Tempting. She considered, for a moment, just going home and hiding under the covers. Let Declan get himself killed. Let all the Lopez family members who were siding with him die up north in some stupid war.

But she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t let Elise die. Or everyone else in the Q who needed the medical supplies on those shipments as soon as possible.

She was getting that shipment, even if she had to go herself.

“Beto!” she yelled.

“I think he’s done with us,” Hadley said.

“I have an idea.” She lifted her chin, yelling Beto’s name again, louder this time.

The door swung open and he stepped out, arms lifted in annoyance. “Maisie, go home!”

“Let’s go get the shipment,” she said.

He frowned. “What?”

“You and me. Let’s go get it. We’ll steal it, or we’ll negotiate. I don’t know. But if we found a way to get the shipment peacefully, don’t you think that would bring the Lopez family back together?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“At the very least, it would make Declan look like an idiot and show people in the south that we still have their backs,” Hadley said. “They’re going to need support from the whole south to attack the north.”

“Yeah,” Beto said.

“So let’s go get it,” Maisie said.

“Just the two of us? Are you out of your mind?”

“Doesn’t have to be just the two of us. We could gather up a few more. Should probably be a small group, though. Easier to travel that way.”

“Maisie, I am not charging up north with you. At least Declan has a plan. And weapons. You are just going to get yourself killed.”

“Wow. Thanks for the faith.”

He shrugged. He had so little faith in her he wasn’t even going to pretend otherwise.

“I’ll go with you,” Lennon said.

She turned to look at him. “What?”

“I’m going north anyway, to get out of here. Help me get to the gate, and I’ll help you get the shipment.”

“How exactly are you going to help me get the shipment?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not completely useless, you know.” He gestured at Beto. “And it doesn’t sound like you have any other options.”

He had a point. She glanced over at Beto, who was regarding them skeptically.

“You can apologize to me later,” she said to Beto, and then turned to Lennon. “You have a deal.”

LENNON

“YOU ARE A terrible influence.”

Lennon laughed and took the phone from Elise. “Believe it or not, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that.”

“Oh, I believe it.” She walked across the room and plunked down in a chair. “But I’d just like to state again, for the record, that sending a video outside the Q is a very bad idea.”

“Noted,” he said.

They’d gone back to the comms tower, and he’d found the room with the best lighting for their video. It was mostly empty, with just a long table against one wall, and big windows that let the sun shine through.