79
Aura whirled on Trent. “So the mighty stud horse had to call the cops to subdue a teenage girl?”
“Do you blame me? You’re a fugitive from justice. And I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
“Who kept a dungeon full of hostages he hoped to turn into surrogate mothers. You turn me in, I’ll tell them everything.”
“They won’t believe you. Aura, the game is over. If the police capture you, you’ll spend the rest of your life in Mordock. And I can guarantee you won’t like it. But there’s still time for us. I can spirit you away from here in my choppercar. Put you somewhere safe.”
“And become the mother of your master race. I don’t think so.”
He shook his head. “Even if you escape from this office by staging some grand-scale battle in public…there will be no turning back. Public opinion will turn decisively against Shines, even more than it already has. Even if some of you escape, you’ll be hunted criminals.”
“We’re hunted now.”
“You’re hunted by the police now. If you do this—you’ll be hunted by everyone on earth. This is the tipping point. The point of no return.”
“I passed that a long time ago. I don’t want to be a criminal. But I don’t fancy spending my life in a maximum security prison either.”
Trent chuckled softly. “You don’t have any idea what goes on at Mordock, do you?”
A chill swept across her skin. “Not…precisely.”
“I can save you from that, Aura. But you’ll have to stop running and fighting. Come with me.”
She needed time to process, plan, decide what to do next. And of course, as always seemed to be the case, time was the one thing she didn’t have. One of several things she didn’t have.
She heard Harriet in her ear. Yes!
She turned away from Trent. “Harriet, what’s the sitch?”
“They have the elevators functioning. Five armed men are making their way to the penthouse.”
“You said twenty guards.”
“Some are forming a perimeter in the lobby, just in case you get off the top floor. Some are going elsewhere—stairwells, elevators, I’m not sure exactly. They’ve cordoned off the street outside. All exits are covered. You wouldn’t believe how many cops are outside.”
“You need to get out of there. Before someone identifies you.”
“No.”
Harriet said it so simply, with the same strange timid voice as always, that it took her by surprise. “Harriet, this could get ugly. And dangerous.”
“I’ll leave when you do.”
Calm, and not a question. A statement.
It seemed their Harriet had hidden reserves.
“Marshalling the troops?” Trent asked. “Surely you know you can’t possibly escape. You and your friends will be caught. Unless one of your Shines has the power of invisibility. Do they?”
Was he fishing for tactical information? “Anything is possible.”
“Not so far. And I don’t think you can heal your way out of this mess, either.”
“Maybe I could heal whatever pain has turned you into such an unfeeling beast.”
“Your time is running out, Aura.”
“Or yours.” Before he could react, she wrapped her arm around his neck in a stranglehold. He tried to resist, but with her free hand, she pinned one arm back.
“So this is the brave new Shine world? Using opponents as human shields?”
“I’m pretty sure they won’t plug you.” She strained to hold him down. He was not a strong man physically, but he was taller, and she was no physical powerhouse. She knew she couldn’t hold him forever. She—
With a sudden burst of energy, he brought his fist around and smashed it against her face. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips. She winced, but she did not let go.
Then he grabbed the letter opener from his desk and shoved it into her side.
She screamed. Blood oozed out. Almost instantly she felt weak, groggy.
“Seems you’re the one who needs healing now,” Trent said, shoving her arm off. “But that’s not the way it works, is it?” He pushed her back against his desk. Waves of pain cascaded through her body. She clutched her side, trying to stop the pain, trying to staunch the blood with her fingers.
He grabbed her by the collar and flung her down to the carpet.
She fell to her knees. Without hesitation, he raised his boot and kicked her in the stomach. She collapsed on the floor.
“Pretty damn violent,” she gasped, ”for a man of God.”
“Jesus threw the moneylenders out of the temple,” he said, clutching the letter opener. “I’m going to the expunge the Shines the same way.” He raised the blade into the air and brought it down.