The woman shook her head. “Nope.”
Loraine let out an exasperated sigh and sat back in her seat. “Let me start again. I didn’t have anything to do with The Collective taking your friends, but I am aware of it. I know who they are, and what they mean to you. I know where they were taken, and I want to help you get them back.”
None of this was making sense. “How did you know I was looking for my friends?”
She frowned. “You left a message for Missy Honour with one of the network. Clever move, by the way. Not many people realize how powerful the street network is, or that it’s how Missy gets her information.”
“Actually, my housemate, who happens to be a dog, does.”
“Oh.” She blinked across at me.
The dark-skinned woman snorted. “Look, we want to help you get your friends back to give The Collective the finger, and in return, we need you to do something for us.”
I looked from the woman to Loraine and then back to the woman. “You’re Missy, aren’t you?”
The woman smiled. “That’s me.” Her tone deepened slightly as she elongated her vowels. “The voice of truth.” She smiled at Loraine. “Name’s Greta. I’m the voice and Loraine is the brain.”
I held up my hands. “Okay, someone needs to start at the beginning and explain to me what the fuck is going on here.”
The ladies exchanged glances, and Greta inclined her head in Loraine’s direction.
Loraine cleared her throat and then began to speak. “I discovered a long time ago that there is much corruption in The Institute. The Collective is simply another arm of that corruption. There are secret factions within the organization working outside the law as we know it to achieve goodness-knows-what objectives. I wanted to leave, but then realized that I could do more good if I stayed.” She smiled at Greta. “Greta and I met three years ago, and we hit it off immediately. As we grew closer, we realized we had the same views, the same goals, and so Missy was born.”
The tender look on her face told me everything. The couple were a ... couple. Who would have thought uptight, stick-up-the-butt Loraine could have a heart?
“We’ve been working to ensure the citizens know the truth about The Institute,” Greta said. “To make them aware of the secrets and the lies in the only way we can, through speculation and discussion on a radio show. The people that call in aren’t real—we control the questions. We can ask the questions that the people should be asking and get them the answers they need to hear. We drop hints to the public to open their eyes.”
Like they’d done with the Lost. They’d known all along, and they’d led me to them.
Loraine nodded. “I see you’re putting two and two together. We’ve been interested in you for a while. You listen, you act, and you aren’t afraid to ask questions.”
“How have you not been shut down?”
Greta laughed. “They couldn’t shut me down if they tried. I can run rings around their tracers. Trust me, my frequency is heard only by those that need to hear it.” She grinned. “It’s my Arcana ability.”
“So, you work for The Institute too?”
Her expression darkened. “Worked.”
Loraine cut in. “Greta was responsible for designing the security programs and systems for The Collective’s facilities.”
Greta’s smile was mirthless. “And when I was finished, they tried to kill me.”
Loraine cleared her throat. “It was around eight months after we met. We’d been seeing each other secretly, not wanting The Collective to know. Greta had just wrapped up the OIO project—”
“The quarantine facility?”
Loraine nodded. “Yes.” She took a shuddering breath. “And then there was an accident. The lab Greta was working in exploded.”
I blinked at her.
Greta rapped her long fingers on the table. “I shifted out just in time.” Her lips curled in a wry smile. “I’d never told them about my ability to shift, so they just assumed I died.”
“And so did I … for months, until she made contact,” Loraine said.
“And the rest is history.” Greta reached across the table and took Loraine’s hand.
How could this be? How could these two women have managed to pull the wool over The Collective’s eyes for so long?
I focused on Loraine. “So your hard-ass persona is an act?”
Loraine smiled a genuinely amused smile. “It’s who I am to The Collective. It’s how I survive. It’s a part of me. It’s why no one would ever suspect that I had anything to do with helping you.”
My heart rate picked up. “You can really get me into the quarantine facility?”
She nodded. “Greta can get you in.”
“I designed that system,” Greta said. “There are wards against shifting in, but none against shifting out. But”—she grinned—“I can temporarily disable them. I can get you in, and you can get out using a transponder. I’ll program it to be undetectable. I can even talk you through the facility. I’ve memorized the blueprints. I can get you to the cells where they’d be holding your friends.”
“I don’t understand ... why would they go to so much trouble to merely hold them, why not just kill them if they pose some kind of threat. They tried to kill you?”
Loraine and Greta exchanged glances.
“What? Just spit it out.”
“The facility isn’t just a quarantine building. We believe that it’s used for other things too.”
“What kind of things?”
“Experiments.”
I frowned. “And what does this have to do with ... Oh ... no way. You think they’re going to use my friends as live subjects?”
Greta nodded. “We believe your friend, Fran, has stumbled across some kind of classified intel. Your other friend just made the wrong call. But you can get them out, and we can hide them. They’ll have to go underground. It’s the only way to protect them.” Her eyes were dark orbs of sorrow. “If they have the gene, I can eventually get them out of the city and relocate them with fresh identities. But it won’t be easy.”
