Chapter 13 - HQ
Galen
The car runs faster than my thoughts, and everything outside is just blurry smears of black and green shooting past out of the corner of my eye. July’s breath is slow but regular. I hope she’s asleep to make the Deleteri’s job quicker and painless.
“They’ll know what to do,” Evelyn states as if having read my mind.
“They’ll delete what they are told to. It is not a matter of experience. They shouldn’t have been involved at all,” I snap.
Evelyn doesn’t need to voice her feelings. The reflection of her eyes in the rear-view mirror bears a silent prayer for trust while her hands grip the wheel with such worry that her knuckles turn white under the freckled skin.
“What’s changed?” I ask, trying to control my voice this time. “Why the Deleteri and not the Writers?”
She takes a deep breath as if to keep our conversation as civil as possible. “She’s seen too much, heard too much. Roden thinks their work won’t be enough this time, and flashes of the past may come back to her—not only in her sleep.”
I glance at July. Her face has relaxed completely as if she’s just peacefully asleep in the backseat of a friend’s car.
I intercept Eve’s eyes in the mirror a second time. “How’s she doing?” she asks.
“Drugged and betrayed.” I hold her gaze—fuck the hierarchy, she can take my judgemental look.
“Being so resentful and bitter won’t change anything. It will only wear out your mind.”
Evelyn slows the car down. Another vehicle drives past ours in the opposite direction, and I follow its journey until it disappears in the darkness of the otherwise deserted road.
“Roden managed to sense him,” Evelyn throws me a quick look from the front seat.
“We don’t know if the Wards were done or simply too many Reds moved towards him, but Mack is looking into it.
I had to act fast. Delaying July’s crossing would have raised suspicions,” she mumbles as a way for a pathetic excuse, which I decide to accept to avoid further confrontation.
“Do you think Kristyon wandered out too far from the perimeter, without supervision? I swear if he did—” The name slips from my lips, and I freeze.
“For souls’ sake, Galen!” I capture Evelyn’s concerned gaze as she glares at me from the mirror before she shoots a glance over her shoulder to July, sighing, “You’ll do what exactly?”
July moans in her sleep and rolls onto her side, folding her hands under her cheeks.
“Is she awake?”
“Just keep driving. I need to think.”
The headquarters is an anonymous, grey structure built on the most northeastern point of Libera, with no easy access by car unless you know where to look.
From the outside, it looks like a huge, boring warehouse used to store old furniture, with tall windows covered in dust and masked from the inside to avoid curious looks.
“I still wonder how, in all these years, nobody has ever tried to squat in this place.” Mine is just an observation, but it captures Eve’s attention as she parks at the back of the building.
She turns in her seat, bracing one arm on the headrest, her glasses sliding down her nose as she jerks her chin at July’s sleeping body.
“That’s what happens when someone asks too many questions about the wrong place and the wrong people.
Do you still want me to answer you? Remember, July’s brain is still active and could store information that should stay hidden. ”
“Don’t act witty with me, Eve. You shut me out—”
“I told you, it was an emergency fix,” she sighs.
“The benefit of the doubt. This is all I can offer you for now, but I will consider you personally responsible should they—Roden—even as much as think about hurting her,” I hiss, realising I’ve just threatened the only person who could end my career and probably my fucking life.
“You know he won’t.”
“Of course, because who would destroy such a precious weapon?” I bite my tongue and recoil against my seat, watching Evelyn as she unbuckles her seat belt, gets out of the car, and opens my door, resting one arm on the metal frame.
“Do you need help carrying her?” she offers.
“No need, I can manage.” I ignore her mortified look and slowly abandon my seat to get out and walk to the other side of the car.
I grab July’s shoulders as if she’s made of crystal, and I hear her mumbling something in her sleep about carrot cake. Some locks of hair are plastered to her face with sweat and dust from our time in the woods.
“Watch her head…” Eve materialises behind me and promptly stretches out one hand to support July’s neck.
“Thanks,” I murmur.
“Never think I stopped caring. Everything I do is for hers and your own good,” Eve whispers, pressing her free hand on my shoulder.
I nod, and together, we walk around the building, where the main door is already ajar as if waiting for our arrival.