“I would bury myself if I could.”

“Must be nice,” said Green Eyes. “To be unkillable.”

A second memory—of lying on that lab table, his heart in Haverty’s hands.

Eli said nothing.

A few minutes later, the van came to a stop on a busy street—Eli could hear the noise even before the back door swung open and Stell himself climbed in. “Briggs,” he said, nodding at the woman. “Samson.

Holtz. Any trouble here?”

“No sir,” they said in unison.

“Where have you been?” demanded Eli.

“Believe it or not,” said Stell, “you weren’t the highest priority.”

He’d meant it as a jab, but Eli saw only its truth, written in the lines of the director’s face.

Victor.

The van drove on for a few more blocks before pulling into an alley, where the three soldiers climbed out—but not Stell. He turned his attention to Eli. “They are going ahead to secure the room. In a minute, you and I are going to leave this van and go inside. You make a scene, and that collar will be only the first of your problems.”

Eli held out his cuffed wrists. “If you want to keep a low profile, these should probably come off.”

Stell leaned forward, but simply tossed a coat over Eli’s outstretched hands, hiding them from view. Eli sighed, and followed the director out of the van. He looked up at the stretch of blue sky, and breathed in fresh air for the first time in five years.

Stell brought a hand to Eli’s shoulder, kept it there as they wove through the cars in front of the hotel.

“Remember your instructions,” warned Stell as they stepped through the doors and crossed the lobby to the bank of elevators.

The soldiers were waiting on the fifth floor.

Two in the hall, one still clearing the room.

They’d taken off their helmets in an effort to blend in, revealing three young, good-looking soldiers. A woman in her early thirties, compact and strong and stoic. A young man, handsome and blond, thirty at most, who looked like he would have won Most Likable while in school. A second man, wide-jawed and smug, who reminded Eli of the frat boys he’d hated in college, the kind who would crush a beer can on their heads as if the feat were something to be proud of.

Once inside, Stell finally removed Eli’s handcuffs.