Fire and Ash (Benny Imura 4)

“Then why?”

“Because he’s my friend. Because I love him. Because I wanted to see for myself.”

Lilah drew a slender knife from a thigh sheath. “This is Chong’s knife.”

“I know.”

“They won’t let me see him,” said Lilah.

“I know.”

“I can see him. I can get in there. You know that?”

“Yes.”

Benny and Riot nodded too. None of them doubted that Lilah could find a way into that building. People might die in the process, but she could get in.

“No one quiets Chong but me.” Lilah’s voice was a deadly whisper. “You understand?”

“Yes,” said Nix, her voice small.

Lilah looked at the others. “You all understand? No one but me?”

Benny nodded. So did Riot.

Lilah raised the knife so that sunlight glanced from it and painted Nix’s face in bright light.

“You tell me,” said Lilah, “do I need to use this today? Is Chong lost? Is he gone?”

Nix slowly shook her head.

“Say it,” growled Lilah. “Do I need to kill my town boy?”

“No,” said Nix. “God . . . no.”

Lilah’s eyes roved over her face for a long time. Then she slipped the knife back into its leather sheath. Then she nodded. A single nod, small and curt.

“If he has to die . . . you tell me.”

Nix was unable to speak, so she gave her own single nod.

Lilah looked at Benny. “You too. Tell me if I have to go in there.”

“I will,” said Benny. “But . . . maybe we don’t have to.”

And he told her about his plan.

She was in too.

40

TWO MILES AWAY . . .

Once upon a time the woman had been a scientist, part of the Relativistic Astrophysics Group at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. Now she spent day after day blowing up balloons.

This was her ninth straight day of it, and the strain of taking in huge breaths and forcing the air into the balloons was really getting to her. She was light-headed all the time now, and planets and galaxies seemed to swirl around her head.

She sat in the shadowy mouth of a cave. At least they gave her plenty of water and a stool. And runners came to her three times a day to bring food for her and the two other people working with her, a former Los Angeles Realtor and an actor who had won two Emmys for a show that was on HBO before the dead rose and ate his audience. The Realtor blew up balloons too. His face was red from effort, his eyes dark with disillusionment.