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"So Allen is corrupt I bet you didn’t push him over my balcony, either?" She had meant it to be flip, but the man’s entire expression became relieved

"Exactly," he breathed, and her eyes flicked to the ladder and her gun still on it "I was never in your apartht"

"I’m not corrupt," Peri said hotly "And neither is Allen"

"And yet you’re both here killing a e," Silas said, and Peri’s teeth clenched, the doubt beco more sure "I know your rules," Silas continued "I know this isn’t you They iet rid of me If you do it, it will reinforce their lies Stay here e leave Opti will show up I proive a drafter a falseto the exit when Howard pushed the auditoriuot three cars with lights on the expressway"

"You can," Silas said, and Howard ducked back out "That’s why I quit Opti But Jack is my idea, too He’s your intuition Listen to him"

A hallucination? Peri looked at Jack, and he stared back, her uncertainty growing

Gri, Silas pulled a creased photo froun "Last February, you and I brought back a memory of Jack that I wasn’t privy to I lifted this from Allen before they torched your apartment at Lloyd Park, and I think this is what you reht I’ht the alliance would help if I could just talk to them It was a mistake"

Peri blinked He should have been there with me? But then her focus blurred Opti torched my apartet away fro through the … bulletproof …can he go through athat can’t break?

"Peri," Silas said, jerking her back to reality "I need you to find a chip Jack hid It’s a list of Bill’s corrupt drafters, and if you can get it to et you out You’ll be safe The alliance needs a reason to trust you"

Breathless, Peri glanced at the picture, inching forhen Silas took the Glock and backed up It was a photo of her and … "That’s you," she said, looking at Jack, and he winced, nodding "That’s you and me--"

"In the outback, last New Year’s," Jack finished, and her face went cold

"My God Who are you?" she said, staring at hiuy trusts you, and Allen doesn’t"