Page 98 of Amethyst Flame
“Then my advice is to clear out before Dane shows up in”—he checked his phone—“about five minutes. He’ll be pissed you breached his spy sanctuary without his clearing you to be here first.” Jacob slanted a glance at me, and I knew he was thinking that Super Secret Agent Man wasn’t so great at playing with others.
We both walked Swann out to her car. It was barely high noon. So much had happened this morning…
“Let me give you my number,” Jacob said. Which was sweet considering I’d bet he’d already bugged her phone. “I know Mo has told you I’m an asshole—”
“Jackhole,” I corrected helpfully.
He ignored me. “But ifwhatevergoes down, I’m your man.”
“Um. Thanks?” Swann turned to give me a hug. “Make sure I don’t need his help.”
“Got it.” Blinking hard to make sure there wasn’t any suspicious glistening in my eyes, I stepped back. “Later.”
“Later.”
When her back bumper cleared the corner, I turned to Jacob. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Risking your morbid rapport with Dane by revealing his hideout to a noncombatant for my sake.”
Jacob ducked his head. “He’s revealed too much tousso he can’t really complain if we do the same. Anyway, he’s got bigger problems.”
On cue, the Kidnapper appeared around the corner opposite the direction from where Swann had gone.
When Dane got out, I knew he was staring at us suspiciously even through his spy sunglasses. “What are you two doing out here?”
“Needed some vitamin D. And here you are.” I pivoted on my heel and went back inside.
I paced while I repeated my horror story of a morning to Dane. It helped to keep moving while he had me reiterate the important parts, digging for more details, even though with every step I wanted to yell at him that we needed todosomething, now.
All the while, the silver case with the dragons inside lay on the table. A risk. A chance. Hopefully a way to save lives…including, eventually, my own.
Dane didn’t even look at it. He kept his gaze on me.
I figured he was waiting for me to suggest opening the case and infecting me so that it would be my idea. I held out my hand without the X. “I know what has to happen. We can just cut me. Pour on the dragon goo. And then I’ll level up.” Or die.
Already I wanted to vomit.
“Absolutely not,” Dane said. “That’s not remotely an option. Is that what you thought you’d have to do?”
“Well…” I shrugged. “I mean, I need to be able to beat him. And right now, he has all the advantages.”
“No.Hellno. I’m not risking you,” Dane said. “You don’t need the dragons to defeat him. You have us.”
“But I told Oluwa I would use them to save Ruskin. And I need Ruskin for me, too.”
“Saving Ruskin is the mission, buthow we do itis up to us. And certainly not at your expense.”
“But how unless we use the dragons?”
“I want you to keep him busy, Imogen,” Dane said. “My people have a temporary solution in the Artemisia Protocol. It’s a form of stasis that can maintain the integrity of human physiology while putting the bugs to sleep. Think of smoking a beehive. It will buy Will time—and you, if it comes to that—so that we can stabilize the degradation and prevent an avalanche. No one has to die.”
Jacob had brought the small laptop to the kitchen counter—taking notes or tracking Tesla sightings or whatever—and when I got to the end of my retelling, he raised his hand. “I’d like to make a suggestion, if I may.”
My expression must’ve echoed Dane’s because Jacob scowled. “I know you both want to use me for whatever I can do for you, but I’m not just a computer. I’ve been in on this since the beginning, and I think it’s time to knock it off with the secrets.”
At the same moment, Dane and I looked at each other. Then we both realized we were looking at each other and looked away.
