The Leveller - Julia Durango Page 0,64

surprise. A brassy right hook to the jaw takes him down to the floor in a flash, where I pin him with my knees, just like I did to Kora.

“Who are you?” I yell at him. “Why are you doing this?”

Rico opens his mouth to answer. “Inventory! Strength potion! Samurai kanabo!”

Damn.

Before I even know what’s happening, he uses the potion to shake me off like a flea and jumps to his feet. He brandishes the kanabo—a long wooden club fortified with iron spikes around the end—and puts himself between me and the Information Desk.

“Initiate your frequency code,” Rico Suave orders me.

“What? Now you want us to leave?” I say, my mind whirling, trying to make sense of things.

“You. The code. Now.”

“The code doesn’t work. And anyway, I’m not leaving without him,” I say, looking over at Wyn. He’s still lying on the floor, glaring at Rico’s new sidekick, who, though much less attractive than Josephine/Kora, looks a whole lot deadlier. The man-bull looms over Wyn like an overgrown guard dog, his enormous bull head right in Wyn’s face, his flared nostrils steaming.

“It will work now,” Rico says, spinning the kanabo in his hands like a baton, “and you will initiate it.”

If there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s some Rico Suave bossing me around.

“Look, rasshøl, I said I’m not leaving without him and I meant it.” I turn my head again to make sure the minotaur’s not hurting Wyn, but both of them are now faced in our direction, listening to the conversation. Wyn looks just as baffled as I am and almost as mad.

“Do what he says, Nixy,” Wyn calls. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

“No,” I yell behind my shoulder. “We leave together.”

Rico Suave starts to chuckle, but the laugh sounds more bitter than amused. “Only six days together and you’re ready to die for this guy, Nixy? Six days and you turn into a lovestruck stooge? That must have been a really great kiss back there. Or maybe, maybe it was all your time together on the island. . . .”

I open my mouth to reply, but nothing comes out. While one part of my brain puts the puzzle pieces together, another part resists the solution. The MEEP Mail, the kanabo . . . the jealousy?

I can’t deny it any longer. My anger turns to grief. I walk slowly toward Rico Suave, who watches me warily, weapon raised.

“I want to see the real you,” I say quietly in his direction.

Evan Chan-Gonzalez appears before me. My friend. My enemy? I want to cry.

“Why?” I say, my voice breaking. “What are you doing here? And why?”

Chang’s face is stony, emotionless. “I told you to stay home, Nixy. None of this is your concern. Walk away. I’ll give you one last chance.”

“One last chance? This isn’t a game, Chang. Wyn’s been in here for days, his body’s back home stuck with tubes and wires. And Kora . . . what happened to Kora? Is she . . . ?”

The minotaur roars.

Chang’s face darkens. “Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good. And if you want to blame someone, try Diego Salvador. He could have shut down the MEEP at any time, and he didn’t. He chose profit over his own son.”

“That’s not true! He just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Chang shakes his head with mock pity in his eyes. “Diego Salvador lied to you, Nixy. He doesn’t care about you or me or even his own kid. He could have ended this days ago if he’d just met our demands and shut down the MEEP.”

“What demands?”

“The Legionnaires sent him a ransom note a week ago, before Salvador called you in.”

I open my mouth to reply, but I’m not sure how. Chang’s word against Diego Salvador’s? I don’t trust either of them at this point. I glance at Wyn, but he’s staring at Chang, his jaw set.

“Salvador’s nothing but a megalomaniac, intent on controlling the world, one foolish player at a time,” Chang continues. “LEGION tried to force his hand, to show him how dangerous the MEEP could be. We thought once we put his only son in harm’s way, he’d back down, negotiate with us. But even that didn’t stop him. The only thing he cares about is his multibillion dollar investment.”

“Even if you’re right, Chang, and I’m not saying you are . . . you have to stop this!”

“Of course I’m right! You know I am. Look how the MEEP can be used against people—to manipulate them, torture them,