I could hear something in her tone of voice in that last sentence, serious and almost dangerous or gruff, that told me this girl had spent a lot of time with the very serious, very dangerous, and very gruff Rachel Lindt.

I nodded.

“Don’t nod and get my hopes up if you won’t try,” Cassie told me.

“My best friend needs help too,” I said. “She needs a body. I’ll keep an eye out for your friend if you keep an eye out for mine.”

Cassie nudged me. When I looked, she had a hand out.

I shook it.

“What’s this dealing about?” Chastity asked. She’d left the Harbingers behind.

“I should go see to the mission,” I said, stepping away from Cassie.

“Careful going out,” Chastity said. “They sent a patrol down the road and they had lights up at the windows during one route they took. Group back here had to scram, and Foil almost got caught.”

“Thank you,” I said. I put a hand on her shoulder as I passed her. “And thank you. For waking up Precipice. Taking the risk.”

“No prob.”

Others were glancing my way. Briefings petered off. They were close to ready.

“What do you think?” Byron asked.

“I think we should get set up,” I said. “I’m thinking it’s me, Precipice… Mom, are you okay being in ball form? If we hand you off to Sveta, we can have you for the pineapple.”

“Bowling seven-tens,” my dad said.

An old in-joke. We’d never been able to agree on what to call the maneuver.

My mom smiled a little. “That’s a good idea. If things go poorly?”

I nodded.

“Okay. I can be patient.”

“I’ll go too,” Foil said. “I can avoid the patrols. I can deal with problems.”

“Good,” I said. “Everyone else? Be ready. If there’s a bit of trouble, judgment call. Either make a bit of noise for a distraction and scram, or Capricorn seals it off once a few people are out the door. We can always get ourselves in later.”

“Or I act like a representative from the Row,” Moose said. “A quieter distraction.”

“Perfect,” I said. “Thank you.”

“If there’s a lot of trouble?” Ashley asked.

I looked at her. At Damsel. At my dad. At Moose. The Harbingers.

“Knock the building down,” I said. “Take out the ones who escape. Then we shift gears, get the people and the parts out.”

That got me some sober nods. A smile from Damsel.

I couldn’t see smiling at that end result, but… I supposed she needed to grandstand or act.

“Ready?” I asked Rain.

A nod.

I put my shoulder at his armpit, my arm at his waist. He put his arm around my shoulders, and we tested lifting off.

Good enough.

My mom went ball-form, and she was wrapped in a dog blanket to mute the glow. I put her under my other arm.