Thin Lines (The Child Thief #3)(12)

It was all important to the larger story, and our friends didn’t even know all that had happened yet.

We didn’t have time to tell them everything right now. We needed to get to Alexy’s, and if she and Zion weren’t there, waiting to save us, then to a place where we could print my pictures from the Authority compound. Because if Alexy and Zion were gone, our next best bet was Nathan and Little John. We had to get off the streets, quickly, but we also needed to figure out where we were supposed to go. With any luck, the timeline from my photos would give us some sort of clue. Then we would go to the coffee shop where we’d left Allerra and see whether she was even still there. Jace could also get whatever he would need out of his apartment. And we had to do this all before the Authority found us.

There was no doubt in my mind that they were already looking and that we’d avoided them to this point by pure luck.

“The only important part for the moment is that none of you can go home,” Jace said, addressing our bewildered-looking friends. “Your addresses aren’t safe. We know there are two lists of addresses floating around out there, and that the government has at least one of them—the one with the addresses of the techs. The other list… well, we know that the addresses for everyone else might be on it. And we’ve seen what they do with people who don’t agree with them. All of you are to stay right here until we come back and get you. Don’t leave the apartment, don’t open the windows, and don’t answer the door. If enforcers show up after we leave, you’re to rush to the bedrooms and get into the safe rooms.”

He turned to Winter. “Winter, I’m putting you in charge. Make sure everyone stays in line. I know some of you are hurt and that you’re all probably tired and hungry. If I know Zion, there will be plenty of food in the kitchen, and you’re welcome to eat as much of it as you want.”

His mouth worked as if he wanted to say more but didn’t know how to put it into words. “Zion has great security, and this place should be safe for the night, at the very least. Safer than you would be out on the streets with us, anyway. So eat, rest, and wait for us.”

He then turned to Winter, Kory, and Abe. “Come with me to sort through the disguises, and, Winter, I’ll get you into the safe rooms. We’re going to leave them open for easy access. Pray you don’t need them.”

“Something tells me Zion’s not going to like us ferreting through his things.” Kory said, as he followed Jace toward the hallway.

“If he didn’t want us going through his things then he should have been here to stop us,” Jace retorted over his shoulder.

A sharp laugh was Kory’s only answer.

Once they’d disappeared, I took charge of the group, turning to the people I knew best: Julia and Marco. “I think you two should stay here as well, with the techs. To keep an eye on them.”

Julia nodded. “To watch out for them. I don’t want them caught unprepared.” She shared a long look with Nelson, and I remembered that once, what felt like a lifetime ago, Julia had been Nelson’s second-in-command. She’d been the one who’d taken over when Nelson wasn’t around, and she was one of Nelson’s oldest friends. It was no wonder that she wanted to stay here. She must have been even more worried about Nelson than I had been.

To my surprise, Nelson shook her head, the hair she had left swinging into her face. “I’m not staying here. I’m one of the best techs you’ve got in this outfit, and from what I can see, you’re going to need me.”

“And you’re hurt,” I retorted. “Probably worse than anyone else.”

“No worse than you.” She cast a pointed look in my direction. “Some burns and a haircut, and that’s it.” She gave me a quick grin before turning serious again. “This isn’t about me playing hero. It’s about me being able to see what you need. You guys are planning to search for Little John? Well, to do that, you’re going to need to get into computers, and you’re going to need someone who’s faster and more efficient at searching than the average person. That’s me. If you want to figure out what’s going on, I’m your best bet.”

She paused for breath, and my mind ran over the implications. Yes, Nelson was hurt. She looked like she’d been through a war, in fact. Yet she was obviously still capable, and though she’d fallen behind when we had been escaping from the prison, she seemed to be doing just fine now. And she was absolutely the best tech I’d ever met.

She was right.

“I second that.” I sighed, and she threw me a grateful look. “That doesn’t mean I like dragging you back out into danger,” I warned her, narrowing my eyes in mock anger.

Jace suddenly answered from behind me. “I agree. Nelson, go down the hall and into the first door on your right and tell Jack that you need a disguise as well.”

She nodded and disappeared into the hallway. I could hear raised voices—Nelson’s the loudest—then silence, and I grinned. Kory might be used to people giving him a lot of leeway, based on what I’d seen of his position in his group of friends, but he’d never dealt with Nelson when she was on a mission. That girl put even Jackie to shame.

“I don’t see why she gets to go when she’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place,” a new voice interrupted.