Peri stiffened. “You think Bill is corrupt?” she said hotly. “That we stole it so he could sell it to the highest bidder? That’s not how Opti works. That’s not how Jack and I work.”

“It’s how the world works,” Jenks said, making Peri feel like a fool.

“Look,” Rachel said, and Jenks darted into the kitchen.

“Oh, God,” he muttered as he scanned the counters. “Here comes the list.”

“I have a boyfriend,” Rachel said, clearly peeved. “And a job, and responsibilities, and I’m not going to stay here in this dead world you made by killing all the Inderlanders, or lines, or both. I’m not going to do it!”

“Rache, relax,” Jenks said as he nibbled on a cracker half the size of himself. “Peri isn’t going to just leave us hanging. Are you.”

It wasn’t a question, and Peri didn’t answer them. She couldn’t help but wonder how the woman stayed alive through her pressure-induced panic attacks, but as she watched Jenks calmly trying out the plastic drink sword, she thought she knew. That, and the woman wasn’t a slouch. She’d taken Jack down. Whether he was intoxicated or not, that wasn’t easy.

“How about this?” Rachel said, calming. “We make a fake one. Change it out for the real accelerator. Jenks and I go home. Bill gives the fake one to the company he says invented it. It doesn’t work, they make a new one. If Event Horizon didn’t make it, the company who did makes a new accelerator. Nothing changes, no harm done.”

Silent, Peri went into the kitchen and opened a jar of peanut butter. It made sense, but she didn’t like the subterfuge. Opti had given her everything, made her valuable, irreplaceable, strong, and important—even if no one outside a small circle of people knew it.

“And you’ll know if this Bill guy is corrupt or not,” the pixy added. “Bonus!”

Eyes narrowed, Peri slammed the silverware drawer shut. “Bill is not corrupt,” she said as she scooped out a spoonful and set it on the counter.

“Then you know that for sure, too,” Rachel said, her mood softening as she came forward to lean on the kitchen bar. “Thanks for the peanut butter. He’s got a fast metabolism.”

“Me, too,” Peri muttered as she put the jar away. Giving her a meek nod of thanks, Jenks began eating the peanut butter with a pair of tiny chopsticks he’d pulled from a back pocket.

Steal from Bill? She didn’t know if she could do that. He’d been her handler since day one, giving her and her partner the high-profile jobs and all the perks.