(Even as a meek little voice in the back of her churning mind said, What right have you to be so high and mighty? So what if he’s a war criminal? You just murdered three people in cold blood.)

She said, “What the fuck are you two playing at?”

“Calm down,” said Ray. He cracked his knuckles. “Calm down or I’ll put you down.”

Babel said, “Ray, that’s not helping!”

He dropped his fists. But Mollie wasn’t fooled.

“Do you think you’re faster than I am? I could dump you in the ocean right now. I could send you to Talas. I wonder how long you’d last, tough guy, all by yourself in Cannibal Flashmob Central. Think you could find your wife before the madness claims you? Take one more step and you’ll find out.” So many possibilities. A hole opened in space. It orbited Ray like a dancer around a maypole, showing glimpses of Icelandic ice and fire. A cold wind howled through Babel’s office, rifling the papers on the planks that passed for her desk.

“Mollie, please listen to me,” said Babel.

Mollie had never noticed how mellifluous the UN woman’s voice could be. It was almost pleasant. She held off on sending Billy Ray to hell just for a few more seconds, just to hear what else Babel had to say.

“I know it’s confusing and counterintuitive. But we’ll explain it to you and you’ll understand. We’re not breaking him out of jail because we like him or support the terrible things he’s done. We’re doing it because he’s our only hope for banishing Horrorshow.”

Why was she standing? She’d been so angry a moment ago. Why? Over what? She could hardly remember now. All she wanted was to hear Babel speak a little more. The portal disappeared.

She sat on the sofa. “Tell me your plan.”

They did.

Mollie was still turning it over in her head when one of Ray’s SCARE guys came in with a change of clothes for her. She recognized him—Agent Vigil. Babel said, “There are showers next door. Hurry, okay?”

Mollie stood. She started to follow Vigil, but stopped. “This plan of yours. You’re not yanking my chain, are you? You’re serious about not returning to Talas?”

“Completely.”

“Okay. Good. Because as far as I’m concerned, Talas is a permanent no-go zone. I don’t care who might be stuck over there. I’m never ever opening another doorway to that hellhole. No matter how small, how short-lived, how compassionate the cause.”

She was a broken lonely coward, and she cried in the shower until the water ran cold and somebody complained in Russian.