"I disagree … Shepherd's treatment of you has been appalling, negligent in the gravest of ways." Solemn, Senator Kantor denied her. "If we move prematurely, he might release the contagion. I cannot risk millions of lives, your life, on a maybe. I'm sorry, Claire. Until the Red Consumption's location is uncovered, the resistance will make no move."
The line of Claire's mouth grew sharp. Sitting taller, she looked at both of them as if they were simpletons. "It's not the contagion that keeps us in his power. It's our own cowardice. Every day our people do nothing; the bastard is proving his view of our behavior is correct. The Dome is cracked. Don't you see the weather will kill us long before any virus might? We have to take back our city, or we die trying."
Senator Kantor put a hand on the Omega's shoulder. "Thólos's citizens are not soldiers; they're scared and have no comprehension of combat. You must understand; many are watching their families suffer, their children are dying."
Claire shook her head, swallowed her outburst. "No one in this city is a civilian anymore, there is no neutral. Either you are with Shepherd, or you are against him."
"It isn't that simple, Claire."
She looked to Senator Kantor, lost. "Isn't it?"
A deep sigh preceded Senator Kantor's explanation. "You are still young, and will learn in time that things are not always as they seem."
Claire cocked her head, her previously glowing image of so highly regarded a Senator distorted by the sad impotence of such a man. "Shepherd once told me the same thing … You just echoed the words of a madman."
Senator Kantor offered a conciliatory smile, his look of pity disarming. "I'm asking you to trust me."
Corday understood what riled her; bone deep, he felt the same away. "We make progress every day, Claire. I swear it to you."
Claire looked to her friend and could see he had faith in the Alpha charged to lead the rebellion.
"I understand." And she did. She understood that the longer they waited, the more people would die-that the world was a nightmare where the men and women who'd once sworn to uphold the law might hand her back to a despot for food that would only last so long.
She understood perfectly.
She hurt; everyone hurt. And it had to end.
Once Senator Kantor had left, Corday took her hand, and led her back to the couch to rest. When he had her to himself, Corday smiled and pulled a gift out of his pocket.
"I have something to cheer you up." The Enforcer, his face dimpled, held up what was pinched between his fingers. "A few weeks ago I went to your residence. Everything was pretty smashed up, but I found this hidden under the lining of your jewelry box."
He slid a band of gold on her finger.
The gold was warm, but Claire's reaction to it utterly cold. "This was my mother's wedding ring."
As a child she'd hated the sight of it, still angry her mother had abandoned her, too young to accept what had happened. Claire had forgotten she'd even had it tucked away. Now it fit, just like her mother's disappointment in life fit. Holding up her hand to view the grim thing, she saw the correlation to her mother's impetus-a pretty, sparkling reminder that one could always choose.
"Thank you, Corday."
He took her hand again, stroked her fingers, and promised, "I want you to know that I understand the way you feel, but he's right. If the Senator's life was not gravely threatened, I don't know if I would trust even him with you."
Claire wasn't sure what to say. "Why haven't either of you asked me about Shepherd?"
Corday started to purr, scooting closer to put an arm around her shoulder. "Considering that you escaped once, anything he'd allowed you to hear may have been planted to mislead the resistance should you get free again. I hate to say it, but every move that monster makes is … brilliant. There is nothing you can give us."
No one was on her side, and though she tried to hide her look of hurt, it didn't matter. Corday saw.
She chose to tell him things anyway; she needed him to hear her. "He was born in the Undercroft, his mother incarcerated by Premier Callas. His lover's name is Svana."
The Beta listened, Claire's words confirming what Brigadier Dane had conjectured. It would explain how Shepherd had been incarcerated off record, but the thought of a woman being thrown into that hell … that his own government had done such a thing, just could not be. Could it?
Claire continued, eyes far away as she blathered on. "Svana has an accent I've never heard before-like she's not from here."
"There are a thousand kilometers of snow in every direction outside this Dome, Claire. Outsiders cannot wander in."
