“Because I believe it,” she said emphatically.
Alex slid out from the back seat, joining Cora on the pavement. Up ahead, the pier was bustling with activity as a ship made its way into port. Kosler was somewhere in the crowd, confirming this pier was receiving a very specific set of shipments.
Maybe they couldn’t destroy stores of materials at Stone Solutions, but there were always other routes.
“St. James knew just what to say to make me want to respond,” he said as they watched the small feeder ship making its way toward the dock. “I should have realized she and Reece weren’t a one-way street: Reece picked up deductive skills fromher, but she’s clearly picked up a thing or two about human nature from him.” He glanced at Cora. “St. James is the only one listed as a possible trigger point for Reece on that twisted spreadsheet of Stone Solutions. But he’s corrupted. And she’s still alive.”
Their eyes met, a symphony of conversation passing between them in shifts of expression so subtle a non-empath would never have followed.
“You’re right, itisinteresting,” Cora said, as if he’d spoken his thoughts out loud. “You lost your parents. I lost John. Yet Reece became corrupted without losing his sister.”
“But Reece did call to ask us to meet at Director Traynor’s location,” Alex pointed out, “because he knew there was danger to Evan.”
“Oh, come on,” Cora said dryly. “We’re not actually going to talk about Reece being hot for your brother, are we? I thought we were politely pretending we hadn’t noticed.”
“Are we gonna keep politely pretending right up until Reece has a breakdown and leads the wrath of Stone Solutions right to us?” Alex countered. “I don’t want them to ever get their slimy hands on either of you again.”
Cora nudged him with her shoulder companionably. “So Reece called us in to help take down Traynor,” she said thoughtfully. “He used his own new corruption to protect the Dead Man.”
Alex made a face. “I am never going to get used to that moniker. And that’s not a lie.” He picked up his phone again. “But Reece makes you wonder, doesn’t he?”
Their eyes met, another silent symphony of meaning passing between them.
“You and me—we didn’t have time to save anyone,” Cora said. “We didn’t even know what was happening to us until it was too late.”
“But if Reece was able to evolve in time to save Evan,”Alex said, “could other empaths do the same? Could theychoosecorruption, if they had the opportunity, and the knowledge—and a powerful enough motivation?”
“What an interesting theory,” Cora mused.
Up ahead, Kosler was crossing the pavement, making his way back to them. “What are we going to do about Reece in the meantime?” Alex said to Cora. “What if he runs straight back to Evan? TheDead Manis not going to have mercy for Reece.”
“You’re the one who made your brother the world’s most unique and dangerous empath hunter,” Cora pointed out.
A memory rose in Alex’s mind: Evan’s voice, hoarse from screaming, with a surreal hollow edge from the echo off the bare concrete walls of their cell.
Do it. Whatever you need to do to make me stronger, do it. I will get us the fuck out of here, Alex, I swear it.Evan had swallowed, blood still streaking his face, his eyes haunted.I don’t want to feel anything anymore anyway.
It hadn’t been a lie.
Alex shoved the memory away. Fire had been too good a fate for that bunker. “Our lives would probably get easier if we just killed Evan,” he muttered, typing into his phone.
Cora rolled her eyes. “We’re obviously not killing the Dead Man.”
“Why not?”
“Don’t try to bullshit a fellow empath,” she said, nudging him again. “I know why you torched that bunker in Texas. I would have done it too.”
“Fair enough,” Alex admitted as Kosler approached.
“Alex, sir.” Kosler was almost bouncing on his toes. “It’s not what you thought. None of the crates on the dock contain thread.”
Cora frowned. “But Eton and Pelham specifically remembered seeing delivery paperwork for a company called Metallic Tailors that makes heavy metal threads for the empath gloves.”
“Did they ever take those deliveries themselves?” Alex asked her.
Cora shook her head. “They just signed paperwork afterward. But according to their notes, it’s one of the companies that delivers to Stone Solutions’ Bellevue location from this pier.”
“Metallic Tailors doesn’t seem to ship here, but thisisa delivery port used by Stone Solutions.” Officer Kosler gestured at the ship coming into port. “And that vessel has a shipment of rare metals earmarked for Stone Solutions.”
