Moon Sworn (Riley Jenson Guardian 9)

"No game, I promise you." I reached into my pocket and withdrew the phone. "You can ring Evin, if you like."

I pressed the appropriate number, made sure it was ringing, then tossed her the phone. Her expression was still a mix of defiance and disbelief, but she nevertheless held the phone to her ear and waited.

Evin answered, and her face just about crumbled. "Oh god," she said, "It is you."

I don't know what Evin said, because it didn't exactly sound coherent from where I was standing. Quinn, we need to get these two back together ASAP. Any chance of your plane coming to the rescue again?

I'll have to get another pilot, but yeah, we can do it.

Fantastic. I stepped over the puddle of urine and fecal matter and into the room.

Lyndal's gaze jumped to mine and she backed away a step. "What does she look like?"

I paused, waiting. Her gaze slipped down my body, and the tension riding her eased. She closed her eyes briefly and said, "Yeah, it's her."

I held out a hand. She hesitated, then handed me the phone. "Evin - "

I didn't get any further, because he was all but crying "Thank you, thank you, thank you" over and over.

"Evin," I said sharply, even though my heart ached for him. "We've got to go. You need to listen."

He took a deep, shuddering breath. "Okay."

"We're sending Lyndal to you via Quinn's plane. She'll get there around lunch. But you need to carry on phoning every night as usual. They have to believe everything is fine."

"But the guards will know - "

"The guards won't remember a damn thing, and they'll believe she's still here safe and sound. As long as you and West keep up the charade, we should have a few days' leeway."

"But what if they do realize? We're sitting ducks staying here."

"I didn't say you were staying there. I just said you needed to keep phoning."

"But caller ID will tell them - "

"Caller ID can be faked. They'll think you're still there, Evin. Trust me."

"I do." He paused, then said, "When you confront Blake, I want in. Whatever you do, I want to be a part of it. He has to pay, Riley. For you, and for Lyndal."

"He will. But I haven't yet decided what - "

"I don't care. Just factor in my help."

"And mine," Lyndal murmured. "I may be pregnant, but, by god, someone is going to pay for what these bastards did to me."

I glanced at her and saw the fire in her eyes. The need for retribution. And understood it, totally. I gave her the phone. "We need to move. Say good-bye."

I turned and led the way downstairs. She talked and walked, hanging up as we neared the front door. She paused when she saw Quinn, her nostrils flaring, then glanced at me and marched forward.

Not at Quinn, but the two men. She raised a fist, but Quinn caught it before she could land a blow.

"I can understand the need to lash out," he said softly, "but leaving a bruise they can't remember might just undo the mind washing I've done."

She glanced at him, her thin face fierce, then nodded once and stepped back. "Will the Directorate take care of them later?"

"If not the Directorate, then I will," Quinn said. And he said it with such an utter lack of emotion that it was chilling - and totally believable. "They are dead men walking."

"Good." She crossed her arms over her breasts, though it wasn't an attempt to cover her nakedness. "What next?"