"Just like women cannot be thrown in the Undercroft and entire cities cannot fall overnight?" To Claire it seemed there had to be more … dark truths about themselves that had to be recognized. Meeting her friend's eyes, she confessed, "I don't think Premier Callas was a good man … I'm afraid Shepherd's harsh opinion of us might not be wrong."
Corday's arm tightened around her. "Are you saying you agree with him?"
"No," she answered quickly. "No. Evil cannot change evil. Maybe his underlying motivation was once principled; I know he thinks it is, but it's not."
"That's right, Claire," Corday reaffirmed, worried to see her so lost. "Shepherd and his army are delusional."
Cheek to his shoulder, she agreed, "Aren't we all a little these days … "
Chapter 2
Claire was not a violent woman. She did not know how to fight. She was not physically strong.
But she wasn't defenseless. Claire was fast and clever. She just needed to find a way to use those traits to further her agenda. Deceiving Corday again did not sit well with her; but his loyalty, his intentions, were tied up in Senator Kantor's leadership.
Maybe the Senator's plan would work … perhaps rebels could uncover the location of the contagion. Then what? Rally the people over a series of hard years while the Dome continued to crack and more snow fell? Claire was not going to wait to find out.
Feigning complacency, smiling when she was supposed to, Claire acted the part of a submissive Omega and fervently agreed when Corday asked for her promise to stay inside. Admitting she was terrified of being given back, that she trusted him to protect her, it only took two days of good behavior before he finally left to attend his duties.
Despite the pain each step cost, once alone, she began to pace and plot.
The monster himself had told her she'd failed because she believed in goodness in a city where there was none. He was wrong. Claire knew that she had failed because she hadn't tried hard enough, thought big enough; because, in the end, she'd expected someone else to save her.
How very Omega.
How fucking ironic that the champion the women had chosen had been Shepherd! Laughing under her breath, sickened, Claire griped her skull.
Nona, the other Omegas-not once had Corday mentioned them. It was the other Omegas, the one's he'd freed that slipped into conversation here and there. He was trying to shore her up, show that there was hope, but he never mentioned her friends.
Claire knew why; Corday was afraid the temptation to go to them would undermine her promise to stay put. He was right.
Just as he'd threatened, Shepherd had stashed those women in the one place no outsider could get to-the Undercroft. Claire was certain down to her bones.
Getting in would not be easy. Once inside, her quest would grow impossible unless … Claire could encourage the Omegas to stand as a pack and fight.
No one was going to save them-they would have to save themselves. All Claire could do was give them their chance.
In a way, Shepherd may have even done Claire a favor. He'd have seen to the Omega's basic needs, wanting them healthy enough for his men. After so many weeks with food, the women would be stronger, and Claire had a feeling that with starvation no longer clouding their judgment, they would also be very angry.
Anger was the only sentiment Claire seemed to understand most days. Anger was a great motivator.
Turning to pace in the other direction, her elbow winged Corday's bookcase, knocking a mess to the floor.
Bending over to clean up, Claire froze.
An Enforcer data cube …
Information on Shepherd might be there. Maybe even Svana's name was tucked into inside an Enforcer file.
Claire plugged it into Corday's COMscreen and typed out the name 'Shepherd'.
Nothing.
'Svana'.
Nothing.
This resource was too valuable to ignore; there had to be something on there she could use. Claire just needed to think. She needed to slow her mental chatter, to breathe. A cold sweat came as her finger tapped the screen, spelling the name of the only criminal Claire knew. The COM flashed, beautiful chocolate eyes staring back at her.
Claire knew the contemptuously smirking face on that woman's credentials, every angle of it. Even though it had been years, Claire still knew how she smelled, what her laugh sounded like. Leaning nearer the screen, the Omega almost smiled.
The next hour was spent absorbing every single detail the data cube contained on one repeat felon. Maryanne Cauley had amassed quite a record; assault, larceny, burglary, arson … her file was massive. From the looks of it, the stunning lawbreaker had gone from cocky repeat escapee of farm labor to … nothing. Her file just stopped-no record of further incarceration, no address, no date of death. She had just disappeared.