Darkness Falls(28)

“Yeah, I know all about your kind of approach.”
The chemistry between him and Jordan hadn’t been deliberate, but he hadn’t fought it, either. “There are worse ways to fail.”
Coll gave a hard laugh. “I’ll take it under consideration. Maisie Lane is enjoying my pursuit way too much. Keep her sister safe, or I’m a dead man.”
When Rook ended the call, Jordan finally spoke. “Where are we going?”
“Your place, so you can pick up some things. Coll is taking care of Blackman. You’ve nothing to worry about there.”
If he didn’t wake up soon, Rook would go after him himself.
“Coll?”
Mistake. “The Chimera agent watching your sister. We use aliases while recruiting in case our mark decides against us, or worse, turns against us. Are you going to decide against Chimera?”
Because she now knew their real names. He really didn’t want to bring in a picker to remove them from her memory. He’d done so in the past, but the thought was foul when it came to her.
That silent, steely composure came over her again. No tears now.
He didn’t blame her for not answering. She’d known him all of thirty-six hours, and for most of that, she’d feared him. Probably still did.
But it would do neither him nor Chimera any good if she felt backed into a corner. He liked her too much to lie by omission, then try to kiss her later. He’d done that already with mixed results. Maybe the full truth was better.
“You do have other choices,” he said. “The private sector has a few good Rêve shops, all expanding beyond entertainment to commerce and communication. I’m sure someone like Vince Blackman would spend a lot to protect you and keep you happy. You’re a hot commodity.”
Her resume need only say Darksight and drowning.
Rook took the ramp onto the freeway. “In fact, he probably went to the Envoi to look for you specifically.”
“How could he possibly have known that I’d be there that night?”
Rook shrugged. “A couple of scenarios would account for it, your sister being the most likely connection. Rêve aptitude runs in families. It makes perfect sense that someone who might know of her activities would see whether she had a sibling and be ready when that sib was going to try Rêve.” He pushed a little harder, sure that Jordan would make the connection. “They may have even made a venue conveniently available.”
“That’s why I could simply charge a spot on the Envoi when there were thousands who wanted the same ticket. Who’d pay more.”
“Probably, yes. It was rigged. Helped that there was no Agora oversight as well.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Was Maze in on it, do you think?” The tone of her voice slipped upward with feeling.
Rook had seen the sisters together, and they were loyal, each different, but with a protective hold on the other. “No. I think she was just supposed to meet her contact.”
“But Vince knew.”
She missed nothing. “I don’t see how he couldn’t. He made straight for you. Doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. He might just be expanding his business and had a previous acquaintance with you.”
“And you?” she asked. “What about you?”
“I was hunting for recruits, sure, but I didn’t know about you in particular. Struck fucking gold. My point is that Blackman or others might have a good Rêve shop. And a swimming pool, too.”
“Chimera doesn’t have a pool?”
Rook frowned. “No pool, sweetheart.”
They each lived on their own. Quietly, but independent of direct oversight.
“Does it have any amenities at all?”
If she wanted amenities—
He looked over because he couldn’t believe his ears, only to find she had that ironic smirk on her mouth. Dark humor he understood.
Jordan was joking. At a time like this, she could joke.
He’d thought he was being gallant by letting her know she had options, but that smirk sealed it. She was a Chimera, whether she wanted a goddamn pool or not.
***
Jordan remembered this feeling—the sense of her life breaking open and the tailspin of disorientation that came with sudden change. The first time it happened was when her mom died, and Jordan had had to change herself most dramatically of all.
Her home had been ripped away, but no matter how prominently it still figured in her dreams, she’d learned that a place wasn’t important. The people associated with it were.
Change had come again, except this time no one was hurt, and she was stronger.
Like a roller coaster just whipping around a hairpin turn, she had no choice but to hold on for the ride. She had every right to freak out, to start shrieking, but she also had the experience to conserve her energy for when she really needed it. For now, she’d do what everyone else did on roller coasters during the steady bits—laugh. The big drops would happen soon enough.