Page 72 of The Flame

Jessie offered her scarf and Lisa and I returned to the car in search of more cloth bindings. By this point, it was safe to say Lisa could be trusted. I just wasn’t sure why.

She popped the trunk and gathered a quilt into her arms. “We should unload everything so I can take the car home before it’s spotted here.”

I slung my overnight bag over my shoulder, and scooped up as much as I could carry and we headed back.

“Why are you helping us?”

“I liked what you said in that letter of yours.”

I looked at her in surprise. “You agree that the people should have a voice?”

“I was referring to the part where you busted Daniel out of rehab.” Her bottom lip curled in disgust. “I’ve been beggingmy mom to talk to Geneva about releasing the heirs, but she just keeps saying that I’m too young to understand the consequences. I’m not an idiot. I understand. That doesn’t make it fair, though.”

“It doesn’t.”

“I don’t care how much trouble this gets me into.” She looked at me, her eyes glacier and fierce. “I’m glad I helped you and Daniel. I’d do it again. Honestly, I don’t care.”

I stepped in front of her, stopping us at the edge of the steps. “Your mother is basically second-in-command. I mean, she’ll stand up to Geneva for you, right?”

Lisa gave a dry laugh. “Like she stood up for my father? She hasn’t even visited him in hospital.”

“But you’re her daughter.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Can you talk to her tonight, feel her out?” I said. “We can’t keep that guard tied up in the basement forever and when we set him free, we need a plan in place. Daniel and I will go to The Smoke. Jessie’s okay, he never saw her face. But is it safe for you to stay in Capra?”

“Are you asking me to join you in The Smoke?”

“You’re welcome to,” I said. “Of course you are, but that might not be what you want.”

“Hmm.” She sighed heavily. “I do agree with everything else you said, you know. The Sisters of Capra promised to give us all a voice, but from what I can see, Geneva and a few select women at the very top have kept that for themselves.”

I laughed. “We’ll make a whisperer out of you yet.”

“Is that what you call yourselves?” She moved around me to continue down the steps. “Whisperers?”

“We don’t really call ourselves anything. This all happened a lot faster, a lot bigger, than I ever expected when I wrote that first letter.”

She glanced at me over her shoulder. “What were you expecting?”

“I guess I just wanted to put the seeds out there and hoped the ideas would grow over the years to come.”

Back inside, I found a pair of long woolen socks in my bag, one for the guard’s wrists and the other for his mouth. We propped him against the wall and I tucked one of the quilts around him.

“Really?” Jessie said. “You’re such a softie.”

“I already feel wretched about what we’ve done to the poor man.” I winced, watching as Daniel locked the door on him. “And this basement is freezing. He’s going to be stuck here all night.”

“Just the one night?”

I eyed her. “Why do you sound so disappointed?”

“Because when he goes free, I lose you.”

“Oh, Jessie.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’m going to sneak back to visit so often, you’ll be sick of me.”

“It’s not the same, is it?”

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