Careful to keep the gun out of Daniel’s vision, she tucks it in the waistband of her pants and stands up. She suddenly wishes she had kept her emergency bag in her bedroom, rather than under her desk at the office. Instead, she grabs a small bag and shoves in a change of clothes, a water bottle, and her wallet. She should probably get more, maybe a first aid kit and some food, but the gun is all she really came here for and now she needs to leave.

“Go home, Daniel,” Lynell says, pushing past him to leave her bedroom. The weight of the gun suddenly disappears, and she whirls around.

“I thought you got rid of this,” he says, holding the gun and examining it, as if the secrets of the Registration are etched into the metal.

“Give it back!” She reaches out, but he yanks it from her reach.

“Promise me you’ll get out of town.”

“Give it back or I’ll call the cops, Daniel.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Oh? So, this gun is legal?”

Lynell stops trying to reach for the weapon and crosses her arms. “What do you really want?”

“As thick as ever,” he muses, lowering his arm and returning the gun within her reach. “I want you to leave town, Lynell.”

She’s about to tell him to go to hell but then wonders why he’s so insistent on this. Does he know about the Registration? Does he know who Price is? “Where would you like me to go?” she asks.

He takes a deep breath and gives her the gun back. The feel of the cold metal is reassuring. His blue eyes meet her brown ones, and he sighs before saying, “As far away as possible.”

Daniel, always prepared, had brought an extra change of clothes. He insists on following her to the station.

“Are you going to tell me why I should leave town?” Lynell asks, changing in her bedroom while Daniel waits outside. She pulls off her pants and shirt, replacing them with leggings, a T-shirt, black boots, and a deep red shawl tied around her waist while waiting for Daniel to reply. She’s about to repeat her question when his answer comes.

“There’s talk about some anti-Registration protests taking place all over the city. Businesses that support the Elysians will be targeted. You still work at that law firm?”

She does, and the office has been tagged by the rebels before. The firm’s main purpose is to represent civil cases that are connected to the Registration. If someone sues a neighbor for property damage caused while completing their Registration, the defendant will likely hire someone from Lynell’s firm. The lawyers are well-known for getting people off on a multitude of charges in the name of the Registration.

Daniel’s reasoning feels shallow. It’s been several years since there were enough protests to cause real damage and even if something were to happen, Lynell could simply wait out the worst of it in her apartment.