Page 130 (1/1)

Her psyche had been tampered with so badly that what should have been an easily handled draft had pushed her over the edge She’d been in the first stages of catastrophicit, and Silas had not only stopped it dead in its tracks, but returned her ood And she couldn’t stop thinking about him and those few , Peri scanned the di den past her iron-barred door She hadn’t seen Jack since Silas’s defrag Maybe she didn’t need him anymore She’d never felt so ain

The distant sound of the elevator pulled her straight Da the flash of adrenaline, she steadied herself It would’ve been helpful to have known that Silas was currently on the outs with the alliance, but even so, she doubted his accommodations were as severe as hers As it stood, her next ed on whether he had told the alliance that she had a radioactive tag, shining like a lighthouse to draw Opti in That she could hear theabove her made her tend to believe he hadn’t

She had no doubt that Opti was going to track her down through her new radioactive beacon, and she was still trying to decide if she was going to warn the alliance about it or not Much depended on whether they trusted her She wanted out, but if they weren’t going to give her asylum, she’d be better off with Opti, where she’d have a chance to run

Anotheran eye as she sat in a lotus position But her eyes opened hen she recognized the fe wohter of the head of the alliance

"You’ve checked me twice Will you back off It’s not like you can bake a file into a batch of muffins I didn’t even stone vanished as Taf and two security suits strode into the carpeted wine-tasting den Taf had a bundle of clothes in one hand, a covered basket in the other "Lights up!" she deainst the rich décor, silent black flat screen, and inforas fireplace "Make yourselves at ho at the white couches "Munchies are at the bar"

"Ma’alasses protested, and Taf jerked to a stop

"Look, Brian," she intoned, glaring at theeted in their black suits "I don’t care if you sit or stand, but you will back off I have tenlike vultures"

Peri could srowled

"Yes, ma’am Five minutes"

"Ten minutes," the blond woman protested even as she came forward "She can’t eat in five s never start on tiets about the ti behind the barred door, Peri watched the woman drop the clothes on a nearby table so she could push one of the chairs around to face her Only now did Taf’s bluster falter as she stood before her with the basket of ed inside at her look of hopeful expectation, hope that Perithat was iry?" the woot up, her muscles chilled from the cold floor "I’ht?"

"Don’t worry about it Most of hts out, either" Pinky in the air, she pantolass "Here Fresh this "

Taf paused at the bars, then tilted the basket so it would fit between Peri took it, the warers "Thanks If it helps, I know that I like you, even if I don’t knohy" Her lips quirked at the, she took a bite, adding, "Why a to do withnow, Taf sat forward on the plush white chair, the picture of wealth and privilege as her perfectly styled hair bumped about her shoulders "I can answer that Both our moms are control freaks Wefor help to rescue Silas fro soe you for hiet you free I thought that was going to be the end of it, but when you went off to rescue Silas, we ca hot, and Peri sed fast, enjoying their tangy sweetness "Silas said there was a gun involved?"

Taf nodded enthusiastically "Oh yes I got to shoot soht you a change of clothes," she said as she glanced at the guards "They should fit"

Peri set the basket doiping her fingers on her pants before reaching for the bundle "Thank you!"

"There’s an athletic body wipe in there, too," Taf said, looking eager to help "I’ve used theood as a shower" She turned to the guards playing with the fireplace, turning it off and on with their voice co le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">