Page 128 of Seer Prophet

He noted that the red tips of her black hair didn’t look quite as dramatic in the green-walled cell. They certainly didn’t look as dramatic as the last time he’d seen them, under the bright lights in that monitor of his bedroom suite in New York. Nor did they contrast her skin as dramatically when she wore no make-up, especially without her trademark red lipstick or the dark kohl eyeliner she used to give herself a punk rock geisha look.

He let the gun follow her head easily as she rose.

He didn’t take his gaze off the sight.

“Hello, Cassandra.” He inclined his head. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”

Staring at him, then at the gun…

She burst out in a loud laugh.

Chapter25

Pulling Rank

“Break down the fucking door!” Balidor thundered.

He took the stairs two at a time, pausing only long enough to glare at Neela through his virtual link, then harder at Raddi, whose image showed the tall seer leaning against the door jamb belonging to the security station’s back room.

“…Gods!” Balidor snapped, exploding in anger. “How could you let him in there?”

“He’s the boss.” Raddi’s lips curved in a faint smirk.

“Actually, he’s not,” Balidor reminded him coldly. “Did you raise her, at least?”

Raddi’s expression remained wholly unapologetic.

He, like Jorag and a few other ex-Rebels, made zero attempt to hide his desire to see the Sword to put a bullet in Cass’s brain. It wasn’t a lack of respect for Alyson, or her orders. They viewed it more along the lines of a mate protecting his family, at least when they bothered to rationalize it to themselves at all.

Either way, the issue struck them as personal enough that it fell outside the normal chain of command.

Balidor knew the truth of it, though.

They were just plain angry.

They were angry Allie had been hurt.

They were angry Allie’s child had been hurt.

They were angry wires were used on their beloved and sacred Bridge––that her child had beencut out of her bellywhile she was blind and helpless with pregnancy. Some were angry at the killings more generally, as well as everything the disease, C2-77, had taken from them.

Some were loyally attached to the Sword, so angry on his behalf.

Some were angry about friends and lovers killed in the tsunami.

Raddi lost his best friend in that tsunami.

In that first big wave that hit New York, Jokko, another Rebel from the first war, drowned while working to get their people out of the sewers. They’d been chasing Ditrini, trying to rescue the Sword, Jon, and Maygar.

That entire hit on the hotel had been Cass’s op.

Ditrini was the distraction, and the means of clearing the path for Cass to leave with Allie. If it hadn’t been for Cass, no one would have been in those sewers in the first place. If it hadn’t been for Cass, the sewers would have been clear when the tsunami hit.

To Raddi and many of the others, Cass murdered their friends.

Balidor had known all this, of course.

He’d warned Allie as much since they’d been on board the aircraft carrier.

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