opened at

he covers, pulling the

carried a tray w

the tray down. "He suggests you acquaint yours

d, playing

didn't see Gustaf. S

kept her sedated for years. Now, without the dai

the floor tilted. Sweat broke out on her fore

coll

. Gr

caught her before her

, her teeth

ur muttered, checking her

He carried her to a small staff room and brewed

," he

g stopped. She grabbed

ou," she

ked at her, for the first time.

he whispered. "This h

alk again, she fo

rear of the house. Inside, the air was

y a workbench. She was pruning a Datu

n't tur

r can stop a heart in t

reer. The

ars. She reached past Victoria and snipped a dead

her pocket and wrote: Only

e ice. She read the note. She looked at A

now bo

. Her mothe

anded Alys the shears. "The gardener is an

test. Aly

solated. It had its own ventilation. And in the back office, un

to the main networ

ined a sandboxed operating system, untraceable. She wasn't just coding a byp

ng a kill switch command. The screen we

e looked at Alys, t

nd touched the ca

t Alys. He

velvet box o

n. We're

nd necklace. Heavy, gaudy, o

put