Page 102 of Lessons in Power

“This isn’t who we are,” Daniela said, her voice low, her eyes on the bodies.

Mrs. Perkins opened the door to the third-floor computer lab. “It’s who you are,” she told Daniela lightly. “It’s all you’ll ever be in the eyes of the world, thanks to your wonderful little performance out front.”

That was the point, I thought. Like the kingmaker, Mrs. Perkins played the long game. This was strategy. A carefully laid plan.

She’s not treating Daniela like a traitor. She’s treating her like competition.

“Now,” Mrs. Perkins said, turning her attention back to me. “Let us see how our little fixer did, shall we?”

Anxiety and adrenaline shot through my body. Ignoring it as best I could, I scanned the occupants of the room. Dr. Clark was sitting in front of a computer. Including the guards who’d escorted us up here, there were a total of four. And standing in between two of them was Henry.

Don’t look at him. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t feel his stare on your skin.

I focused on Mrs. Perkins and Dr. Clark instead.

“Money transfer came through,” Dr. Clark told Mrs. Perkins. “Twenty million, untraceable.”

I let out a shallow breath. William Keyes was a man of his word.

“Congratulations, gentlemen,” Mrs. Perkins said to the guards. “You’ll be getting paid.”

Mercenaries.My chest tightened.Guns for hire.That had been my hope. I couldn’t afford to show any visible reaction to the confirmation I’d just received.

“And what of Ivy Kendrick?” Mrs. Perkins asked me. “Did DC’s most notorious fixer step up to the plate?”

“She got your prisoner released,” I replied, glancing toward Daniela. “Didn’t she?”

Mrs. Perkins made atsksound under her breath. “There’s no need to take a confrontational tone, Tess. We’re all friends here.” She stepped forward and trailed the flat of the knife blade along my neck. “Now tell me, did Ivy happen to send us anything else?”

I nodded, as much as I could with a knife at my throat.

“Delightful,” Mrs. Perkins declared, stepping back. On the other side of the room, Henry stared at her, his jaw clamped closed.

I won’t let anything happen to you, he’d said roughly, his body less than a millimeter from mine.

“I believe you’re looking for this,” Daniela said, holding up the USB drive she’d taken from Priya. There wasn’t an ounce of tension in her voice—nothing but the barest hint of challenge.

She’s not afraid of them, I realized.They haven’t lifted a hand against her.

There was a plan. Daniela and I had a plan—but the reason I’d put my life in her hands,Priya’slife in her hands, was that I’d thought that our goals were aligned.

I’d thought she—and her child—were in danger.

Mrs. Perkins took the drive from Daniela and handed it to Dr. Clark. My former teacher plugged it in. A sequence of numbers and programming code appeared on the screen.

All eyes went to me.

“It has to be decrypted,” Daniela spoke up on my behalf, leaning back against a nearby table as she did. “Would you expect anything less?”

She’s on my side. She is. She knows the plan. She’ll stick to it.

“For your sake, Tess,” Mrs. Perkins said, her gaze lingering on my face, “let us hope it’s decrypted quickly.”

The sound of my own breathing was deafening in my ears, but somehow, I heard it—a light, high-pitched whistle.

Daniela eased herself off the table. The moment Mrs. Perkins attention was drawn to Daniela, I bolted.

Out the door, into the hall.