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I blinked rapidly The room was simple Concrete floor, concrete walls The floorboards above were naked and exposed

Guns were lined up along the walls and money was piled in neat stacks on tables

I drifted forward There were fake passports, travel documents, and identification cards froraph was eent needed it

Chika appeared next to me and spoke in a hushed whisper “We could take the money There is a lot here It would buy more soldiers”

“HowThere was a couple million, at least

“A lot” She drifted to the guns “We can take some of these, too And the documents”

“For what purpose?”

“Forget the then the crew”

I watched her carefully, considering

I didn’t knohy Chika would give a daardless She’d obey et a better deal from one of my enemies Either way, she shouldn’t care if I took Redmond up on his proposal

And yet she had a preference, and that fascinated me—and made me extremely wary

It wasn’t a bad idea This money was a small drop in the ocean of wealth and power Redmond had at his disposal, but it would be like an oasis in the desert foron our own, and I wouldn’t have to let that man own me I could have freedom, real freedom, built from the sweat of my own hands

Stealing wouldn’t be easy We’d have to sneak bags down and carry theistics already The Range Rover would accouns and money, and fro a private plane back to Chicago

I paced along the roouns, until I saw so—and caure

It was a child’s toy An ar a little boy would play with before he understood what killing reallyit connected broke

I shoved the toy into my pocket

“No, we’re not stealing”

Chika let out a grunt “Why not?”

“Because this is thinking too small”

“This much money does not seem small to me”

“We’re not doing it” Even though it would’ve been easy We could do it and get away Redht ry, disappointed even, but he wouldn’t stop me