Broken People (Serial)

Fifty-Two

The bag closed with a snap. Dale's hands lingered on top of it as he took in his surroundings. The halogen lamp in a corner left the rest of the attic in near darkness—as dark as his life. There was no light at the end of the tunnel anymore. Not here. He should have fled. Instead of wasting time packing his things, he should have taken the first ride out of town before anyone came after him. He'd made a lot of people unhappy tonight.

First, there was the mayor for breaking into his precious vault and trying to steal the power source. Then Aurore for torturing her and failing to get her what she wanted, even if what she wanted wasn't there. He bet Renard wasn't happy, either, as his relationship with the townspeople had been severely damaged. Was he even paid for his work? Dale didn't know. He'd let Aurore handle the money part. He owed a great debt to her. And then there was Cole. The forger had been paid in advance, but losing the use of his limbs and ending up connected to a machine hadn't been part of the deal.

So, what next? Could anything still be salvaged from this fiasco? Dale doubted it. It had been a desperate attempt from the start, and he'd reached a dead end. He couldn't take the power source by himself. He'd probably need an army now. And the European United Nation Council fooled itself into thinking the situation wasn't desperate enough and refused to give the order. His hands were tied.

Dale stepped over to the window and looked into the deserted street below. No shadows, no lights in the windows, nothing. Everyone slept at that late hour. Only one light remained on at the end of the street, in Aurore's office. He didn't reach for the binoculars to take a closer look. He imagined her crying and throwing things around, and that was one sight he'd rather not see. Because, even if indirectly, he was responsible for her pain. And underneath the prosthetics and the cool façade, the Golden Lady was human, too. He'd seen it; he'd even felt it. But that fleeting moment had gone, and she hadn't thrown him one glance when the guards escorted him out of the Hrad. He should be glad she hadn't sent her goons after him. Well, there was still time for that ...

Someone knocked on the door, and Dale stepped away from the window with a grim face. That was fast. When Rosie knocked, it sounded like a light scratch. It wasn't her, so which one of them was out there?

He unlocked the door with one hand while with the other reached for the gun behind his back.

Jacko stood in the corridor. Alone. "Big Dino wants to see you," the clown said, blinking his kohl-rimmed eyes in the dim light. "Can you hurry? I don't want anyone to steal my bike."