Page 26 of Gray Dawn

The list went on and on.

The easy way Fergal accepted Colby as a member of the team, affording her the respect she had earned, made me like him even more.

Asa, still focused on Colby, hadn’t finished questioning her yet. “How did you get here?”

“Better yet—” I thought back on what she had told us so far, “—how did you get out of the jar?”

“Oh.” She shuffled her legs and ducked her head. “I told Robo-Clay I had to pee.”

“He bought that?” I gawked at her or maybe at the nickname. “He let you out?”

“He released me in the bathroom,” she confirmed in a quiet voice. “He stayed with me, though.”

“Is it possible…?” Asa voiced what I couldn’t wrap my head around. “Could he have remembered her?”

“It would be a first,” I admitted. “He can identify people in that mindset. It’s not like he forgets everyone he knows. He might even be aware of how heshouldfeel, but he doesn’t experience it. It’s not emotion, it’s background noise, and since he doesn’t recall his actions later, we’ll never know for sure.”

The catch in my voice told them I had never broken through the dissociation, no matter how hard I tried, and that never lost its sting. But, if anyone could do it, it would be Colby.

Invested in the story, Arden wedged her shoulders between the front seats. “Did you escape through the vent?”

“He taped them shut. Blocked the crack under the door too.” Her proboscis twitched. “I used the drain.”

“In thetub?” A million ways that could have gone wrong strobed through my head. “He could have turned on the hot water.” I couldn’t stop the nightmares from spawning. “He could have dumped a gallon of bleach on your head or?—”

“I had to risk it.” Her head came up, her eyes bright. “I had to get out of there.”

“She’s right.” Asa smoothed his knuckles across my jaw. “Whatever his reasons, Clay didn’t hurt her. The director wouldhave, and Clay couldn’t have stopped him. Even if he wanted to, he’d have had no choice.”

“I know.” I crushed my eyes closed. “I know.” I rocked Colby, soothing us both. “I’m sorry.”

“I did what you would have done.” She didn’t budge. “That’s how I knew it was the right thing to do.”

Goddess bless, what a mess.

The last thing anyone should ask themselves wasWhat Would Rue Do?I wasn’t a role model. How could no one tell I was utterly clueless? That I was flying through life by the seat of my pants? That I was a bad idea waiting to happen?

“You were brave.” Asa stepped in when I couldn’t get my mouth to cooperate. “We’re very proud.”

Fluffing herself up, she glided down onto the seat between us. “You haven’t even heard the best part.”

Half joking, I managed to mumble, “I’m afraid to ask.”

“We were at a hotel, right? The drain kept going and going, and I was scared I would never get out. So I waitedforeverthen climbed back up into the tub. Clay and the Big Nose Baron had already left, so I was able to use the room phone. I called the airport and checked flight times. The connection was horrible, but I guess no one really uses them anymore. Anyway. Then I called you and gave you my arrival time.”

That part tripped me up enough to interrupt. “How…?”

“Oh. I could hear airplanes, so I knew the hotel was close to the airport. I crawled under the room’s door into the hall and waited to catch a ride down to the lobby.ThenI had to wait until someone stepped out to trigger the automatic door. AndthenI waited for the shuttle and got on. I got off at the airport, found my flight, and waited in the terminal until it was time to board. There was a mechanical delay, but otherwise—” her fuzz managed to reach new heights, “—I had a prime seat on theceiling in first class. I even watched an upside down movie.” Her antennae rose higher. “So, when do we get Clay back?”

“You said he was coming to Charlotte?” I got my jaw working, my brain too. “Any idea from where?”

Had Luca been here first? Or had the director? What did it mean that they were both here now?

“Manchester, New Hampshire.” A troubled expression settled across her features. “Did you fly in too?”

“We were already here.” I hadn’t let it bother me, the coincidence factor, but now we had to consider it. I must have sensed Colby. Somehow. As glad as I was for that nudge, I had to question if that meant the bindings on me were fraying. “Luca shifted her operation to Charlotte. The death toll is rising, so we came to speak to the locals and reassure them the Bureau has everything under control.”

Too bad that last part wasn’tquitetrue.