“I’ll bet you do, even if you don’t know you do. I know you were there when he was taken. I could smell it in the street.”

“Smell it?”

He sighed and kneaded the bridge of his nose. “This is the time where you explain things. The time where I explain things comes later. Or maybe never.” He lifted up the pipe in his hand so she could see how bloody and dented it was, “I have the pipe. Whoever’s got the pipe doesn’t have to explain shit.”

Sasha couldn’t argue with his logic. And she did want to see Emmanuel free and safe. “Look,” she said, “this…this boy I know, ­Alexander, he found us at the cafe. We were just sitting down to coffee. He had two men with him and he said Emmanuel had been selected for the Storming Battalion.”

“Do you have any idea where they took him? The kid’s scent trail goes cold about a mile from here.”

Sasha wracked her brain. Of course she didn’t know where the Heavenly Kingdom did this sort of training but–

“Alexander said something about ‘the factory.’”

And at that, Roland’s eyes lit up. He turned around, as if to leave.

“I know where he is, then.”

He looked back, and down to Sasha and said, “Moment of truth time, darlin’. You wanna stay here in this shitpile kingdom? Or,” he jerked his thumb to the door, “do you want me to break you out? I don’t make offers like that often. So take it as a compliment.”

This time, it didn’t take long for Sasha to make up her mind.

“Yes,” she said, “I’d like to go with you.”

Chapter 19

Manny.

He knew where they were taking him as soon as soon as the transport exited Highway 75. It took exit 40B, White Avenue. McKinney. He’d visited the town a few times as a kid, before things in this part of DFW had gone entirely to shit.

Manny thought of the satellite photos Reggie had shown them. He thought about that Tesla plant, and what strange mysteries it must hide. Somewhere in that plant was the answer to how the Martyrs had so thoroughly befucked the SDF’s defense network. Manny hadn’t exactly planned to find an answer to that question on this trip. Now it seemed like he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.

His escorts, Alexander’s men, hadn’t said much. They’d directed him to the proper transport and, when he asked for an explanation, they told him to keep his mouth shut. Manny did as they asked, because he half expected them to gun him down if he made a real fuss. Roland’s bound to find me. He can find any-fucking-one. I just need to stay alive long enough for him to get here.