Silas thought of the gun in his pocket, remembered the fear and determination in her eyes when she faced him across the stage and rediscovered how badly her world was messed up. “That’s why I want to pull her out.”
“We can’t.” Allen’s eyes caught the overhead glow of the store’s OPEN sign. “If we pull her out before it’s done, the alliance will never trust her. She’s gone too deep, becoming what she needed to be in order to survive. She has to give us Opti on a platter before anyone in the alliance will trust her to resume her full responsibilities. She either sees it to the end and makes the decision to side with the alliance—with her still oblivious about her beginnings—or she goes down with Opti. That goes for you, too.”
“Me!”
Allen’s chin lifted in anger. “Peri got a few points for freeing you, but you didn’t take her back to the alliance. You ran off with her and the daughter of the head of the alliance, not to mention their best cleaner.”
“So she could finish it,” Silas said, remembering his fruitless conversations with Fran.
“Is that what you told Fran?” Allen said mockingly. “She buying it? All they see is you not doing what they sent you to do.”
Silas’s head thumped back against the hard brick. He had refused to bring Peri in as a traitor, yes, and now the alliance suspected him as well.
“You lost your cred.” Allen glanced at the storefront and then the damp parking lot. “The alliance trusts me more than you. And unlike me, you don’t have a golden parachute.”
“Got this all figured out, huh?”
“Yup.” He nodded, infuriating Silas. “You need to find another way. That list you set your sights on is gone. They couldn’t find the chip, so they torched her apartment.”
“You son of a bitch,” Silas whispered. “You knew that was her ticket out. How could you let them burn it?”
“Let go of me,” Allen said coldly, and Silas pushed the smaller man back, only then realizing he’d grabbed Allen’s coat. “She can still clear her name,” Allen said as he shifted his shoulders to get his coat straight. “It doesn’t change anything.”
“She gave her life for this,” Silas said softly, not knowing how to help her anymore.
“We all did,” Allen said flatly.
Silas’s jaw clenched. To pull her out now would destroy her reputation and her future. He had no choice but to see it through, possible MEP or not. Son of a bitch. He hated feeling helpless. “She’s going to kill you before this is over, Allen.” And if she doesn’t, I will.
“Maybe I deserve it,” Allen said.
Silent, Silas turned and walked away, hands in his pockets and his head down against the light rain. “You think I’m misjudging our chances?” Allen said, but Silas kept going. “You think I’d risk her life like this if I didn’t think I could save her?”
But Silas hadn’t been a coward for leaving Opti when Allen had continued as a double agent. He’d been a realist.
“I listened to you, Silas, now listen to me!” Allen shouted, and then more calmly, “Bill, before you have a cow for me leaving Peri alone, just listen. I’m at the store. She sent me out for cat food so she could search the place. I thought it might make her feel better, so I left.”
Silas jerked to a halt and spun. Allen stood in the rain under the humming security light, cat food at his feet and phone to his ear.
“I don’t mind her looking around,” Allen said as Silas returned. “She’ll relax more if she feels in control. Besides, I wanted to get out so I could talk to you. I have a doubt.”
“About what?” Allen had angled the phone so Silas could hear Bill, his usually flamboyant voice flat through the tiny speaker.
It wasn’t an inquiry, more of a suspicious warning.
“Ah, the memories your team implanted,” Allen said. “I don’t think they’re holding.”
“So get in there and tweak them,” Bill demanded. “Did you think it would be easy?”
“Bill,” Allen said, but Bill wasn’t done yet.
“Sandy says it’s your attitude that is holding her back, and I’m tending to agree. Grow a pair, will you? I need you both in the field by next month.”
“So sorry we’re interfering with your bottom line,” Allen said tightly, and Silas’s mistrust flared. “Sandy was never hurt by her.”
“Yes she was,” Bill countered.
“That knife throw didn’t even hit her. Besides, Sandy isn’t sleeping with the bitch.”
“And if you were, this might not be happening,” Bill said, shocking Silas. “Get back to your apartment. It sounds as if she’s taking the place apart, talking nonsense to her cat.”
Silas met Allen’s gaze. She wasn’t talking to the cat. She was talking to Jack. “Look, I understand the closure she’d get by killing Silas,” Allen said, “but seeing him might have jiggled something loose. She doesn’t trust me.”
“Do you blame her?” Bill said, his voice mocking. “I think it’s a reasonable reaction. Silas’s team came back. Interrupted her. She’s right that your intel sucked. Maybe you’re not up to her standards.”
“The hell with you,” Allen said, his anger too hot to be faked. “I didn’t ask for this job.”