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"We can’t do that, Vida, and you know it," Cole said He leaned back against the desk, his arave a small jerk, and how he pressed his arms closer to his body to try to hide it His face was painted with fury, lined with sympathy The words didn’t make sense to me, not in the context of his expression

"What the fk--"

"Hey--hey! You think I don’t want to go after h this? No one deserves this, least of all Cate It’s too late to do anything You’re right, they’re probably going to try to bring theround, they’re gone They’ve disappeared We’re not ever--" He sed "We’re not going to see any of those people alive again"

Vida let out a screaot you out of one of those prisons--"

"With a fully armed, well-trained tactical team," Cole said, "and even then there were casualties Even if we find where they’ve brought the that any of you were hurt trying to get her out? This is e had that rule in the League If you’re caught, we can’t come for you"

"Yeah, unless it’s you," she snarled

Because Alban thought he ht still have the flash drive of information from Leda, the one that was noorthless Because of what he really was I looked over at hi him to just tell the about those crazy-asson a pleading tone Vida sluy sapped to the point that Chubs was holding her up on her feet "Why not this one? Why?"

"Because this one wouldn’t be crazy, it’d be suicidal," Cole said "And the fastest, best e have of getting her and the others out is to see our plan through It’s to get Gray out of office"

"Talk to Harry," Liam said "He has contacts in the different branches of the military He can recoue with that, like the idea of asking his stepfather for help repulsed hier concern we have now is deciding whether to stay here or go Any one of them could compromise our location"

"You said that your plan was to trick the, too," Chubs said "That eren’t coht" Cole hesitated "But Conner knew that ere staying"

"Oh, fk you!" Vida yelled, finally breaking out of Chubs’s hold "Fuck you, Stewart! You think she’d give us up?"

"Having experienced their interrogation methods firsthand, darlin’," Cole said, his voice venomous, "I would say that is an unfortunate possibility"

"She won’t" The others turned to look at me, and I wondered if I looked as flushed and crazed as I felt "Cate would die before she’d tell them" And that was the problem, wasn’t it? She would let them kill her She would sacrifice herself before she’d ever let them hurt us A screa to wrap an ar away froht now The rooot smaller and smaller and set out of here Now Right now, before the black swelling in et air into my chest, not with so many people around o, just go, but I couldn’t take the tunnel out, and I couldn’t keep pacing the downstairs halls like an insane person Without a thought, without reh the double doors separating the halls, and I was in the training rooh in my ears to drown out the electronic beeps as I turned up the speed and began to run The levels flew by, and still I keptMy feet struck the belt in tione, she’s gone just like Jude, you told her to leave, you sent her away, they’ll kill her--

I lost ti and ran

My arms puing ive out The air conditioning sent chills shooting down etting air toin and out of me

There was a blur of black in the corner of my vision, a streak in front of my eyes I pitched forward as the belt snapped to a stop unders stopped ht on hten ht,I rolled onto ed in one breath after another My hands were pulled away A face swam in my vision Blond hair, square jaw, blue eyes--Liah"

Cole He caughtmy eyes, tasted like salt on my lips