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"But I believe it," Cate said

I wanted to tell her that her beliefs weren’t worth a daain "I’ve spent the lastyou’d eventually show up, but Ruby, where were you? Where did you go? You look like--like--"

"East River," I said

Cate sucked in a sharp breath So the League had heard about what happened

"Oh, that’s perfect," Martin said, pushing himself up off the wall He slid the strap of his rifle over his shoulder and stalked toward ures I’ve been actually "

He ht in h forinstructors I latched on to the strongest of his limpse our future

Martin’sitself until I was standing where he had stood The package that had been in his hands was now heavy in ers, butnued as it passed each floor, heading to 17

I cast a sly look to the girl standing next to h e her well beyond her years She clutched her leather tote bag to her side like a shield, and it was only when she released it that I noticed her hands were shaking

I earing a FedEx uniforh Martin’s eyes, reflected in the elevator’s silver doors as they slid open

We were in an office building of some kind It was dark out, but there were still , tucked away in their cubicles, their eyes glued to their coirl at h to sh est office was located at the far back corner of the building, and that here I was headed The girl all but let out a sigh as I left her by the drinking fountains She was there for backup This was my mission

The door to the office was closed, but I could see solass He’s still here And so, thankfully, was his executive assistant She looked confused at the sight of the package, but all it took was a single stroke at the back of her hand Her eyes went glassy, unfocused, and I knew I had her The elderly woot up from her chair and turned toward the office door I left the package right on her desk

Free of that weight, I hustled back through the irl by the fountain When I jerkedback and forth between the elevator bank and the office floor, her lip caught between her teeth

She didn’t do anything stupid until ere outside, though I jogged down the steps, heading for the waiting FedEx van and the dark-hairedin the driver’s seat I was already at the door when I realized she wasn’t behind irl was frozen at the top of the marble steps, her eyes wide and her face as pale as the stone beneath her feet

She was going to run back into the building to warn them about the explosive, to warn theh my mind, as crisp as if they had been drilled there Ditch and die Double-cross the League and die