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“What it means,” I spoke over her, “is I know about explosives. Your plan is to blow up Dr. Death when you light up the lab, right? Kill two birds with one stick of dynamite?”
“Killing Dr. Death can be accomplished without explosives. As for the labs, all I need is a match.”
“Or we could make your own explosives once we’re inside. Icarus said the main labor at the camp is mining coal. If they don’t have explosives there, they’ll for sure have the makings of them.”
Her mask of indifference slipped a couple of inches. “You know how to make them?”
I nodded with a smile and delivered my knockout. “Besides that, Bravo won’t follow your lead unless I’m there.”
This was a lie. If things were as bad at the camp as I was expecting, Bravo would do just about anything to protect Mica. But I couldn’t afford to let Meridian know that. Truth was, I didn’t quite trust her. Saga seemed to think she was the great hope of humanity, but I hadn’t seen much yet to prove him right. If the choice came down between rescue or destroying the Troika power source, she’d abandon Bravo and the others in a heartbeat. I needed to be there to be sure that choice wasn’t made.
When she finally spoke, she looked less defeated than resigned. “I’ll have to talk to the others.”
I crossed my arms. “You have to get their permission, you mean.”
Ever since I’d arrived, I’d heard a lot of talk about Meridian being the savior, but I’d yet to see her make a decision without Saga’s or Icarus’s go ahead. She might have what it took to lead, but I hadn’t seen evidence of that beyond propaganda. Yet another reason to ensure I went with her. Every mission needed a leader. I couldn’t chance so much on someone who was little more than a puppet for an old man and a bitter cripple.
Her eyes narrowed and she stepped into my space. “Watch yourself. You came to us for help, remember?” She pursed her lips and looked me over, as if weighing my potential as a partner in crime. “Don’t you worry about Saga. I’ll convince him you need to come. Do not make me regret this.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t shake the feel that I’d be the one with the regrets.
Thirteen
Bravo
I woke in a dark room. My eyes stung despite the deep shadows and my brain felt like it was trying to crack through my skull. A groan escaped my mouth before I could stop it. If one of those asshole vampires was watching me, I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of hearing my pain.
But it wasn’t a vampire who answered.
“Didn’t I tell you not to be a hero?”
Matri. Not happy at all.
Luckily, I was already lying on my side, because a wave of nausea rose. I angled my head over the side of the cot and threw up the potatoes I’d eaten earlier. Once my stomach was empty, I actually felt a little better. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I looked up.
A scrap of damp cloth appeared in my immediate vision, and just beyond that, Matri’s stern face. Snatching the cloth with a mumbled “thanks” I made quick work of cleaning myself. When done, I pushed myself into a seated position, but instantly regretted it as the pounding behind my eyes intensified.
“Probably a concussion.”
I wasn’t interested in discussing my health. “You were there.”
She looked away.
“You were standing there, watching, while they drained those children.”
“I was.” That was it. No denial. No excuses.
I spat on the floor to clear the taste of bile from my tongue. “Does that happen to all the children you care for?” I put mocking emphasis on the last two words.
“Yes, Bravo, it does.”
Her refusal to apologize or rise to my bait enraged me. “How can you do that to them? They trust you.”
She pressed her lips together and looked at me with patient pity. “They trust me to keep them alive. That is exactly what I’m doing.”
“By draining them?” My raised voice ricocheted around inside my head like a bullet.
“Before I convinced the guards to use the current setup, they would snatch children from their beds and drain them dead.”
