Page 81 of From the Noblest Motives

She gave a delicate sniff. "As if I hadn't been worrying all these years, with you living in barbaric conditions out in the wilderness. I'll call back when I have news from Neville and his team. Send me your new number."

"Ah. Hmm. You can't call me here."

"What do you mean I can't call you? Of course I can call you. I'm your mother." Her eyes had narrowed again, the sudden sharpness of her tone knifing into Shudder's head.

"It's a one-way line, Mum. I'm sorry. Can we set up a time to talk again? And I'll call you?"

"I've never heard of such nonsense." But it was more of a grumble than the start of a tirade, and she let out a weary sigh. "All right. But please be more punctual than your usualmodus operandi."

Blaze made a choked sound that he managed to turn into a terribly fake cough. Damn him for laughing. He set up a time with his mother in two days' time, and they said their goodbyes.

When her image had faded, Damien murmured, "She's terrifying."

"She is a bit." Shudder tucked the phone in his pocket. "Sometimes I wonder if my father's heart failure was a matter of sheer fright. She loves me. Shedoes, Blaze. Stop snickering. But she'll probably never see me as a grown person."

"That's okay. You'll never be a grown person." Blaze ducked away from the half-hearted smack Shudder aimed at his arm.

"Nothing wrong with hanging on to a sense of childlike wonder."

Shudder was about to continue his mock tirade when Toby called from the next room. "Boss, you might wanna come see."

"Oh? What am I seeing?"

Shudder stood up too fast and had to steady himself on Damien's shoulder. He didn't mind at all when Damien took his hand as they headed to the conference room, where Dr. Parma waited with senior staff. Above the holo plate in the center of the table, an image of an empty podium with the Guild's crest hovered.

"What are we watching?" Blaze took a seat, his gaze intent on the holo.

Dr. Parma took the seat opposite. "The Guild has called a press conference, though they haven't announced what will be discussed."

No one in the room looked surprised when Sledge took the podium, though for Shudder, the ingenuous hero shine had tarnished and flaked, and it was a little jarring to watch Sledge go through the familiar motions of serious concern. He suspected everyone in the room felt a similar twinge.

Sledge placed his tablet in front of him, greeted the gathered press, and began.

"Last Thursday at two in the afternoon, our head of administration, Dr. Ife Parma, left her office in an uncharacteristically hasty manner. She informed no one and left no messages regarding her departure. Concerned, one of our Guild members, Fox Henderson, went to Dr. Parma's place of residence and was ambushed."

"That's what we're calling it. I see," Dr. Parma murmured into Sledge's dramatic pause.

"We believe that Dr. Parma was kidnapped by a person or persons unknown. The Guild has made every effort to track down where she might be held, so far without success." Sledge focused on the podium, doing a good job of looking upset. His eyes were even red-rimmed, and Shudder had to wonder if he'd been sniffing onions. "At this point, we have no word on Dr. Parma's condition and no demands from the kidnappers. Dr. Parma has been our head of administration for over twenty years, and we feel her absence keenly. She has always been a valuable ally and a cherished friend."

At this point, the reporters began yelling questions, some of which Sledge answered. Yes, Dr. Parma's vehicle was missing. Yes, there appeared to be signs that she was fearful of something. No, they had been unable to access files from her house system. Sledge ended with an appeal to the kidnappers. The Guild just wanted their beloved Dr. Parma back unharmed, whatever the demands.

"Shots fired," Geo murmured.

"Getting there first with the narrative." Shudder nodded. "Certainly sounds better thanshe caught onto our illegal drug-cooking scheme and ran for her life. Doc, do you want to have a rebuttal press conference? We could make it happen."

She shook her head. "Let's see how it plays out for a bit. I'm curious to see if they'll name a culprit."

"Good idea. See if the fuckers trip themselves up." Blaze was drumming his fingers on the table, stopped abruptly, and glanced up at Dr. Parma. "Sorry, Doc. This has to be tough. I'm sorry."

"Quite all right, dear. Yes, it's been difficult and draining, but it has been for all of us." She smiled and reached across to pat his hand. "I have all of you. We're fugitives together."

Variants of the wild frontier, all of us together. Shudder put a hand on Blaze's shoulder and leaned against Damien. They didn't have a plan yet. They barely had enough information to be dangerous, but he had some of the smartest, some of the most talented people on the planet with him. He had his Blaze and his Damien—they were together, finallytogether. As long as they were, all the forces set against them didn't stand a chance.

Shudder brought out his brightest smile. "Welcome to the family, Dr. Parma. Wonderful to have you, since we have so much to do."

The corners of her eyes crinkled as her smile took on a touch of wickedness. "I'll help in any way I can. As they used to say—bring it."