They were willing to help me, to get me into the facility to help me save my friends, but there was more to my agenda, and although I wanted to tell them, I couldn’t risk them backing out of the deal once they realized that my plan was to possibly free the Others. No point telling them, because if I was right and the Others were contagious, there was no way I was setting them free. Speaking of which, I needed to know where the Others would be housed in the facility.
“So, is the quarantine building really used for quarantine? Are Others really held there? Would my friends be held with them?”
“Oh, yes,” Greta said. “They have Others, but I’m pretty sure your friends would be held on the upper level of the facility on the same floor as the labs. The floor below is mainly holding cells for quarantine, even though that isn’t why the Others are being held.”
Oh, great. It was beginning to look like Lex may have been right. Shit. There was only one question remaining. “What is it you want in return for your help?”
Once again, they exchanged glances. “We want the truth, Wila. Being able to access the facility doesn’t mean we’ve been able to do so.” Loraine gnawed on her bottom lip. “The risk is too high and neither of us—”
Greta cleared her throat abruptly.
Loraine sighed. “Fine. I’m not willing to risk Greta’s life to get it.”
In other words, I was expendable. Nice.
Loraine studied me carefully. “Wila, you’ve proven yourself time and time again to be a survivor, to pull the rabbit out of the proverbial hat even when the odds have been stacked against you. You went up against Elora and came back, both times.”
My pulse skipped. She knew about the torture? “You know about ... that.”
Loraine nodded. “Like I said, we’ve been keeping tabs on you. You’re a survivor, and if anyone can pull this off, then you can.”
Greta leaned in. “We need you to download
the secure files off the mainframe in the central hub of the building.” She grinned.
“Can’t you just hack it?”
“No. That particular system is on a separate network, one I had nothing to do with setting up. It has Kelter written all over it. We believe it contains the truth behind the operations The Institute are conducting there.”
“Evidence.”
“Yes. I’ll give you directions. I’ll talk you through it all via a catsear. You won’t be alone.”
“But if you get caught ...” Loraine left her sentence hanging.
Yeah, if I got caught, I’d be on my own. “I get it.” I couldn’t tell them about my deal with Lex, but they needed to know about Elora and the threat she posed. “There’s something you need to know. I didn’t come to you with this before, because honestly, I didn’t think you’d believe me, but with everything we’ve just discussed ... I think Elora is planning an attack on Arcana City.”
Loraine blinked slowly at me. “How? I mean, what could she possibly do?”
I filled them in on the truth about Elora, about her spell to wipe the Shedim and Draconi memories.
“Maybe that’s why the Others started slipping into Arcana,” Greta said. “Maybe they weren’t affected by her spell; they know the truth, but the Shedim don’t hear them when they try to remind them.”
How had I not made that connection? It made perfect sense, though. It explained why the Others were treated like dirt in Draconi territory.
“And Elora has found a way to somehow enhance this spell?” Loraine asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is what she did in the past, and what she said to me—that no one would remember my name. There is something else, though. The last two times I was attacked by Shedim, they got into Arcana using transponders.”
Greta tensed. “Transponders? You’re sure.”
“Positive.” If Noir’s contact came back empty on the transponder we’d found, then Greta was our next go-to person.
“Transponders aren’t easy to come by,” Greta said. “For one, they’re stupid expensive, and secondly, they’re registered to each individual user. Unless you have the tech and skill to circumvent registration and hack into the chip inside, then they’re useless.”
“So she has someone tech savvy on her side,” Loraine mused.
“It’s the only explanation,” Greta said. “And that is worrying, because it wasn’t just magic that helped The Institute beat back the Draconi, it was our mastery of tech too. The two combined made us unbeatable. If Elora has somehow managed to harness tech, then we’re truly screwed.”
I looked from Greta to Loraine. “I’m working on Elora. I’m going to find out what she’s up to.”
Loraine nodded. “Between the three of us, maybe we can unravel the secrets of both territories, and once we have the evidence we need on Elora, we can take that to The Institute. Force them to listen.”
“Or blackmail them?” Greta added with a shrug.
“Whatever it takes,” Loraine added. “The days of keeping the citizens in the dark need to come to an end. We can’t fight to survive if we’re segregated. There is power in unity, and The Institute needs to be reminded of that.”
There was also something to be said for not causing mass panic, but we’d cross that bridge when we came to it. Right now, I had two friends to save and a bunch of Others to set free.
I splayed my hand on the table. “Just for clarification, I’m in.”
Loraine smiled thinly. “Just for clarification, if you get caught, then you’re on your own, and if you point the finger at us, then your roommates will pay the price.” There was no villain-like threat in Loraine’s tone, just a matter-of-fact vibe.
I nodded. “And while I’m gone, why don’t you make yourself useful and unbug my house.” I gave her a smug smile.
Loraine blinked in surprise.
Greta snorted. “It’s a deal. Now let’s get to work.”
Chapter 9
We materialized outside the carwash where Missy had nabbed me, and Noir was on her before I’d had a chance to acclimatize from the trip.
Greta let out a squeal as his hand closed around her throat.
I grabbed his forearm. “Whoa! It’s okay. I’m okay.”
