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TRUST NO ONE, she wrote, eyes fixed on the twoa lion She shifted the pen’s position to gouge

"No!" Silas protested as she silently rushed them

"Watch it!" someone cried, and Peri crashed into the nearestout of her hen the pen buried itself deep between his shoulder and his neck Teeth clenched, she shoved hi through her She darted left at the pop of a weapon She was going totoMen were shouting behind her, and she didn’t knohy But she didn’t slon, confused as she zigged when a red-fletched dart pinged on theof the car she was passing Heart pounding, she looked at her palm

Trust no one

It made perfect sense and none at all She’d come here to buy her way into the alliance, but she didn’t re to anyone She’d lost at least ten ed Silas’s patch job that struck fear into her She’d be fine if she could just … get away!

"Jack?" she shouted, and she saw hi for her

"Don’t stop!" he exclaiasped when a ht into hi them both to the pavement

"No!" she howled as a dart hit her and her arht until there were two, then three round, and her eyes screwed tight when a foaed into her ear A hum of sound stifled her ability to draft She couldn’t breathe, and finally she gave up, her heart thudding and adrenalineher head hurt She clenched her fist to hide the writing on her palht about her wrists behind her back

"Peri!"

Still on the ground, she spit the dirt frorip of two et him in a van He was cuffed and there was a neelt on his cheek Was it Opti who had her, then? Oh God, how had they known she was lying?

She kicked fruitlessly at them as they hauled her up Her teeth clenched when they tossed her into the van as well, and she landed on Silas His elbow jaled to find her knees The door slammed shut, and she fell when the van accelerated fast

"Peri, stop fighting You’re o into MEP"

Peri wiggled until she was off him There were no s, and she pressed into a dark corner, trying not to fall as the van rocked The hus in her system made her nauseated She knew that she’d set out to talk to Silas and buy her freedootten here or what had gone wrong

At the other side of the van, Silas slowly got hiht "You drafted," Silas said breathlessly "Just relax and breathe It’s going to be okay Opti doesn’t have us It’s the alliance Turn around Let , but she mistrusted it "Alliance?" she whispered as the van leaned into a long curve that said entrance ramp "Then why are you cuffed? You said you were alliance" She couldn’t reotten to the ballpark The unreasonable fear wound tighter about her heart and squeezed She couldn’t breathe, and she pulled her knees to her chin and dropped her head, trying to relax

But the harder she tried, theher alive It was that patch job It was falling apart, and when it did, she’d go crazy She was going crazy

"Look at , terrified The van was running full-out on a straightaway She had no idea where she was going She wanted to draft and keep drafting, but the drugs in her wouldn’t let her, and she hung in a hell of her ownof doubt and panic

He inched forward, and her eyes shot to his "Peri, I’m an anchor," he said calmly, and she recoiled as far into the corner as she could "You know I a it back, and with that, the rest will return Trustout"

Her mouth was dry, and she couldn’t s Trust no one "I can’t," she whispered, confusion swirling through her,closer, his eyes showing his pain frout It was a tiny draft, but you’re teetering on collapse Look at yourself This isn’t you Undofor him to help her, but he had turned to show her his back His fingers looked swollen, the binding too tight

"Please," he said, and she saw the bent nail in his grip "I know you’re confused, but I can fix this You have to trustand she felt sick with the motion both outside and inside her head "Okay," she whispered "But if you make one h," he said, and she carefully ers felt cold when she touched the hied and he pulled out of the zip cuff