Page 39 of V-Day
He studied her. “No wonder you hated it so much. I know what the military is like. Everyone in Vistaria knows the military,” he added. “It’s tough as shit and they don’t give a damn about how smart you are.”
“I wasn’t that smart, it turns out,” Chloe said. “Not when it came to the things they considered important. Guns and formations, military history. It was a shock, having to actually buckle down and learn things. I rebelled in the worst way, only they’re set up for kids like me, so eventually, they won.”
Cristián’s smile faded. “I remember what you told me. Isolation. Drills.”
“They were hugely into sports. I picked the easiest I could find just to hit bare minimal levels.”
“Track and field,” Cristián added, for this part she had been able to share.
“Long distance running. And Marksmanship, because there’s not a lot of effort in holding still and shooting a pistol. I still got in trouble all the time. My bed not straight or the toothpaste out of line in the cupboard. I got KP every second day, I think.”
Cristián shook his head. “No wonder you ran away.”
“It took three years for me to figure out how, but yeah.” She gave him a huge smile. “It’s all done with, anyway,” she said, making her tone light. “I’m not that person anymore. She was arrogant and precocious, and she got what she deserved. I don’t even have her name, now.” Chloe settled more properly on the chair. “Tell me about you. Everything you never could say before.”
Cristián lifted a single brow. “Like you haven’t already figured it all out.”
“That’s just facts. I wantyouto tell me.”
And he had. Like the first time they had spoken via text, still hiding behind the Group names and avoiding personal details, this time they also spoke long into the night. Now there was no detail they couldn’t give.
It all came pouring out of them. Twelve years of knowing each other as Shadow and Babylon and they still had holes to fill. That night, they filled many of them.
Chloe recalled that first marathon conversation as she walked beside Cristián, following Parris’ team and the three trailing women to where the slope down the mountain toward Pascuallita began. “I never did thank you for convincing me to go legit, did I?”
Cristián glanced at her, startled. Then he smiled, for he had tracked where her mind had wandered from his mention of the Place, to the years in the Group when he had worked to make her understand how hacking for money, no matter how good the money, would eventually suck out her soul.
“You did, just not in words,” he replied.
“I did?” She was startled.
He nodded. “Harry’s Cloak. You’ve single-handedly given the Loyalists a major advantage in this war.”
“Oh, that.” She realized that the little sinking sensation in her chest was disappointment.
Cristián didn’t follow up, even though he was as smart as her and would have heard her disappointment for himself.
Had she made a wrong call?
The question roiled in her belly all the way to Pascuallita.
*
ONE OF THE INSURRECTOS SHOVEDTerra across the gravel, making her trip and fall. She shredded the skin on her palms. Until Zapatero arrived, she thought it was the worst of her problems.
She stayed by Minnie’s side as the entire household were brought out into the big front yard one by one. They were rounded up by the Insurrectos moving through the house, cleaning out every room, their machine guns at the ready.
Adán was carried over to the bench in front of the fountain and dumped on it, his hand dropping to the gravel, to curl lifelessly there.
As the Insurrectos were taking bodies away, Téra figured Adán was not dead. Blood trickled from a cut on his head.
When two of the Insurrectos dragged Rubén around the side of the house, Téra’s heart leapt. He wasn’t struggling, for they were carrying him by both arms and he only had one useful leg. He looked pissed as hell. They’d knocked off his glasses. His clear eyes were radiating fury.
The pair propped him against the front of one of the Escalade rentals, which wore a new set of bullet holes on the side Téra could see. She wondered how the Insurrectos would deal with that when they returned the cars to Hertz.
Rubén hissed in pain. He steadied himself, then held out his hand. “My crutches.”
“So you can run away again?” The Insurrecto spat and turned away. The other grinned as they moved back to the house.
