worse.”
Danny hawked and spat, mostly to buy herself a few seconds before she had to speak. They were all looking at her, and for once she simply didn’t know what to do.
“It’s a whole new fuckin’ ball game if they’re kidnapping the little ones,” Topper observed. Despite everything, a plan was formulating in Danny’s horror-stricken mind. There was action she could take.
Amy saw the look in her eyes and shook her head. “Danny, those kids are probably already dead. We need to grieve for them and move on.”
“You didn’t see the ranch we found tonight,” Danny said. “There was barbed wire all around it but it was on the wrong side of the fence . . . I thought they just set it up wrong, but now I see—it wasn’t to keep people out. It was to keep them in . We found . . . kids. That fuck is stealing human kids, and he has accomplices. That place was a slaughterhouse.”
“But we need you here now. Nobody else has the nuts to keep this bunch together.”
“Nobody else can find those kids. I found Kelley, didn’t I?”
Danny was breathing hard through her clenched teeth. She wouldn’t have bothered to explain that much to anyone but Amy. She would have decked them for daring to question her, at this point. And then she would have gone and done what needed doing. But part of her wanted Amy to come up with a good counterargument. Talk her out of it. Because the last time Danny had gone on a lone-wolf mission, it was to find her sister. Which was when disaster hit the people she left behind—Amy included. They needed her now, more than ever. If she was off on a wild goose chase and they stumbled into another trap . . .
Amy stared down at her red hands, turning them so the firelight glittered on the coagulating blood.
“If you’re going after them, you better haul butt,” she said. “They could be a hundred miles away by morning.”
That was it, then. Danny had permission. Like she needed it. Fresh anger flashed into her mind, and she crammed it down. This was what she’d wanted, right?
“Amy, get the Tribe out of here as fast as you can. Just a few miles, but get away. Every zero in the territory must be on its way. Me and the scouts will find you up the road.”
“What about Kelley?”
“I don’t know. If she comes back, I . . . don’t think I can keep her safe.”
“Come back alive yourself,” Amy said, and walked away.
• • •
Danny was on her way back to the interceptor when she heard someone coming up behind her. She assumed it was Amy, reversing her decision to let her leave without argument. But when she turned around, there was Patrick, again wiping his fingers with a cloth. But this time it wasn’t food—it was a clotted glaze of human blood from the triage he’d been engaged in.
“So was it Kelley?” he asked. No point being subtle. He wasn’t forgiving Danny yet.
“I don’t think so,” she said. She debated whether to leave it at that, but there was more to be said. And Patrick was one of very few people she felt she could talk to. She had to try.
“Listen: Kelley was with me when it started, and she kicked some ass in the middle of it. Wulf tried to kill her and he shot one of the wounded instead. That’s what you walked into. I’m not going to ask you to put yourself in my position because that’s bullshit.”
“Are you apologizing ?” Patrick said. He was frankly astonished.
“You’re a good guy, Patrick. And Kelley is still my sister. She’s in there, man. Somewhere. But I promise you, if she was involved in this thing tonight, I will destroy her myself.”
Patrick nodded. Good enough for him. He glanced at his hands and used the cleanest one to grip her briefly by the shoulder. Then he went back into the firelight.
• • •
The motorcycles pulled out first. They could cover ground faster than the interceptor. Topper and Conn this time. Ernie had stayed behind to ride herdon the caravan. There were
Danny hawked and spat, mostly to buy herself a few seconds before she had to speak. They were all looking at her, and for once she simply didn’t know what to do.
“It’s a whole new fuckin’ ball game if they’re kidnapping the little ones,” Topper observed. Despite everything, a plan was formulating in Danny’s horror-stricken mind. There was action she could take.
Amy saw the look in her eyes and shook her head. “Danny, those kids are probably already dead. We need to grieve for them and move on.”
“You didn’t see the ranch we found tonight,” Danny said. “There was barbed wire all around it but it was on the wrong side of the fence . . . I thought they just set it up wrong, but now I see—it wasn’t to keep people out. It was to keep them in . We found . . . kids. That fuck is stealing human kids, and he has accomplices. That place was a slaughterhouse.”
“But we need you here now. Nobody else has the nuts to keep this bunch together.”
“Nobody else can find those kids. I found Kelley, didn’t I?”
Danny was breathing hard through her clenched teeth. She wouldn’t have bothered to explain that much to anyone but Amy. She would have decked them for daring to question her, at this point. And then she would have gone and done what needed doing. But part of her wanted Amy to come up with a good counterargument. Talk her out of it. Because the last time Danny had gone on a lone-wolf mission, it was to find her sister. Which was when disaster hit the people she left behind—Amy included. They needed her now, more than ever. If she was off on a wild goose chase and they stumbled into another trap . . .
Amy stared down at her red hands, turning them so the firelight glittered on the coagulating blood.
“If you’re going after them, you better haul butt,” she said. “They could be a hundred miles away by morning.”
That was it, then. Danny had permission. Like she needed it. Fresh anger flashed into her mind, and she crammed it down. This was what she’d wanted, right?
“Amy, get the Tribe out of here as fast as you can. Just a few miles, but get away. Every zero in the territory must be on its way. Me and the scouts will find you up the road.”
“What about Kelley?”
“I don’t know. If she comes back, I . . . don’t think I can keep her safe.”
“Come back alive yourself,” Amy said, and walked away.
• • •
Danny was on her way back to the interceptor when she heard someone coming up behind her. She assumed it was Amy, reversing her decision to let her leave without argument. But when she turned around, there was Patrick, again wiping his fingers with a cloth. But this time it wasn’t food—it was a clotted glaze of human blood from the triage he’d been engaged in.
“So was it Kelley?” he asked. No point being subtle. He wasn’t forgiving Danny yet.
“I don’t think so,” she said. She debated whether to leave it at that, but there was more to be said. And Patrick was one of very few people she felt she could talk to. She had to try.
“Listen: Kelley was with me when it started, and she kicked some ass in the middle of it. Wulf tried to kill her and he shot one of the wounded instead. That’s what you walked into. I’m not going to ask you to put yourself in my position because that’s bullshit.”
“Are you apologizing ?” Patrick said. He was frankly astonished.
“You’re a good guy, Patrick. And Kelley is still my sister. She’s in there, man. Somewhere. But I promise you, if she was involved in this thing tonight, I will destroy her myself.”
Patrick nodded. Good enough for him. He glanced at his hands and used the cleanest one to grip her briefly by the shoulder. Then he went back into the firelight.
• • •
The motorcycles pulled out first. They could cover ground faster than the interceptor. Topper and Conn this time. Ernie had stayed behind to ride herdon the caravan. There were
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