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“You know better than this,” Frank said in a soft, scolding tone.

“Do you people listen in on everything? How do you even know what’s happening?” I asked.

“We know all, and this, young lady, is not acceptable behavior,” Hank said.

“I’m guessing you ratted me out already somehow?” I said, watching as poor Alaric continued to argue his cause.

“If you mean alerted people who care deeply for you that you were on the cusp of making a horrible decision and could use some aid?” Hank said. “Of course we did.” He and Frank both crossed their arms, as if choreographed.“And you should be glad we did. This scoundrel had no intention of bringing you anywhere but to Herrick. Word is he just got a fat payment.”

My mouth dropped open. That dirtbag had planned on double-crossing me. Why had I trusted him? Had the panic and fear blinded me so completely?

“Oh, I think the door might be working, but to be on the safe side, we should only do one at a time,” Tank said loudly so we all heard.

Alaric stepped forward.

Tank held up his hand. “No, no. She needs to go through.” He pointed toward me.

“It’s my outpost.” Alaric tried to step around Tank but was blocked again.

“She’s smaller. Less strain on the system,” Tank said, and then smiled. There was a reason these guys didn’t smile much. They looked like sharks getting ready to eat their prey when they did.

Hank pointed to the door. “You should be on your way. You’re probably not going to want to see what happens next,” he said to me.

“You’re going to… But I thought you were union? I thought you stayed neutral?”

“Weareunion, and you know what we hate more than anything? Rats. And that’s what that man is. So you best be on your way.”

I’d never been so scared of the door guys in my life. I had a feeling I was really glimpsing who they were for the first time, and you didn’t want to be on their bad side.

“I’m going,” I said. I walked through the door and was back in Alaric’s outpost.

His crew was standing in a semicircle, surrounding Kaden, but not getting too close.

“Why are you here?” Sarah asked, her skin flushed from the neck up. Then she spotted me walking back in. She’d never liked me. “She’s back too?”

“You need to leave. This is our outpost,” said Jim, another one of my fans.

“Shut. Up,” Kaden said calmly.

Then they saw me and their mouths dropped open.

“Leave,” he said.

“What?” Jim said.

“Huh?” Sarah said.

“Leave.” Kaden made a half-turn, and they all ran from the room. “Out of the building.” His voice boomed.

They scurried from their hiding places and ran out the door.

The place was quiet. I couldn’t even hear him breathe as he stood stone still.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked.

I’d seen him mad before, but not like this.

“You obviously know already, or you wouldn’t be here.” How had he gotten here so fast? Did I trigger some sort of alarm after I walked through the door? The door guys must’ve seen me with Alaric in Nowhere first.