Page 35 of Night in a Waste Land

Bedlam pressed back into her chair, and stared at him. Nodded toward Rose. “Did she put you up to this?”

Rose opened her mouth – and Lance closed a hand around her wrist, squeezing tight.

“No, ma’am,” Gallo said. “But if this can work, then I want to try.”

“We’ve seen how powerful conduits are,” Lance said. And rushed to add, “They’ve blown shit up and tried to kill us, yes. But. Maybe they – maybeshecan do more with her power.”

Bedlam surveyed each of them in turn, and then flopped back in her chair with a defeated sigh. “I guess I’m outnumbered, then.”

Out in the hall, once the door was shut, Rose turned to Gallo. “Are you sure, Frankie?” She couldn’t help but notice Trist standing behind him, nearly hovering, his gaze concerned.Sweet Frankie, it only took losing an arm, didn’t it?she thought.

“I’m sure,” Gallo said, with a nod. She saw a tremble in his throat that was nerves, but his face was all bravery. He lifted what remained of his left arm, the sleeve of his jacket pinned up neatly. “I want to get back to real action, and really be useful on ops.”

Over his shoulder, Tris’s mouth twitched.

Rose said, “I’ll go and set it all up with Morgan. Do you know when the doctors will be ready?”

“This afternoon, I think.”

“Good. Text me with an exact time.”

When he turned away, Tris fell into step beside him; they didn’t touch, but Rose could see the pressure of the wanting to.

Rose turned, too–

And Lance blocked her path. After the night in the locker room, his kindness, yet another glimpse at his true caring, she couldn’t bring herself to snap at him. It felt like weakness when she simply said, “What?” her tone soft as ever.

He was as surprised as her, if his lifted brows were anything to go by. He lowered his voice, and leaned in close – too close, but she didn’t want to shrink away. “Are you sure about this?”

“You heard him. He wants to try, and I think it’s a good idea.”

“Do you really?” The tilt of his head sent a warning skittering across her skin, one she bulled past and ignored.

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“I think you hate conduits more than any of us,” he countered, smoothly.

She started to protest.

And he said, “But I also know you care about Gallo, and I don’t think you’d let him get hurt on purpose.”

She took a measured breath. “It’s nice to know you don’tthinkI’m a traitor to my own team.”

“I never said that.”

“Yes, you just did.”

He blinked first, during the stare-down that ensued. His lashes flickered, and his gaze dropped; it didn’t strike her as a submission, exactly, but more like a refusal to challenge her any further. “I’ll talk Bedlam into being more on board. You and Gallo can talk to – Morgan” – everyone still tripped on her name; the idea of a conduit being a person, in that way – “and set things up on her end.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Rose jerked a nod and spun away.

She didn’t mean to look back; didn’t want to, and had no reason to. But something pricked at her, when she reached the bend in the hall. Another tingle across her skin, like a warning, like moments ago.

Her steps faltered, and she pressed a hand to the wall, and she glanced back over her shoulder.

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