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  Erik had given up everything for these people and my dad wanted to make it worse for him by saying he forced me. No damn way. I had to do something! Find someone who could help me. But who?

  "You're bleeding," my mom suddenly gasped out.

  I looked down at the bandage covering my upper arm. Tiny drops of blood had dried on the edges. I recalled how that woman, Mia, had squeezed the injury, trying to hurt me so that I'd tell her what she wanted to know. My eyes widened as an idea took root in my mind.

  Mia had been hard; she'd been mean. But she'd been seeking the truth. Erik thought she was half-human, half-alien. If she was, she might understand. She might sympathize.

  Would she help me, though? She thought I was guilty of selling drugs to humans. You don't have anyone else right now.

  It was worth a shot.

  The most Mia could do was kill me and that had been threatened so much it no longer bothered me. Which was as sad as it was empowering.

  "You're taking me to A.I.R.?" I asked my dad.

  "Yes. And I don't want you to talk to them. I'll handle everything. I'll do whatever it takes to clear your name."

  I didn't contradict him. In fact, I sat up in the seat and waited.

  15

  Head high, I strolled into A.I.R. with my parents at my sides. The glass doors swished behind us and I studied my surroundings with trepidation. It's not too late. You can still run. I kept walking forward. Agents littered the lobby area, some striding back and forth with folders, others dragging screaming aliens to...God knows where. The cells?

  I'd probably find out firsthand.

  As we approached the front desk, I kept my shoulders squared and my features blank (I hoped). Of course, I was stopped before I reached my destination.

  A computerized voice announced my entrance and sirens exploded into action.

  "Now just a minute," my dad shouted. "She's innocent."

  The male agent at the desk withdrew his pyre-gun and aimed it at my heart. He scowled at me. "Stop! Stay right where you are. Hands up."

  I obeyed without protest. "I'm unarmed," I told him, refusing to show fear. I'd left my knives in the car.

  "She's unarmed," my dad shouted. "Put your weapon away."

  My mom jumped in front of me, but I pushed her out of the way. Seconds later, a group of agents rushed me. They tackled me to the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs. Dazed, I didn't say a word as they banded my wrists and jerked me to my feet.

  "Leave her alone," my dad snapped. "We're here to clear her name."

  "Stay here, old man," one of the agents commanded.

  They could have killed me and I half expected them to, but they didn't. Instead, they hauled me off while my dad yelled and my mom cried. I was escorted to a cell and strapped into a chair, just like before. Most of the debris from earlier had been cleaned away.

  "I'd like to speak with Mia," I said, as confidently as I could. "I have information she wants."

  He snorted and the group filed out of the room, leaving me alone.

  How much timed passed, I didn't know. Every few hours, I was released from the chair and taken to a bathroom where a female guard watched me use the facilities. I'd never been so embarrassed in my life.

  At one point, someone cleaned my wound and rebandaged it. But finally, blessedly, Mia entered the cell. Not so blessedly, Phoenix and Cara were with her. All three women wore expressions of fury. And--dare I think--grudging respect?

  "You have some information for me," Mia said. She stopped directly in front of me.

  Eyeing her, I lifted my chin and fired off all the questions that had been building inside me. "How are my parents? Where's Erik? Is he okay?"

  "You don't get to ask questions," Cara snapped. "You're as bad as he is, and you deserve the same punishment."

  "You said you were innocent in all of this," Mia said to me.

  "That was before." I lifted my chin another notch. Don't back down.

  Cara arched a dark brow. "Before what? Before you started sleeping with Erik?"

  If my hands had been free, I might have slapped her.

  "Cara," Mia said. "If I have to send you from a cell one more time, you'll be riding a desk for the next month."

  Cara pressed her lips together.

  Mia nodded at me, a command to continue. "Tell me what you came to tell me."

  "Erik hasn't been selling Onadyn to humans. He's been practically giving it away to Outers, for a fraction of the price he buys it for. He told me that he gave it to them without charge for a long time, but when he lost everything, he had to start selling. I--" Come on, finish this! "--took pictures of them to show how they die, how they suffer."

