I don’t kill anyone unless they kill ht," he said

Peri’s eyes narrowed "Did you call the police? How far behind is the alliance?"

He licked his fingers, elbows on the table as he leaned in close enough that she could sar on his breath "I already said I’ed

"You’re not afraid I’ll draft and run?" she said, eyebrows high

He had to get her out of here Clearly the entice to do it--even half starved as she was--but the lure of knowledgethis" Confident, he took his tablet back and tucked it into an inside coat pocket

She watched it go, and his pulse quickened as he saw her calculate the risk ofa scene in the busy café "I could just leave and look it up later"

He nodded as if considering it, then went cold in the sudden realization that he’d made a mistake He shouldn’t be here He should have let someone else do it But no one knew her better, that she was like a wild horse: canny, indomitable--and likely to run at the clink of a stone "Go ahead," he said, calling her bluff "Make both our days"