Every Missing Piece

Chapter Ten

The next thing I know, Mason and I are standing outside of my family's unit, the last place I ever thought we'd be together. "Remember," he coaches me, "try to evade as many questions as possible, but if there's no other way, there's no harm in satisfying their curiosity just enough to get away."

I nod and open the door, leaving Mason to wait outside. Just as we expected, my entire family sits in our living room, kept inside by the same arrest warrant that had me running in the opposite direction. What I didn't expect to see was Jack sitting with my family, evidently planning on sitting out his captivity at our unit. When the door opens, they all look up expectantly, and my heart does things I don't like when Jack smiles at me.

"Taryn," I say, too quietly. I clear my throat. "I need to talk to Taryn."

Frowning, my sister follows me into our unit's entryway. From behind her, my mom cranes her head from her place on the sofa to watch us. I try not to be bitter when Jack doesn't even seem to realize I'm there.

"What is going on?" she hisses. "The rest of the blockers were back hours ago-"

"I need your key," I interrupt, but on the inside, my head is spinning. Was I really gone for hours?

Taryn is shaking her head. "I don't know what you're talking-"

"Your key to the supply," I clarify, "or to the warehouses at the supply, whatever you have, I need it. I know they gave you copies."

Taryn bites her lip, still shaking her head. "Is there something going on?" she asks. "You know I can't just hand those out; I'll get in so much trouble."

"Please don't ask me to explain. Just trust me and know that I wouldn't ask unless I had a good reason."

She's about to refuse again, I just know it, when the door opens and Mason steps in. "Carra? What's taking so long?"

Taryn's face goes pale, and why shouldn't it? At first glance, Mason paints the perfect picture of everything an Assembly liaison should be. He is crisp edges where the rest of us are tired lines, and as he stands in my unit looking utterly out of place, he has the air of someone who isn't used to taking no as an answer.

I would know.

"The Assembly hates to be kept waiting, you know," he continues. At this, Taryn takes a small step backward and I finally have Jack's attention, along with the rest of my family. Jack joins us in the entryway, arms crossed. This was the intensity that helped Jack be selected to train as a guard on the first place. I can't remember it ever being focused on me before. What does he think of me now? Could he ever think I'm in business with the Assembly?

"Is there some sort of problem here?" Jack looks from Mason to Taryn and I, then back to Mason. If I had known he was going to be here too, there is no way I would have ever, ever agreed to Mason's idea.

"Not at all," Mason replies smoothly. "The Assembly just has a favor to request and we're sorting out the specifics now."

Not daring to argue with the will of the Assembly, Taryn leaves and comes back with a set of keys jangling on a tarnished ring. "I hope you know what you're doing," she mutters as she passes the keys to me. I only mumble in response before she walks away because right then, I notice Jack staring at me like he doesn't even know me.

With the keys safely in my hands, Mason turns to leave. "Let's hurry then," he says, holding the door open for me.

"Hang on a minute, Carra," Jack speaks up. Mason shrugs and continues through the door without me, leaving me alone with Jack.

I can't look at him. I have to look at him. I can't look at him.

"What are you doing?" he asks. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to associate with the Assembly?"