“Please tell me keeping that sick fuck alive was worth it,” I said as I unzipped my coat a good six inches.

“Neffe did a rough patch job on his”—Dom cleared his throat—“wound. She loaded him with morphine, and he’s been very chatty ever since. He might not have been directly involved with the infection, but his dirty little fingers were dipped into enough other projects to make him a wealth of information, not only on what Ouroboros is up to, but Initiative Industries as well.”

I pressed my lips into a thin, grim smile. “That’s something, at least.” The reality that Carmichael might be able to do more good alive than dead—for now—eased some of the regret and disgust knotted up in my belly. Some, but nowhere near all of it. I still wanted him to suffer, and a morphine-induced haze was a far cry from that.

“You must be more cautious, little sister,” Dom said. “It would seem the board of directors took your threat more seriously than we’d expected. They must have extra eyes on the board members.” It was his argument for how the mercenaries had found me in the first place—they’d seen me leaving Mitch Carmichael’s building.

I stopped across the street from the eastern opening in the razor wire–topped chain-link fence surrounding the Tent District and placed my hands on my hips, shaking my head. “But then wouldn’t they have stopped me when I was actually working on Carmichael?” I started pacing, a dozen steps down the sidewalk, then a dozen back up. “Maybe it was an anonymous tip? Someone easily could’ve spotted me leaving his place. I looked like hell . . .”

“Perhaps,” Dom said. “But that would suggest that the Senate and/or Ouroboros or Initiative Industries have people inside the police force, which is just as disturbing.”

I paused, considering his words, then continued pacing. “We have to assume they do. Which means Garth can’t go back to work. They know he’s involved now.” I wasn’t sure if “they” was the Senate, the pharmaceutical giant, Ouroboros, or its conglomerate parent company, Initiative Industries. I’d pissed off all three with my revenge stunt a week ago—totally worth it—so it could be any of them. Or all of them. Regardless, Garth now had a big fat target on his back, too, thanks to me. “They’ll kill him,” I told Dom.

“I’m in agreement. This just goes to show how recognizable you are now.” He was quiet for a moment. “Perhaps it is time to move out of the Seattle area. There are many other neutral Nejerets to visit outside of Seattle. You know Heru will provide any resources you might require.”

But I was shaking my head before he’d even finished what he was saying. Not that he could see me. “I can’t go anywhere until we stop this disease. Otherwise, all of Dorman’s people are as good as out. We have to show them that Heru’s side is the right side . . . that human lives mean something to us.”