  Mia's eyes narrowed, hiding the ice blue of her irises and leaving only black. "Where are the pictures now?"

  "My dad has them. They might be in his car." If he'd destroyed them in an effect to protect me...I didn't know what I'd do. "Innocent aliens are dying, and they are who Erik wants to save. They're who I want to save."

  "Doesn't matter," Mia said, showing no mercy. "Both of you broke the law."

  I stared over at her, a thought sliding into place. "I noticed that one of your own agents, your own friend, is an alien. A Teran, I think. I saw her that first night, after the car chase, and a few times after."

  "That's Kitten." Phoenix stepped toward me and she radiated an air of challenge.

  "What if she was the one who needed it? What if she couldn't get it? You'd do anything to help her, right?" Helpless as I was, I forged ahead. "Erik has been helping a family survive, a family he loves. What crime is there in that?"

  "You don't know what you're talking about," Cara said, but she'd lost the heat of her anger. She frowned down at me.

  "Listen." Phoenix tilted her head to the side, studying me. "I was an addict," she confessed and the words surprised a gasp out of me. "I know what Onadyn can do to a person when it's abused. We regulate it to keep people from having to experience that. We regulate it to keep predatory aliens from staying here."

  "A drug addict is going to be a drug addict, no matter how many drugs you regulate," I pointed out. "And just because one alien in a family is predatory doesn't mean every other member is, too."

  No one had a response to that.

  "Get those pictures from my dad," I beseeched. "He might try and tell you that Erik forced me to help, but that's a lie. I didn't know what was going on last time we talked, but I do now. And I am helping Erik now. Willingly."

  Absolute silence claimed the entire cell. My breath was ragged in my ears. Sweat beaded over me. So much hinged on what came next. So much.

  Cara ran a hand down the length of her ponytail. "You could have doctored those photos. Looking at them won't change a damn thing."

  I peered up at her again, fighting disappointment. "You dated Erik, so you know how kind and caring he is. How could you think, even for an instant, that he'd do this without a good reason? Or did you figure that out later and that's why you're so bitter?"

  Before she could respond, I added, "How many times do I have to tell you this? He was protecting innocent lives. Isn't that what A.I.R. is supposed to do? Protect?"

  "Human lives," Mia said, then frowned.

  "Innocent lives," I repeated. If she was part alien, she had to see that. She had to accept it.

  With a screech, Cara pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

  Phoenix gaped at her. "Put the gun away, Cara. Now!"

  I remained exactly as I was, not moving. My heart galloped in my chest. "Let her shoot me," I said bravely, uncaring. "I'm obviously an evil human. I've been, gasp, caught with drugs."

  "Cara." Mia spoke low, quietly, but there was absolute command in her voice.

  Cara's hand shook. "No. I will not lower my gun. I want her to admit she's done something wrong. Look at her, how smug and superior she is."

  "You want me to admit I'm wrong? Why? So you can go on believing that you dumped Erik and turned your back on him for a good reason?" I la
ughed, but it was a scary sound. Not just devoid of humor like before but ragged, animalistic. "Deep down, you know you're the one who's wrong. Not me."

  "Phoenix, go get Camille's dad and make sure he has those damn photos," Mia snapped.

  Phoenix turned on her heel and strolled out without a word.

  Cara kept the gun trained on me.

  I began to sweat. Mia studied her nails, but I could feel the tension humming off her. Maybe my words were making her think. I could hope, at least.

  An eternity later, Ryan and Phoenix strode into the cell. Their expressions were grim and their hands were empty.

  "Where are they?" Mia demanded.

  "Come with us," Ryan said. He worried two fingers over his mouth.

  Mia's eyes narrowed, once again closing off the magnetic blue and leaving only those sharp, black pupils. "Why?"

  "Erik is finally talking," Phoenix said. "He's ready to bargain."

  "What?" Cara and I gasped in unison.

  Mia uncuffed me from the chair and every single one of them left--even Cara and her gun--leaving me alone. Erik was bargaining? He'd vowed never to do that. Never to compromise. Worry poured through me as I massaged my wrists. Why would he do such a thing? Had they hurt him so horribly that he now had no other choice?

