Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 131364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“We have eidetic memories,” Eleri told the other woman. “But only for the memories we take from others in the course of our duties. We cannot forget.”
Sally sucked in a short, hard breath. “Why would your parents allow you to go into that kind of work? I would never let my daughter do something like that—I don’t care if she’s full grown and in charge of herself!”
Eleri thought about her own mother, a slender 7.9 telepath she barely remembered who’d had no idea what to do with the daughter who’d been born with an ability that could bring no advantage to the family. Maria Dias had blamed herself for not fully researching Eleri’s paternal line for “discrepancies” before their fertilization agreement and had ignored the child except for ensuring her physical needs were met.
Eleri had far preferred her life in boarding school, especially after she met Bram, then Saffron and Yúzé. A small family. Her real family, the memories they’d created between them potent enough that she remembered her emotions toward them even behind the wall of nothingness.
Once, she had been able to love them.
“Most Js before the fall of Silence were funneled into the job,” she told Sally, leaving out the political reasons for it—for the vast majority of Js, the control of the Council never came into play, but it was nonetheless the reason the Council wanted Js in the system.
So they could alter cases at will.
LIAR!
The wall had regrown, thick and all but impenetrable, and so she could speak past the brutal echo of Adam’s accusation. “Js now have a choice.” They could learn to use their abilities in less damaging ways, could even have careers that had nothing to do with their skills at memory retrieval and broadcast.
Two people hugged outside the window of the diner, young women who were smiling at each other in welcome. It was an experience Eleri would never have. The contact could kill or disable her at her current level of Sensitivity.
A flicker in her mind, eyes that were no longer fully human looking into hers as Adam told her not to forget her gloves.
Changelings had natural shields.
People with natural shields were no threat to Sensitives.
Shaking off the thought that was apropos of nothing, because physical contact with Adam wasn’t within the realm of possibility, she ate a bite of her toast while Sally went to chat to the bearded patron. Their conversation, however, lingered with her.
What choice, she thought, would she have made had she had a true choice?
Her brain had trouble even comprehending the question. Fact was, she’d never had any inkling of a choice, having been put into specialized training the moment she passed her Silence tests, and at this point couldn’t even imagine what she’d do if she wasn’t a J. This was what she was good at, and what she was good at could make the world a safer place.
Putting yourself in the line of fire isn’t an act of penance that’ll wipe out the past.
Her fingers tightened on the cup of tea just as the Enforcement deputy she’d met yesterday—Jocasta Whitten—entered with a male colleague in a rumpled uniform. He was about Adam’s height, had tumbled dark curls and sculpted musculature that was obvious under his tailored uniform.
Cheeks creasing in a tired smile, he said, “Hey, Sally. Breakfast for me and Jo. Our usual.”
“I thought you’d be off shift by now, Hendricks,” Sally said as she turned to call in the order to her cook.
“Decided to wait so I could eat with Jo,” the deputy named Hendricks answered, his curious gaze cutting to Eleri.
Whitten, meanwhile, wandered over to her. “Hey, you want to join us at a booth? We can catch each other up and I can introduce you to Hendricks.”
“Sure.”
Once they were seated and introductions made, the two deputies shared what they knew about the chief. “No news from the hospital yet,” Whitten said right as Sally slid their plates onto the table.
After which, the conversation shifted to the shooting.
“I think it looks panicked,” the female deputy said. “At least three shots from a high-powered laser rifle. Overkill and messy with it.”
“I mean, I dunno,” Hendricks mumbled from around his eggs before taking a gulp of coffee from a refillable silver flask that Sally had topped up with a smile. “The falcons are tough. Way I figure it, the shooter was making sure he got the job done. Not panic, more like not wanting to take the risk of Jacques surviving.”
Eleri could see both points of view, because Hendricks was right—the shooter had to have known that should Jacques survive and talk, their life would be forfeit. Adam and his clan would come after them like arrows unleashed.
“Is it rude to ask about the gloves?” Hendricks’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“It’s just to stop accidental contact,” Eleri said, not in the mood to offer further details.