Thin Lines (The Child Thief #3)(13)

I whirled in its direction and stared into the crowd.

I didn’t recognize the voice immediately, but when a guy in his early twenties swept past the others with his hip cocked and his chin up, I sure as hell recognized the face.

“Robert,” I said curtly. “It’s nice to actually meet you. But this certainly isn’t the time for you to start questioning the leaders of this crew.”

He cast a narrow-eyed glance at me. “And you are?” he asked, his voice slightly nasal.

I bit my lip, disliking him even more. I’d never spoken to him before and knew him only as Gabby’s new paramour and one of the techs who had helped prepare for the raid on the warehouse. He was also, I recalled, a man with a low opinion of Nelson and her capabilities, based on what Gabby had repeated from their conversations.

The more I remembered about him, the less I liked him. The sneer that seemed perpetually plastered to his face really wasn’t improving my opinion.

Before I could reply, however, a hand shot out and grasped my arm, giving it a squeeze. Jace stepped forward and addressed the mouthy tech.

“Robert, is it?” At Robert’s look of condescension, Jace continued. “I recognize you from the video we saw. Of you in jail. Keep in mind that we weren’t in jail, which means we know more about what’s going on than you do, and we’re only going to be taking people we know as well as the backs of our hands along with us. For the time being, that’s the safest option. It will keep us all safer.” He paused and gave the guy a long stare. “I trust you see the rationale there? Or are you in favor of taking the more dangerous route?”

Robert huffed once but took a step back and shrugged. “I never run from danger, myself, but if you want to play it safe, I suppose I’m not in a position to argue with you.”

Well, mark that under the heading of an agreement that’s not really an agreement, I thought grimly. When this was all over, Gabby and I were going to be having a very serious conversation about her taste in men and how to tell the good ones from the ones who insisted on being cocky when there was no reason for it.

“So, what about the rest of us?” Ant asked, turning his back on the offending tech.

“As discussed, the rest of us are going to Alexy’s to check for her and Zion. If they are there and have a plan, we hop to it,” Jace said. “If they’re not, then we get to a place that will allow us to print out the pictures from Robin’s phone, because finding Little John or Nathan is our best bet for finding safety. I also…” He paused and bit down on his lower lip. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was holding back something else.

There was another option, I realized, heart pounding. Something beyond just searching for Little John and Nathan. Only, it was something he wasn’t telling us about, for some reason. I pursed my own lips, wondering what it was exactly and why he wasn’t sharing it. Surely, given our situation, it would be better if we all knew what we were dealing with. More minds on the case, and all that.

He must have decided not to share, though, because he shook his head and finished his statement. “With luck, we’ll be in a safe place before the Authority picks up our trail.”

Ant grunted in agreement, and before anyone could say anything else, Kory, Abe, and Nelson appeared at the opening to the hallway.

I looked up and promptly started laughing.

Nelson had completely shaved her head, taking my idea of a spiky hairdo several steps farther. One side of her scalp was completely bald and blistered from whatever fire she’d been through, and the other side was sporting a fine peach fuzz stubble. Her large green eyes were lined heavily in black kohl underneath her glasses, and she’d donned bright red lipstick. She looked as though she’d stolen a pair of Zion’s pants, belted them so they’d fit her waist, and then found a midriff-baring crop top to go with them.

She looked exactly like one of the gothic musicians I’d once gone to watch with Henry, at the concerts I’d never dared to tell my parents about. And she looked nothing like herself.

“Nelson, your hair!” Julia cried.

Nelson made a chopping motion with her hand. “Better my hair than my life, don’t you think?” She arched her eyebrows.

I nodded and saw that Kory had donned the traditional garb of a farmer from the country: overalls and a plaid shirt. His mid-length, ash-blond hair was loose above his shoulders, and he’d tied a bandana around his neck to hide his mouth, should he need more cover.

Abe, on the other hand, wore huge glasses and a wig of long black hair, making him look like someone else entirely. He’d also donned some of Zion’s clothing—the pants both too large and too long—and behind the glasses, his face was magnified several times, his features distorted and comical. He’d become difficult to identify, even for me, and I must have looked at that face at least a hundred times over the last year.

“Looking good, bro.” Ant eyed him over. “What is Zion doing with so many disguises lying around, by the way?”

“Security has always been important to the man,” Jace replied. “He has more stuff in that room than you could ever dream of. But we don’t have time to explore. The quicker we get to Alexy’s, the happier I’ll be.”

A thought suddenly hit me, and I whirled around and stared from Abe to Ant, then back again, the most horrible realization dawning on me.