  Damn it! I wanted answers and I wanted them now. "Show him to me on that screen," I shouted. But a minute ticked by, then another, and the screen never appeared.

  I pushed to my feet and paced the length of the cell, cursing all the while. Was this my punishment? The torture of not knowing? Of wondering? What are you telling them, Erik? Finally, a few hours later, the entire gang returned. They looked tired, relieved, and angry all at once.

  "What's going on?" I demanded. "What did he say?"

  "You're free to go," Mia told me.

  "What? Why? What's changed?"

  Cara appeared at her side. She wouldn't meet my gaze; she looked just above my shoulder. "He bargained. For you." She spat the last word.

  For me? In that moment, I didn't know what to think, what to feel or say.

  "We have his full confession," Mia said. "He's going to help us infiltrate the ring."

  "No." I stomped my foot. "No! People will die."

  "No, because we're going to do all we can to help them."

  My eyes widened and my heart slowed its erratic, angry beat. "Really?"

  "Your dad gave us the pictures. That little girl..." Mia's voice trailed off. "What you and Erik did, well, it was wrong. The way you went about it was wrong. But the outcome was," she shrugged, "good. And it doesn't feel right to punish you for saving people from certain death." She paused, stared at me intently. "Your parents are here and they're eager to see you."

  We'd won, I thought. We'd actually won! A small victory, but a victory all the same. I couldn't help myself; I whooped and hugged her. She didn't hug me back, but she did pat me on the shoulder. Her hair was as soft as my mother's, just as dark, and brushed my cheek.

  "Onadyn won't be legalized anytime soon," she told me, "but you've brought it and the need for its correct distribution to our attention."

  I couldn't stop grinning as she led me down a long, winding hall and into the A.I.R. lobby. My parents were seated on a couch and stood when they saw me. I rushed to my mom and she hugged me tightly, crying, "I'm so proud of you."

  I pulled back and looked up at my dad. His features were stern. "I'm proud of you, too," he admitted. "What you did, well, you were right. I spoke out of worry for you before. Just don't ever scare me like that again, sweetheart. I love you too much to lose you."

  He jerked me into his arms. I hugged him back with all my strength and didn't pull back until my injured arm screamed in protest.

  "Camille?"

  I heard Erik's voice and turned, gasping in delight when I saw him. He was cut up and bruised, more so than before, and dressed in a plain white prison uniform. His arm was in a sling, but he was alive. Joy washed through me, more joy than I'd ever known. I raced to him and threw myself into his arms.

  He caught me and spun me around, one arm holding me up, kissing me deeply. "Are you okay?" he demanded a little while later, setting me down and cupping my jaw.

  My dad cleared his throat. Erik and I separated reluctantly. I made the introductions.

  "Just a minute more, Daddy," I said, not waiting for his reply as I pulled Erik into a shadowed corner.

  "Are you okay?" Erik repeated when we were alone.

  "I'm fine," I said. "What about you?" My gaze roved over his face, taking in every detail. "How are you? How do you feel?"

  "Good, now that you're here. God, I missed you." He kissed me again, a quick meshing of lips that warmed me up.

  When we pulled back, we stared at each other, grinning. "We did it," I told him. "Those families will be taken care of now."

  "You did it," he said and kissed me again. "You, the bravest, sweetest girl I've ever met."

  "No. You bargained for me. I can't believe you did that."

  "I told you. When it came to you or the Outers, I would pick you every time. The good news is that they'll get special consideration now."

  I kissed him again, just because he was so sweet. "Guess what I've decided? I'm going to college and becoming an alien rights advocate. I'm going to change the laws, once and for all."

  His grin widened. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

  At that moment I felt capable of anything. The future was bright with promise, and I planned to live it to the fullest, doing what I could to help those in need. I'd gone from coward to fighter.

  "Maybe I'll finally go to college, as well," he said. "Maybe we'll work as a team, fighting for Outers."

  "Look out, world," I muttered, and he laughed. Yes, look out, world. I'd finally come into my own and there was no stopping me now.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright (c) 2007 by Gena Showalter

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  ISBN-13: 978-1-41654648-1

  ISBN-10: 1-4165-4648-0

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