Her eyes flicked open. “Don’t be an idiot, Gilroy. Of course she’ll bounce back. Do you think she’d let that asshole get the best of her? She just needs help, and we’ll give it to her.” Her mind was racing, trying to make decisions. “And what you’ll do is stay with Sasha and talk to her and maybe hold her hand…if she’ll let you. It will take me at least forty-five minutes to hike to Jubaldar. While I’m on my way, you’re going to go over with me the placement of any guards that might give me trouble once I get inside. Plus any hints that will make it easier for me to get to that connecting access door to Chaos’s stable.” She got to her feet. “And you’ll stay out of Masenak’s and Reardon’s way. I don’t want Sasha to suffer any more trauma than she has already.”

Silence. “You’re coming here? Korgan’s not going to like that.”

“No, but I think that you knew it would come down to this when you phoned.” She was stuffing her .38 revolver into her backpack. “You’re very clever, and you realized I wasn’t going to be able to handle this long distance. You probably didn’t like the idea, but you liked Sasha’s condition even less. So you made a choice.”

“You’re tough, and you’re the only one she really cares about. She’s just a kid.”

“I didn’t say it was the wrong choice. I’ve got to hang up now. I’ll call you back after I’m on my way.” She ended the call and turned to Margaret. “That bastard Reardon hurt her. She needs me.”

“So I heard,” she said. “Will you let me go with you?”

“No, it’s my job.” She smiled shakily. “If she’s not hurt badly, I’ll be back in a few hours.” She drew a deep breath. “And from what Gilroy says, it’s not horrible. I think maybe she just reached the point of maximum intake and couldn’t handle any more.” She paused. “I’m not calling Korgan. I’ll let him know what happened when I get back.”

“Which is not going to please him,” Margaret said dryly. “I’ll probably get the blame. He told me to take care of you.”

“Which everyone knew was bullshit.”

“It was probably his way of knocking on wood. I knew it was only a matter of time before you were going to go after her. Korgan’s too smart not to realize it, too.” She was suddenly beside Alisa, giving her a hug. “Keep safe,” she said quietly. “Don’t make me come after you.”