“On it,” she says, and the call disconnects.
Just before Cass opens the rift, he meets JJ’s eyes. “You sure we can trust her?”
Immediately, JJ nods. “I’m sure. She’s had my back for over a decade. She’s not about to stop now.”
“Good enough for me,” Cass says, and he snaps the rift to life.
37
Roma nearly trips through the rift into Cass’s kitchen. Hastily, JJ reaches out to steady her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she says, turning in a quick circle to get her bearings. Her eyebrows shoot up. “Huh. This is a nice place.”
“Thank you,” Cass says. There’s a quiet edge of tension in his voice, and JJ fights back a wince. He knows that bringing people into this house—the house where their daughter lives—is beyond nerve-wracking for Cass, and JJ leans inconspicuously towards him, pressing their shoulders together. Cass relaxes minutely. “What’s going on?”
Roma holds up her phone. “Bryant made contact,” she says, and JJ’s heart leaps. “Not sure how she found my burner number, but the Sanctum always has their ways, right?”
JJ barely suppresses a shudder. “Right. What’d she say? Is she safe?”
“I’m…” Roma lets out her breath in a frustrated hiss. “I’m not sure. She said that things have been bad at the Sanctum ever since we defected. More restrictions, harsher punishments. More pressure to be constantly training and constantly picking up extra jobs.” She hesitates. “And she mentioned that the Council is getting more severe. More authoritarian.”
JJ’s stomach churns. “Coming from Bryant, that’s a hugered flag,” he says, and he glances at Cass. “Bryant Nehemiah is a purebred, one of the upper echelons. She’s usually spared from most of the Council’s discipline, so if even she says they’re going too far, it must be brutal.” Dread spikes through him. “And Chester? Is he okay?”
Because Chesterisn’ta purebred—not even a mixed breed. He and JJ always felt the weight of the Council’s judgment most acutely, were always the first to be punished for minor offenses, were always the acceptable targets when other hunters needed a scapegoat?—
If Bryant is concerned, then Chester is probably panicking.
“She’s barely been able to talk with him,” Roma says. “The Council has been watching her every move, and she doesn’t want to be seen going down to the prison too often, not with—” She grimaces. “Well. Not with how I helped Cass break in and all.”
“So what does she want?” Cass’s shoulders are still tight. “Does she want to defect?”
“I think so,” Roma confirms. “Or she’s exploring her options, at least. She has a certain amount of influence in the Sanctum purely by virtue of her bloodline, so she’s especially worried about being alone and powerless on the outside. Couple that with the fact that she knows the Sanctum will try to track her down…”
“She wants to know if it’s even safe for her to leave,” JJ finishes, nodding. “Could she stay with you?”
“Of course,” Roma says. “The studio might be a bit cramped for two people, but I’m sure we could figure it out, and?—”
Cass shakes his head. “Don’t even worry about that. Obie can move you both to a two-bedroom apartment, and we can help her out financially, too. She’ll have options, just like you and JJ.”
JJ’s heart swells. He loves the fact that Cass is so ready and willing to go to bat for JJ’s friends, to stick his neck out for people he barely even knows?—
To help JJ’s people just because they’re JJ’s people. He wraps his fingers around Cass’s palm and squeezes lightly. “Thank you.”
Cass’s lips twitch. Roma blinks at their joined hands for a moment, looking somewhat taken aback, before regaining her composure. “Sounds like a plan,” she says. “Bryant wants to meet us at Lakeside in about an hour, so we need to?—”
“Wait.” Cass’s eyes narrow. “Lakeside?”
Roma’s eyebrows furrow. “Yeah. That little stretch of land next to the lake? With all the food trucks?”
“I know what it is.” Cass’s lips press into a thin line. “And I also know that it’s isolated, severely lacking in escape routes, and has very few places to hide. That’s where they tried to corner me and JJ, remember? It’s the perfect place to spring a trap.”
Roma’s shoulders stiffen. “Bryant isn’t trying totrapus, Chin. She chose Lakeside for those exact reasons—it’s far from the Sanctum, only has a few points of entry, and has good visibility to the surrounding areas.”
“I’m not saying it’sher,”Cass says, crossing his arms over his chest. “But she mentioned that the Sanctum is getting more authoritarian, right? If they’re suspicious of her already, odds are good that they’ll tail her. A location like Lakeside will make you more susceptible to an attack.”
Roma scoffs. “She’s not stupid. She can shake off a tail.”
“It’s still needlessly risky,” Cass argues. “I’ve been in more than one war, remember? This is a bad tactical decision. And whynow?Why does she want to meet so soon?”
