“How do you figure?”
“I checked every angle! I did weeks of research on my own and out in the field—something I despise, by the way—to make sure that the intelligence I received was accurate. Something must have changed since then, something that made the Patrians change their system.”
“Owen, do you think Thomas could have betrayed us?” I asked.
Owen rubbed a hand through his hair and looked at Thomas for a long moment. Thomas, for his part, quailed under Owen’s scrutiny.
“The Liberators, maybe—but me? No. Thomas wouldn’t do that.”
Thomas flushed bright red.
Seeing the awkward situation I had put him in, I felt bad and glossed over it as quickly as I could. “Well, then, it seems likely that it was bad luck.” Owen moved to object, but I held up a hand and stopped him. “We don’t have time to argue the point, Owen. Amber is in a rough place right now—we need to stop arguing and do something about it.”
Owen froze, his mouth open, and I used his shock to my advantage. “What’s the quickest way to get her back to The Green?”
“By boat, but—”
“Great. Thomas, can you get in touch with Alejandro and let him know that we need an emergency ride back to The Green?”
“Violet, you can’t just—”
“Tell him we’ll double his fee, provided he doesn’t ask questions and allows us the use of his private bedroom.”
“Violet! You don’t even understand. We never, ever go back by the same means we enter a place. It’s the quickest way to get caught!”
I stared at Owen. “These are unusual circumstances. I’m pretty sure Desmond and everyone else will understand. Now, will someone please answer my questions about Solomon? Also, please explain to me why he was carrying that syringe in the first place, and why he felt the need to use it on me!”
Thomas shot a look at Owen, who gave him a quick nod. Thomas moved over to the side and pulled out his handheld, presumably to contact Alejandro. I turned back to Owen and gave him a glare.
Owen shifted his weight on his feet for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. “Well… we felt that maybe you might wind up being a problem, if we weren’t able to achieve the objective.”
“Who’s we?” I asked, bristling in righteous indignation.
“Solomon and me. We knew… we knew how much was at stake for you, so we came up with a back-up plan, in case things went sideways.”
“I see,” I murmured after a pause. There was a bitter taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite swallow. A part of me could see what he meant—after all, I had unilaterally decided to try to complete the mission alone. It had been a reckless and shortsighted move on my part. “That still doesn’t tell me where Solomon is. Or where Quinn was when you and Amber were running from the scene.”
I turned my gaze to Quinn, who flinched. “I was running the other way,” he said.
I frowned in confusion. “The other way?”
Quinn nodded, and swallowed. “Yeah. Owen said it would be better if we split up, and he and Amber ran as a distraction to buy me time. We waited for you as long as we could after the coms went out, and then detonated the explosive. While they went left… I went right.”
I frowned, confused as to why he would risk running a distraction with two people instead of one, and then my breath hitched. “So… were you able to get the laser after all?”
Quinn nodded and reached over to slide a long metallic case toward me. Wordlessly, I picked it up and opened it, staring at the silver laser inside. Inhaling deeply, I set it down, leaning heavily on the table with both hands.
It had been a diversion the entire time, and I had fallen for it too. The worst part was I hadn’t had faith in Owen and the others, and that had led Solomon to whatever fate they were now trying to keep from me. I closed my eyes and fought to keep the panic at bay.
“Where is he?” I demanded, looking up at them. “Is he…” I trailed off, unable to force my lips to make the appropriate sounds.
Owen shook his head emphatically, and moved closer. “He’s not dead, but… you’re not going to like it.”
“Show me,” I demanded.
Owen fidgeted and looked at Quinn, who shrugged. Even Thomas looked uncomfortable—his fingers frozen over the handheld, his eyes were glued to the floor, unwilling to make eye contact.
I licked my lips and took a step forward, until I was within inches of Owen. He dragged his eyes up to mine, and I met his gaze sternly, letting him see my determination.
I couldn’t explain it in words, but if Solomon had been severely injured—more so than Amber—then I needed to see it. I needed to see what I was responsible for due to my desperate need to save the person I loved. It was important, sacred, that I did, so I could burn into my mind that I had failed my team by not believing in them. So that I could see, directly, the consequences of my actions.