“Yeah,” I said. “Take Reed and Karthik and go to Portland.” I thought about it for a piece. “Bring Kurt with you.”
She frowned. “That pudgy agent?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s good in a scrape.” Kurt Hannegan had been one of the first people I’d had Ariadne hire back when I got put in charge, though I’d kept him at a distance because we didn’t necessarily work all that well together.
She nodded. “We’ll get out there, see what we can find, and get back in a day or two, at most.”
“Take your time,” I said. “Do it right. And while you’re out there, have Karthik, Reed and J.J. try and locate local Omega safehouses—”
“I’m not a rookie,” she said with a hint of impatience. “I was planning on working all the angles to find Hildegarde. I’ve tracked a person or two, after all.”
“Sorry,” I said, more tired than contrite. “Just covering all my bases. When you get back, I need to debrief you again about your encounter with Sovereign.”
She stiffened. “All right. I’ll start thinking, see if I can remember anything else about it.”
I nodded. “Do that. We need every bit of information we can get about him. Talk to Ariadne on your way out, have her charter a plane for you.”
“Will do,” she said coolly and headed for my office door. She stopped, her plain, unpainted fingernails resting on the frame. “Foreman made the right call putting you in charge.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You’re all grown up,” she said, a little wistful. “You’re making the right moves. It makes me wonder what happened to my little girl.”
I didn’t even think to go with a bitter response, because all my bitterness toward her was nearly gone at this point. It had dissipated sometime over the last six months. Still, I didn’t know what to say, and after a few seconds she drummed on the edge of the doorframe with her hand and left. She disappeared into the bullpen, leaving me sitting in my office chair, marveling at the fact that we had made it through an entire conversation without any hostility at all.
Chapter 27
I stayed in my office until well after midnight, as was my habit of late. I was combing intelligence reports that had nothing to do with any of our suspects, hoping that somehow one of them would hold a little nugget, a key to what Century’s next move was. Murder rates were within fairly normal parameters in the border cities, and the list of metas known to the U.S. government wasn’t getting shorter because of unexpected deaths—yet. I knew it was coming, but based on what I was looking at, it seemed that Century wasn’t in position yet.
These thoughts were swirling in my head as I slept, and the smell of my office laser printer was still hanging in my nose as I curled up on my couch, which sat against the wall next to the office door. The soft leather had its own distinct smell, and it filled my nose as I lay there, cheek pressed against it, mind still sprinting even in my exhaustion.
Little Doll worries too much.
“Thanks, Wolfe,” I said. “Your concern is touching.”
Little Doll should worry about herself, not others. Sovereign is coming, the telepath told you. Said he was coming for you.
“Not much I can do about that,” I said. “Except be ready.” I had a Glock 22 in my shoulder holster and a Walther PPK in my ankle holster. I knew I was tough enough to take a meta in a fair fight, but I was under no illusions after being captured in the airport that I was in any way faster than a speeding bullet. The best I could do was dodge maybe one guy with a gun if I was lucky. A firing line would be the end of me just the same as it would anyone else.
There is no preparing for ... him. This from Bjorn, who always sounded a little scared when he talked about Sovereign, like the guy was going to jump out of the nearest closet and rip Bjorn’s soul clean out of me.
“I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be,” I said.
Little Doll should run. Run far, far away. Even she can’t stop Sovereign. Best not to try.
“Because I hear you telling me what to do, I immediately know to do just the opposite,” I said, settling in on the couch.
He is too strong, too wily, too powerful. He has crushed metas who would make Little Doll look like ... a little doll by comparison.
“You know, if you really tried, Wolfe, I think you could be even more sneeringly condescending.” I paused for comic effect. “No, wait, no you couldn’t. I’m making my stand here. If anyone doesn’t like it, you know where to find the door to your little cages.”
Don’t be foolish, Little Doll. We can help you, help you hide from him.