Noir glared at Greta for a long beat and then released her. She stumbled back and then vanished. Noir pulled me into a hug. His heart was pounding so hard I could feel it against my chest. It mingled with my steady heartbeat and slowly, steadily calmed down. His fresh, zesty cologne enveloped me, and his corded arms held me securely. It felt safe, and goodness knew I was going to need the reassurance if I was going to get through the next twenty-four hours.
I pressed the side of my face to his chest. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
He dropped a kiss on my crown and then released me. “If I wasn’t in such good shape, I’d have had a heart attack.”
“Can I fill you in on what happened once we get back? Gil and Trev will need to hear this too, and I don’t think I have the energy to tell it twice.”
He nodded tersely and followed me across the road to Mini. “You should call Taylem too.”
Oh, man. I really wanted him with me on this, but he needed time away, he needed to sort his head out, and this wasn’t a mission he could go on with me. It was a solo thing. Better if he didn’t know, it would only worry him.
“Taylem has some important stuff he needs to sort out.”
Noir gripped my hand, stalling me from opening the car door. “I doubt anything is more important to him than you.”
“You might be right, but that’s exactly why he has to stay away ... for now.”
This time he didn’t argue when I unlocked the vehicle.
***
“Bugged?” Trevor scanned the ceiling and then jumped off his seat to study the underside of my desk. “How can they have bugged us? Gilbert’s always here, we have wards. We had a Hound.”
“Has he gone AWOL again?”
Trevor chuffed. “When did he ever come back?”
“I’m sure he was here the other night ...” Or maybe I’d dreamt it ... “Look, the bugging thing could have happened a while ago, it sounds like they’ve been keeping tabs on me for a while. It doesn’t matter, though, because they promised to remove, or disable, or whatever they need to do to unbug the house.”
“And this Greta, the real Missy, is picking you up at midnight?” Gilbert asked.
“Yeah. She’s going to get me into the facility and then guide me through.”
“What about the Others?”
I turned to Noir. “This is where you come in. Can you pick up the transponders Lex promised us? Greta said she’d adjust the wards to allow for the use of transponders, but I’ll only have the one she’s giving me to get Eloise and Fran out.”
Noir nodded. “I’ll go and speak to Lex now.”
“Also check in with that contact of yours, the one who was looking at the transponder the Shedim dropped. We need to know how they got hold of it.”
“No problem. I’ll be back in a bit.” He poofed away.
I glanced at the clock on the wall. Almost six p.m. My gut churned. I just wanted to get this over with.
“You don’t have to do this, Wila,” Gilbert said.
“He’s right,” Trevor said. “You don’t have to do any of it.”
But I did, because it was the only way to get back the people I loved. “I’m not the kind of person to turn my back on my friends, no matter how dangerous it may be. I may not have a blood family, but what I have with you guys, with Fran and Eloise, with Azren and Valance, Noir and Tay ... it’s more than blood, it’s everything.”
“But they wouldn’t want you putting your life at risk,” Trev said. “I know that because if I had been taken, I’d want you to stay away. I’d want you to stay safe.”
“Well, this is one instance I’d be ignoring your advice.” I grinned, hoping to defuse the sudden doom-and-gloom vibe. “It’s gonna be fine
, guys. Trust me. If I can get into dragon territory and come out alive, then I can infiltrate a secure government facility, steal some data, and free a few inmates.”
Okay, said out loud that sounded ridiculous. I was, after all, just an investigator—a good one, but still, I was no special ops soldier.
The air shifted urgently. “Wila, what about luck?” Gilbert said excitedly.
Oh, shit. Why hadn’t I thought of that? “Good call, Gil.” I picked up my phone to dial Barnaby and then paused. Shit, how long had it been since I’d last used luck? Six weeks? Seven? Not long enough for him to sell me another dose.
“What is it?” Trevor asked.
“He won’t sell it to me. It hasn’t been long enough between doses.”
“Shit!” Trevor began to pace.
The room was once again filled with tension. What they both needed was a distraction from thinking about what I was about to do. “You know what, I’m fucking starving.”
Gilbert was instantly on alert. “Of course you are. You haven’t eaten all day. What would you like, Wila?”
Something that required some preparation and monitoring. “You know what I really fancy? One of your roast dinners.”
“A roast?” Gilbert sounded thrown.
I winced. “I know. It’s too late for that, right?”
“No. No. Never too late for a good meal. I’ll get started right now.” His presence seeped out of the room.
There was silence for several long beats and then Trevor snorted. “Go on then, what distraction are you going to saddle me with?”
There was no pulling the wool over Trev’s eyes. Gilbert was like a mother hen, so concerned about my welfare that it had been easy to shift his focus from me being about to rush into mortal danger to oh, no, my baby is hungry. But Trev was another story.
“I guess you’re just going to have to help me keep Gil occupied.”
He nodded slowly. “I’d feel better about this whole thing if you had a plan B as an exit strategy.”
“Yeah, so would I. So would I.”
***
I’d promised not to do this. I’d given my word, but the pull was an inexorable force that tugged me down the basement steps to the metal door. I stood a foot away from it, waiting, breathing.
Chronicles of Arcana (The complete collection books 1-4) Page 43