say, you are too Corrupted to be trusted further. Has the Ravishing finally reached your heart? Perhaps your mind?”
“I ain’t Corrupted,” Ben said. “Purity still signs my paychecks.”
“Then explain the Cleanser lying dead with his brains rotted out of his skull and his blood turned to bile.”
“That’s—”
“Yes?”
Ben curdled phlegm in the back of his throat and then hocked a wad. “I’m done talkin’ to you, Destin. You got things all nice and twisted-like.” He shifted beside Dani, and she caught a whiff of bleach through the bag. “Francis, use your noggin. Do the right thing.”
“He will do what is necessary,” the Chairman said. “You, on the other hand, will be dealt with as the Board sees fit. I’ll argue for a merciful sentence.” Ben started to protest, but Destin spoke over him. “I wanted to trust you in this, but the time has come to remove you from service. Ascendant Francis, prepare your team.”
“As you say, Chairman.”
Ben asked, “Whatcha gonna do with Dani?”
“Her fate is no longer your concern,” Destin said. “Her place among us will have to be reevaluated, given the circumstances. I can only hope she is salvageable.”
“Destin …”
“Hm?”
“You are one maggoty, mud-rakin’, pus-drinkin’, son of a motherless billy goat!” Ben grunted in satisfaction. “There you go, Francis. Have fun convincin’ the Board to add any of those to the list.”
Footsteps echoed as the Chairman moved away. “Take them back to Headquarters. Use all precautions. Should they resist in any manner, apply lethal force.”
***
Chapter Twenty-five
Already blinded, Dani lost any sense of sound as soon as Destin condemned them to whatever constituted a prison in the Cleaners’ facilities. Only touch remained.
Rough hands forced her to walk and kept her up when she stumbled. The floor turned from broken stone to smooth marble. A single act of decency came when they lifted her legs one at a time and untied her arms to maneuver her into a full-body jumpsuit that zipped up the back. She never thought she’d feel relieved at being stuffed into one of the Cleaner uniforms again, even though they didn’t provide gloves this time. She tried to peek out from under the bag without success.
The suit better not have turned pink on her.
Her arms were resecured, and they shoved her along again. After another few minutes of walking, there came a brief pause, followed by several measured steps forward. A chilly, liquid sensation passed over her. Where it touched the exposed part of her neck, it left it feeling numb for a moment. She recognized it as the same sensation from when Ben took her through the window portal on the way to see Destin. So they’d been transported back to HQ through one of their glassways.
They strode onward, the floor now cold tile, the air dry in contrast to her increasingly damp skin. What was it with her sweat glands lately? She didn’t need them to let her know she was nervous.
Anxiety rose with each step until she felt she might drown in it, give way to the panic and make a fruitless attempt to escape. This would accomplish nothing but exhaust her further and perhaps give them reason to switch her over to a straitjacket. Still, the dread kept notching up, heightened by the almost complete sensory deprivation. She tried to reel her thoughts in, to give herself an anchoring focus.
She just had to think like a janitor, right? What would a janitor do in this situation? First of all, a janitor wouldn’t have stuck her head inside a garbage bag. Health hazard, that. So that was one step backward …
A spot of wetness worked up her back, beneath the suit, tickling like an ant as it went. Or a spider. This thought sent her thrashing. She almost popped her shoulder out of its socket trying to grab at her back.
Her escorts shook her in warning, but kept moving her along. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to bear its presence. Whatever it was, she had no way to stop it.
The tiny intruder paused where the trash bag circled her neck. Then it bumped beneath it, continued up her neck and plopped inside her ear before Dani could squeal. She started to jerk her shoulder against the side of her head to dislodge the lump, but a voice buzzed in her head.
“Chill, princess.”
Startled recognition made her stop walking, but the Cleaners dragged her on. She scrambled to get her feet back under her as she whispered in reply.
“Ben?” Her voice sounded flat within the