She’d called herself a wolf earlier, and I could see it now. Pack hunting, stalking, dead serious, and very dangerous.

We found the computer once more. Imp drew her flare gun.

She stopped when Kenzie stepped out from behind a tree, wearing all winter clothing, including coat, hat, and earmuffs.

“You’re outnumbered.”

“Doesn’t matter when number one is super awesome,” Imp retorted. “And when she has a hostage.”

Kenzie drew a gun and pointed it. It looked like a toy weapon.

Imp shook her head slowly. “No. You don’t want to do that. Hostage. Use your common sense, kiddo.”

“I spent it all on figuring out my tinkering. I’ve just got a big empty loneliness inside me right now, with some mad scientist vibes.”

Kenzie smiled, and then she pulled the trigger of her flash gun, blinding everyone present that wasn’t her.

⊙

Snuff held the door open for Tattletale. The kids climbed out too, but they weren’t part of the show of force—not directly. The Heartbroken kids ran around, and headed toward the mall that was at the far end of the parking lot, the older kids who were apparently in charge of them hurrying after.

Herding cats.

Tattletale remained, and so did the two members of Palanquin who were guarding her. Imp was with her, but Imp was still blind.

It had been a few hours. I’d had the presence of mind to fly away before more shots could land, so it had been about twenty-five minutes for me, where I hadn’t been able to see anything except hot white spots.

Rain and an unhappily awoken Tristan and Sveta were with me.

Not bringing backup just hadn’t been an option.

Chicken Little seemed to want to go with the Heartbroken, but instead Snuff positioned him at Tattletale’s side. He had a hangdog look, for someone with a hard full face mask.

A few of the Heartbroken lingered. Chicken Little’s age.

Parian and Foil lingered too. I gave Foil a nod, and she nodded back.

Kenzie was with me too, in a sense; she didn’t get out of the vehicle. She sat in the passenger seat, feet swung out over the side. She had her costume on.

“Let’s try this again,” Tattletale said.

“Are you sure? Because your approach of burning everything we cherish and love to ash to protect your info is a great plan.”

“Works for me,” Tattletale said.

I shook my head slowly.

“You gotta scrub it all. You didn’t get it fair and square, and some of that is stuff only I and my sources know, that the kids don’t pay much attention to. When people start blabbing about details that only I’m supposed to know, it makes my sources jittery. Some of them are in very dangerous places.”

“Sounds like you got sloppy,” Tristan said.