either. “You’re not Oneiros, though.”
“Nor am I a killer, but they almost made me into one. If you both can wait until Jordan gets here, I’d rather explain everything just once when we are safely on the road.”
Harlen wanted the hoods off their heads. Wanted to see for himself if the senator was sincere. Sera had pulled through. It made his eyes tear. And Jordan was not going through memory retrieval, just the fright of her life. Harlen was going to send her and Rook on vacation if they managed to live through this. He would be forever grateful.
“Is Jordan okay?” Seemed Rook was struggling, too.
“I don’t know,” the senator said. “She was okay when she left her cell. I don’t like this delay.”
“And my mother?” Harlen asked.
“I have no plan for her,” the senator said. “She’s in holding, still Darkside last I checked.”
Ma was still in there. “You have to get her out.”
“This was the best I could do. Quiet now,” the senator said. “Jordan’s coming.”
Harlen heard soft footfalls, then a shambling clamber into the back of the transport.
“Where’z goin’?” Jordan asked, obviously drugged.
“The nurse will sound an alarm when he finds her missing,” Osbourne said as the back doors to the transport slammed shut.
Harlen nodded his head. He hadn’t been wrong about Osbourne when he’d picked him for the Darkside Division. The man was coming through in spades, even if it had meant pretending to be Oneiros to his own supervisor.
“You staying or getting the hell out of dodge with us?” Senator Flight asked.
“I need you here,” Harlen said to Osbourne.
“I guess I’m staying.” Osbourne pulled the hood off Harlen’s head, and then he went for Rook’s. “Sorry about this, by the way. When I said everything was FUBAR, I wasn’t kidding.”
Harlen blinked and took in the transport’s occupants. Jordan lay sideways on the bench across from him, lids low. With a jerk, the transport was in motion.
Rook lifted his cuffed hands. “Get these off me.”
Osbourne freed him first, then handed the keys to him so that he could unfasten Jordan’s.
Harlen looked over at the senator. “So now you’re on the side of the angels?”
She lifted a brow. “Are you an angel?”
He really wasn’t in the mood.
The senator sighed at his scowl, her expression likewise going serious. “I’m not with the Oneiros,” she explained, “and I hate what happened to Sera and that I was party to it.”
“So you’re giving up on Blackman and Lambert?” Harlen didn’t believe it, not after all the shit the senator had pulled.
“I have a request,” she said.
Rook was whispering to Jordan. Harlen would give just about anything to be doing the same with Sera. Soon.
“You want to make a deal?” he asked, incredulous. “Now?”
“A request,” the senator said. “I want to meet Vince Blackman and Mirren Lambert.”
The woman just wouldn’t give up. “No.”
She opened her hands as if to placate him. “It can be anywhere and any time you choose. Even Darkside, where I know they could easily overpower me. I just have to know how Agatha died. What her last moments were like. If she was in much pain. But I will no longer leverage the Oneiros or my position to find them. A young woman almost died because of it.”
He hated that he could relate. Hadn’t he been imagining Sera’s “last” moments?
Jordan was trying to speak. “Noah…”
Rook leaned his head in to listen, whispering back.
“I’m getting you away from the trouble I put you in,” the senator continued to Harlen. “If you can help me, I’d appreciate it.”
“It can’t be soon,” Harlen said. And never if Sera worsened rather than recovered.
“Whenever. I’ll be ready.” She looked down for a moment and then met his gaze fully. “My deepest apologies. Agatha was not innocent—my fault, too… She met Lambert through me—but I understand from your father that Serafina
“Nor am I a killer, but they almost made me into one. If you both can wait until Jordan gets here, I’d rather explain everything just once when we are safely on the road.”
Harlen wanted the hoods off their heads. Wanted to see for himself if the senator was sincere. Sera had pulled through. It made his eyes tear. And Jordan was not going through memory retrieval, just the fright of her life. Harlen was going to send her and Rook on vacation if they managed to live through this. He would be forever grateful.
“Is Jordan okay?” Seemed Rook was struggling, too.
“I don’t know,” the senator said. “She was okay when she left her cell. I don’t like this delay.”
“And my mother?” Harlen asked.
“I have no plan for her,” the senator said. “She’s in holding, still Darkside last I checked.”
Ma was still in there. “You have to get her out.”
“This was the best I could do. Quiet now,” the senator said. “Jordan’s coming.”
Harlen heard soft footfalls, then a shambling clamber into the back of the transport.
“Where’z goin’?” Jordan asked, obviously drugged.
“The nurse will sound an alarm when he finds her missing,” Osbourne said as the back doors to the transport slammed shut.
Harlen nodded his head. He hadn’t been wrong about Osbourne when he’d picked him for the Darkside Division. The man was coming through in spades, even if it had meant pretending to be Oneiros to his own supervisor.
“You staying or getting the hell out of dodge with us?” Senator Flight asked.
“I need you here,” Harlen said to Osbourne.
“I guess I’m staying.” Osbourne pulled the hood off Harlen’s head, and then he went for Rook’s. “Sorry about this, by the way. When I said everything was FUBAR, I wasn’t kidding.”
Harlen blinked and took in the transport’s occupants. Jordan lay sideways on the bench across from him, lids low. With a jerk, the transport was in motion.
Rook lifted his cuffed hands. “Get these off me.”
Osbourne freed him first, then handed the keys to him so that he could unfasten Jordan’s.
Harlen looked over at the senator. “So now you’re on the side of the angels?”
She lifted a brow. “Are you an angel?”
He really wasn’t in the mood.
The senator sighed at his scowl, her expression likewise going serious. “I’m not with the Oneiros,” she explained, “and I hate what happened to Sera and that I was party to it.”
“So you’re giving up on Blackman and Lambert?” Harlen didn’t believe it, not after all the shit the senator had pulled.
“I have a request,” she said.
Rook was whispering to Jordan. Harlen would give just about anything to be doing the same with Sera. Soon.
“You want to make a deal?” he asked, incredulous. “Now?”
“A request,” the senator said. “I want to meet Vince Blackman and Mirren Lambert.”
The woman just wouldn’t give up. “No.”
She opened her hands as if to placate him. “It can be anywhere and any time you choose. Even Darkside, where I know they could easily overpower me. I just have to know how Agatha died. What her last moments were like. If she was in much pain. But I will no longer leverage the Oneiros or my position to find them. A young woman almost died because of it.”
He hated that he could relate. Hadn’t he been imagining Sera’s “last” moments?
Jordan was trying to speak. “Noah…”
Rook leaned his head in to listen, whispering back.
“I’m getting you away from the trouble I put you in,” the senator continued to Harlen. “If you can help me, I’d appreciate it.”
“It can’t be soon,” Harlen said. And never if Sera worsened rather than recovered.
“Whenever. I’ll be ready.” She looked down for a moment and then met his gaze fully. “My deepest apologies. Agatha was not innocent—my fault, too… She met Lambert through me—but I understand from your father that Serafina
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