Power(94)

“I don’t think it’d be quite that simple,” I said. “Assuming he did voluntarily turn around, which is kind of unlikely.”

“You walk in naked, get him to face away from the door, I follow in and boom, done,” Reed said.

“I don’t like this plan,” Scott offered. “Except for the naked part.”

“No,” I said gently. “No to the naked part, no to the idea of shooting him in the back of the head.” I was a little more forceful on one of those parts than the other.

“What are you going to do, Sienna?” Scott asked. “If you’re not going to kill him?”

“Maybe I’ll just guard him until the feds come,” I said. “Maybe we’ll have a conversation. Maybe I’ll turn him loose and run to catch up with you guys.” I felt my face harden. “Or maybe I will kill him and then come join you.”

“I’m all in favor of killing him,” Reed said, “but I’m not a huge fan of sending you in there alone.”

“I’m the only one that can face him,” I said.

“No,” Scott agreed, “you shouldn’t be alone in this.”

“Get past your egos, boys,” I said. “As much as I love you both, when it comes to a dance between me and Sovereign, you’re hostages or splatters and that’s it. This is my job, the one I signed on for, and I’m going to do it myself.” I looked at each of them in turn. “I won’t have you in the way, because if you hamper me and get yourselves killed in the process, even if I beat him, it would kill me inside.” I made them feel it, both of them, with a hard-edged look that made them each break eye contact in turn. “Do you want to put that on me?”

“No,” Reed said first.

“No,” Scott said a moment later.

“Then this is where we part,” I said, and opened my arms. They both hugged me, tightly and as long as they could get away with it. When I pulled away, I could sense Scott wanting to stay a moment longer. I shook my head at him. “I’ll see you again. Or you’ll see me at least, I think.”

“Don’t get yourself killed, Sienna,” Reed said. “If he’s willing to lay down the sword, let him do it. Just be done. You don’t have to do this anymore.”

“I never did,” I said. “That’s what makes me … me.” I smiled, but it was totally fake and they both knew it. “Take care of yourselves.”

Reed gave me a cursory salute and left before I could see him tearing up. Scott waited just a moment more, like he was going to say just one more thing, but I shook my head and he ducked out. I watched the two of them leave and knew that once again I was all alone.





Chapter 53


Once upon a time, Wolfe had held the city of Minneapolis hostage for my surrender. I’d gone out and faced him, knowing I would suffer and be tortured and die, because I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else dying in my place.

I don’t know exactly what it was about walking down the empty corridor of the dormitory that reminded me of that moment, but the feelings came flooding back to me as I went down the hall toward my room.

The campus was empty. I’d seen to that. I could feel it in the echoes of the footsteps I was taking toward my door. The smell of drywall dust was in the air, a smell that reminded me of new construction and new destruction at the same time. I saw the dust drifting in the sunbeams, lazily falling out of the air. It had probably been prompted by Sovereign’s exit to come to Terramara earlier, though this particular building had never really lost its new construction smell for me.

I thought about knocking, but it was my room so I just went in. The biometrics that had once secured the door were offline, another pointless precaution to keep Sovereign from trying to mind-control someone who could access them. He was the least kept prisoner ever, I figured, and I suspected he knew it.

“Hey,” he said, rising to greet me as I came in. His dark eyes looked worried. “Are you okay?”

“As much as I can be,” I said. “Why?”

“Well, I picked up on some things—”

“You sensed a great disturbance in the force, huh?” I sat down on the bed and faced toward the seat he’d been occupying only a moment before. He slowly lowered himself back into it, the remainder of the chains clanking as he did so. “Here, let’s get rid of these.” I gestured for him to come to me, and he did.

“Why now?” he asked as I unlocked the cuffs around his ankles. They were all broken anyway, and his limbs were able to move freely.

“What’s the point?” I asked. “You’re here of your own free will.”