A plan was beginning to take shape in her head. A plan that was either brilliant or the stupidest idea she’d ever had. She needed a minute to figure out which it was. She needed to talk to Beto.

She opened the door, pulling her gun out. “Let’s go.”

—

They stayed on the side streets as they made their way across town. Maisie and Hadley kept their guns out, but they managed to avoid the men combing the streets.

Maisie had rarely seen the streets of the Q so deserted. It was a ghost town, with everyone’s doors and windows shut tight, despite the nice weather. She wanted to ask Declan how he could have ever thought that causing this type of fear was a good idea.

Beto’s gate was closed when they approached, and Maisie typed in the code on the screen. It slid open.

They were halfway up the driveway when Beto charged out with a gun.

“Beto, what the hell?” Hadley yelled. Maisie raised her own gun, but she didn’t take the safety off.

“No one is coming inside until I figure out what’s going on!” Beto yelled.

“What’s going on is Declan betrayed all of us,” Hadley said.

“And how do I know you two aren’t with him?” He pointed at Maisie. “You’re his girlfriend!”

“Ex-girlfriend!” Maisie yelled, and then muttered, softer, “Jesus Christ, I make one bad dating decision and it blows up in my face.”

Beside her, Lennon made a sound like he was stifling a laugh.

“I hear he’s been running around, bragging about how he’s got you on his side!” Beto yelled.

“You really think I would betray you like that? Betray the family like that?” She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice. But she’d known him her whole life—had been friends with him since she knew what a friend was—and he was pointing a gun at her.

Beto’s face softened slightly, but he didn’t lower his gun. “Some of the family has decided to jump ship and join him, so—”

“Wait, what?” Hadley looked stunned.

“They want to take the shipments by force. They want to attack the north and I…” He lowered his gun with a sigh. Maisie lowered hers as well.

“They’ll die,” she said. “Regardless of who wins, a lot of people will die if we attack the north.”

“Some people think that’s the price we have to pay.” Beto took a step back. “I’m sorry. Go somewhere else.”

“Beto!” Hadley exclaimed. “You have to do something!”

“I am doing something! I’m getting some people I trust together and we’re…going to figure something out.”

“Oh Christ,” Hadley muttered. Beto turned and stomped inside, slamming the door behind him.

“What are we going to do?” Hadley asked.

Maisie put her gun back in its holster. “I don’t know. They’re right that we need the shipments. People will start dying without the medical supplies in them.”

“So we just let them start a war with the north?”