Thin Lines (The Child Thief #3)(5)

Behind us, I could hear Abe snorting with laughter at the fact that his brother was giving orders, and wondered at his silence up to that point. We’d been awake for at least half an hour now, and he’d barely said anything, which was unlike him.

Then again, he’d been arrested and held by the Authority, and who knew what they’d done to him. Maybe he was still in shock.

Everyone else started shuffling into place, and within seconds we were running through the forest. My gait was somewhat uneven thanks to my bruised leg, and my heart was pounding at the idea that we might be heading directly toward trouble.





We barely caught our ride. By the time we reached the station, the train’s doors were already starting to close. We shoved our way through the crowd on the platform, and Jace managed to grab one of the sliding doors with his right hand. He wedged himself into the gap sideways, so he could keep the doors open, and motioned to everyone else to get onboard.

“In, in, guys! Through the doors! I want all of us in the same car.”

The team funneled into the car in quick succession, the wounded among us leaning on the healthier team members. I wondered if anyone needed to go to the hospital, but as they walked past, I saw that no one appeared to have been too badly wounded. Their weaknesses seemed to come from lack of sleep and malnutrition—except for Nelson, who looked as if she’d been caught in some sort of fire tornado. Half of her hair was gone, and her hands were blistered, but if I knew her, she wouldn’t pay much mind to either.

She’d be focused on revenge over and above anything else. She’d probably keep the spiky new hairdo, just to show the government how little she cared about what they’d done to her.

The final tech slipped through the gap, and Jace finally shifted so the doors could close. He stumbled through the aisle of the car and dropped into the seat next to Ant.

The entire car had been empty, by some stroke of luck, so we were the only passengers. At least we would have some privacy while we tried to prepare for our arrival at the next town. The last thing we needed right then was nosy passersby. We had to look absolutely horrible.

Jackie waited for Jace to settle in his seat before talking. “So, plan. We know we gotta get to Trenton to try to find Zion and Alexy, so we can figure out what we’re supposed to be doing when it comes to escape. And then figure out how we’re going to do it. But we need to talk details. Like how—”

“Is it even safe to go back to town?” Austin interrupted. “Surely they’ve seen your faces.”

Jace shook his head. “We were wearing masks by the time we got into their compound, so they shouldn’t be able to recognize us. But they will know yours.” He cast a long glance at each tech, as well as Winter, Kory, Nelson, and Abe, and then blew out a breath through pursed lips. “They’ll know exactly what every one of you looks like, and that’s going to be a big problem. They have you on video, for God’s sake. So, the minute we get into town, we’re going to have to hide you. After that…” He shrugged, the motion rippling through his body.

“That’s about fifteen people that you’re talking about hiding, Hux,” Kory said. “But I hope you’re not including me in that number, because you know I won’t go quietly.”

My head popped up, and I stared at him. For some reason, knowing that Kory was here made me feel better. He was one of Jace’s best friends, and the second-strongest person I’d ever known. Jace alone might not be able to force his way into a safe position, but with Kory at his side, the odds seemed somehow better.

Jace laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to, but the Authority knows your face, too, in case you’ve forgotten. You’re no safer than the others.”

Kory lifted an eyebrow. “And if I don’t agree to go into hiding?”

“Then you’ll be putting all of our lives at risk,” Ant said sharply. “I don’t think that’s good for anyone, do you?”

Kory gave him a long look but then smiled slowly. “I won’t put anyone in danger if I’m wearing a disguise.”

“And where exactly do you think you’ll get a disguise from?” Ant shot back.

Kory shrugged. “We’re heading to Zion’s and Alexy’s places, aren’t we? I happen to know that Zion had a whole wardrobe of disguises at his fingertips, and I figure he must have been keeping at least some of them at his house. Seems to me that’s a perfect solution, don’t you think?”

My mouth fell open, and I glanced from Jace to Kory and back again, waiting for Jace to get on board with the idea. We couldn’t help that the Authority knew the faces of those they’d arrested, but if we could disguise some of them, we could eliminate at least part of the problem.

“It’s a good idea,” Jace said after a beat. “But an even better idea is if we take advantage of Zion’s and Alexy’s houses. Nathan would have set them up with the best security. I’ll go one step further and say we should leave those who are too wounded or who might be recognized there. It’s a hell of a lot safer than dressing up a bunch of wounded people and taking them into town.”

“Well, you won’t be leaving me behind, either,” Abe cut in from several seats down.

To my surprise, Ant shook his head firmly. “No. You’ve been through too much, Abe, and I want you in one of those apartments, recovering. Not out on the streets with us. You might get hurt—or, worse, arrested again.”