“She wouldn’t go back to him.” There was no way. Every feeling inside Corday knew better. He’d seen what the monster had done to her… what she had been forced to live through. Touching where her ring circled his pinky he walked back to the door, opening it so his guest might take a hint.

Before she left, Maryanne faced Corday one last time. “I know her better than anyone else in the world. I also know she wanted to kill herself… That’s why I am going to pray that she did instead of considering the horrible alternative. Thank you for nothing, Enforcer Corday.”

He slammed the door.

Corday turned towards Leslie, found the outspoken woman awfully quiet.

The strange woman’s warning scratched at his composure. “If Claire is in Shepherd’s possession, if she struck some reckless exchange for our lives, then he knows about you. If all this is true, then every piece of information you’ve uncovered is compromised… useless.”

Leslie looked about ready to break something.

10

Claire was still sleeping, restless under the covers on the bed beside him. It had taken a great deal of effort to get her comfortable after Shepherd had found her holed up in the bathroom vomiting upon his return. Hours of soft touches, bland broth, and her agitated growls eventually turned to snores. Once Claire had finally lost consciousness the thread seemed to harmonize, leaving Shepherd able to work as he lay at her side.

Reports on Enforcer Corday’s movements were less than pleasing. Svana was still holed up in his apartment, and irksome Maryanne Cauley had come calling, looking for Claire.

Neither woman’s agenda was clear. Svana was toying with the resistance, for what purpose Shepherd was uncertain, but she was up to something.

In the years of their relationship, there had been no secrets, no dividing line between them. Ordering Jules to continue with her constant surveillance had been… difficult. Studying her motives as he’d studied the Senators, their families, their work, for years, troubled Shepherd greatly.

This woman was not that same revolutionary he’d loved with every last fiber of his being. Worse, not knowing where she’d stashed the contagion, having had all the usual places searched, made him uneasy.

She wanted to remind Shepherd that she had the power. Knowing he was watching her flit around the Beta’s apartment was her less than subtle way of reminding him she was in control.

She played her games with the resistance. Leslie Kantor wanted them to find her valuable, even passing fragmented information that could potentially undermine Shepherd’s control.

Svana was taunting him.

Why?

There was more to this than her anger over Claire.

So far just Maryanne Cauley had thrown the only wrench into her plans.

…when he shot down your marriage proposal.