Page 24 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

“Okay, Dad. I’ll be back.” The lie burns in my throat.

“Bring Nico. He’ll need some tending to.”

“Right, Dad.” I squeeze his hand. The nurse gives me a look of pity—one that I don’t accept. “I’ll see you later.”

“You both will.”

I’m out the door. I have Castor’ssolo, something I suppose I should be purchasing for myself. Not a Gorsca, but something because I’m not going to be using Alder’s, that’s for sure. The thing needs to be left at the scrapyard. I should just go home. But I don’t know where that is anymore. Annabelle’s, where I slept when I got back from Athens last night? Or Castor’s? Or Alder’s—my podlet bedroom I shared with Nico is still there, still filled with trophies we won in school. No. I doubt I’ll ever feel at home anywhere again.

I’m being followed. And it ticks me off. I take a sharp turn, trying to lose him. But he’s not trying to hide it. I guess being covert is over now since they are watching me to make sure I don’t help Nico.

I maneuver around the old school, through the center of the city. The banners and decorations going up for Vividaria make me furious. I’m not going. I leave a wake going by the Permula Dome, and an older merman shakes his fist at me. I don’t care. I mostly don’t care because I’m driving Castor’ssolo. A sharp, choking sensation grips my throat, and my chest tightens, every beat of my heart echoing Nico’s name in an agonizing rhythm. My vision blurs, momentarily swamped by a rising tide of dread.

I’m not even sure where I’m going. I know the general direction of the chasm, but I’ve never tried to go past the shield to peer into it. It’s the opposite direction of the hospital, away from Glyden.

I haven’t calmed myself down at all by the time I make it to the shield. I push past the outer limit to where I know the shield is. Where I came back from yesterday. There’s a government vehicle parked at the edge of the shield.

I radio them first because I know they’re going to contact me.

“This is Holter Callis.” My throat narrows, because really I’m Holter Portsmouth. But no one knows it.

“Stop your vehicle.”

“Copy.” I sit staring at the largeromadaand wait.

“What’s your purpose?”

“My brother—virobrother—was taken to the chasm today.” Like he doesn’t know that. “My family is asking that I position myself en route, for when he comes home.”

There’s static on the line. But nothing comes through. “Negative. You must stay inside the boundary of the city.” He’s got a trident up his ass that he now has to keep an eye on me.

“Fine.” I didn’t think they would let me leave the city, but I had to try. I turn thesolooff and set the automatic anchor.

The radio scratches. “Holter Callis. You are not allowed to exit the city.”

“Affirmative.” I hold the mic because his empty brain isn’t going to understand that I’m going to hold at this spot.

“You can’t cross the shield.”

“I’m not planning on it.” The exasperation in my voice could reach through the line and smack him across the head, like Dad did to me. Fuck, how am I going to tell Dad that Nico’s really gone?

Hours pass. Twelve hours. My legs are cramping up in the smallsolo.

A burst of movement has government vehicles sailing through the shield into the Veiled City space. They blow right past my dense friends in the governmentomada. I close my eyes, something I haven’t done since I left Athens. Milo picked me up. It’s been a long day. Nothing compared to Nico or Annabelle’s, though.

I close my eyes and imagine her back in Boston. She would have been back a day now. Back to her research. I hope she’s not sad. Thehagissawouldn’t have been there yet. Castor might have power, but sea witches work on their own terms, even when a lot of gold is involved. I’d like to think Annabelle will use the money we gave her to take care of herself. But I know she won’t. She’ll feel guilty, like the money means anything to us. We ran it through several banks that will make it impossible for her to return it to us. She’ll try, though.

I close my eyes and imagine her here. Her scent. I don’t ever want to lose it. The way she smiles. We did the right thing. I would let her go a million times over if it meant her happiness. Her freedom.

My feet are crossed on the dashboard. I’ll stay here all night to make Dad content. I cross my arms over my chest.

The radio squawks, “You are to stand clear.”

I snag the mic off its handle. “I get it already.” I slam it down without looking up.

There’s three beats. “Holter?” It’s someone different on the radio. I half recognize the voice. “This is Pappas. You see him, right? You can’t help him. He has to make it to the government center on his own.”

My feet are on the floor and I’m staring. There’s a dot up ahead. I hadn’t turned on my scanners. I’m the shit who lost hope. I flip them on. The dot is limping toward the shield. I can’t make it out. The governmentomadawill have a better long-range scanner. TheGorsca is built for speed and showing off.

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