Every Missing Piece

Chapter Twenty-Six

I shrink back against the wall before I realize what I'm doing, but that does nothing to stop Daniel from coming closer. "Why aren't I surprised you're here tonight?" he says. "You two must be real pains in the Assembly's sides."

Mason is slowly inching closer to me, his progress so subtle that you might miss it if you blinked. "I can distract him," he says under his breath. "It's not too late for you to get out of here."

"Not a chance."

"Come on, Carra-"

But I'm already shaking my head. It seems like I've spent every other day of my life running away, but I was never running for Taryn or Mason or even any of Mercy's Desperates. I ran away for me, because all I cared about at the time was keeping myself safe. If I ever run again, it won't be to just help myself. For now, Taryn and the other people depending on me are enough for me to stay put.

Besides, I always would have had to stop running eventually.

"Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide," Daniel taunts, almost like he could hear our whispers. "Let's not draw out the inevitable."

Mason freezes, but he recovers quickly before pulling out the knife that Mercy made him bring. "Look, we don't have to do this the hard way," Mason says. "Walk away now and the Assembly doesn't even have to know that any of us were here. Think about it. We're armed and we outnumber you."

Daniel laughs, and I don't blame him. Mason with his sole weapon is a pitiful opponent when compared to Daniel, even if Daniel is unarmed.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Daniel says, still advancing towards us. "I almost hate to tell you that you're wrong on all accounts. The Assembly already knows we're here. I can guarantee I'm more armed than you are. And I am most definitely the one who outnumbers you."

"What are you talking about?"

But I already see them.

Suddenly appearing from the stairwell, two more people enter the hallway behind Daniel. One is a tall young woman with dreadlocked blond hair piled high in a bun and a gaze so sharp it could probably cut you in half. The other is Leif.

For a moment I'm stupidly hopeful that I'm reading this all wrong, that Mercy persuaded Leif and this woman to break into the headquarters in her stead, but I know it's a foolish hope. When Daniel turns around and sees Leif, he smiles widely. Mercy put her faith in the wrong person, and she has ruined us all.

"Leif, Anni, you have perfect timing," Daniel says, but he's looking at Mason and I the whole time, his smile never fading. "That one's damn annoying and a traitor to boot. Go ahead and take him to the others."

The pair nods, and before either of us have a chance to react, they have Mason pinned against the wall, his knife completely useless where it fell on the floor. Although he's fighting back the best he can, legs kicking and arms hitting his attackers in dull thuds of impact, Mason isn't getting anywhere. The whole time, Daniel stands back from the fray and laughs.

Then everything changes in a moment with a quick flash of metal.

Mason has stopped resisting, even though I can still hear him breathing raggedly. And I'm not sure how this is possible, but Anni is holding a gun to his temple.

"That's one way to turn the tables, isn't it?" Daniel calls out. "The Assembly probably thought they were making the right decision when they made guns illegal all those years ago, but me, I've always had a soft spot for firearms. They make the guards' knives look like child's play, don't they?"

And he's right: even if I made a dive for Mason's discarded blade, as soon as my fingers wrapped around the handle, Anni would pull the trigger and it would all be over. I might not have seen a gun before, but I know all too well what they can do. The blockers protect all kinds of secrets.