Luciana backed away from her slightly, looking at her with a strangely intense sadness. “Do you know where they are?”

“I think so.”

“What are they going to do?”

“Nikola is going to kill himself and take Ampersand with him. And Ampersand is going to let it happen.”

“Why?”

“Why do people ever take their own lives?” Cora laughed humorlessly.

Luciana’s expression grew even more serious. “Why don’t you tell Sol what’s going on?”

“Because if I tell Sol where they are and the feds show up, Nikola and Ampersand will be dead before they even enter the room. They can’t be forced to stop what they’re planning. I only have a snowball’s chance in hell of appealing to them, but I have to try.”

“I’m guessing you see yourself, alone, as the only way to stop them.”

Cora threw her legs over the side of the bed, relieved to see that she was still wearing her clothes from the previous night. “I don’t see any scenario where either of them survive if I don’t try to reason with them.”

Luciana shook her head distantly. She knew she’d done the wrong thing so many times, she was trying to do the right thing, and she clearly did not know if this was it.

“If you are really sorry,” said Cora, voice vibrating like a string on a harp, “you’ll get me out of here. If you really want to make it up to me, if you really want a road to rebuilding this bridge, get me out of here. I just lost Kaveh, I cannot lose Ampersand, too.” At this, her voice broke, and she barely held herself together.

Luciana closed her eyes as though she had lost a chess game she’d been playing for weeks. “Well, they’ve been firing me off and on for years. At least for once, it should be for a good reason.” She pursed her lips, and looked at her niece. “Cora, if I get you out of here, how can I know you won’t just disappear again? You’ll be gone, and it’ll be like last time. I won’t know if you’re alive.”

“You won’t,” said Cora. “I can’t promise you I won’t disappear; in fact, I probably will for a little while. Nikola killed people.”

“Nikola?”

“Nikola. Not Ampersand. Just Nikola.”

Luciana nodded. Not the answer she wanted, but clearly an honest one. “Okay.”

“I have to move fast.”

“Okay!” Her voice hitched. “You can take my car, then. We’d better go now, before Porter finds out you’re awake.”