Page 60 of Dark Rebel's Fortune

"Kyra," Max called, holding the new van door open. "We need to go."

She moved quickly, helping Parisa and the boys into the van before climbing in herself. Max took the driver's seat with Jade beside him, her weapon resting casually across her lap.

"Everyone secure with seatbelts on?" Max asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

Kyra did a quick check. "Yes, sir."

As the vehicles pulled out of the warehouse, Kyra felt a touch of the surreal. She was sitting in the back with Parisa and the oldest boy, who was watching her with eyes that looked a lot like hers and Jasmine's.

"Jade said that you are taking us to America. Is that true?" he asked in carefully pronounced English.

"Yes." Kyra smiled. "You speak English well."

He shrugged. "Mom said we should learn a foreign language, and I chose English because all the good movies are in English."

Parisa smiled faintly, running a hand over her son's short hair. "I never imagined it would be useful quite like this."

"My mom is smart," the boy said with unexpected fierceness. "She knows things."

Kyra caught Parisa's eye over the boy's head, an understanding passing between them. The conversation they'd started in the shop remained unfinished, but Parisa's keen perception was evident.

"What's going to happen to us in America?" Parisa asked quietly. "Will we be refugees?"

"No," Kyra assured her. "You'll be well taken care of. Housing, education for the kids, everything you need."

"We don't have money," Parisa said. "Who will pay for all this?"

Kyra hesitated. "The organization of people with special genetic markers who is helping you right now takes care of its own, and it doesn't lack resources."

"What do they expect in return?" Parisa's voice held no accusation, just pragmatic caution.

"Nothing," Kyra replied honestly. "Your safety is all that matters. You will become members of their community the same way I did."

The skeptical look this earned reminded Kyra so much of herself that she nearly laughed. Parisa, like her, had learned the hard way that nothing in life came without a price.

"I know it's hard to believe," Kyra said, "but I promise you, there are no strings attached. The truth is obviously more complicated than the simple explanation I've just given you, and I promise to explain everything better once we're safely away from here."

Parisa studied her for a long moment, then nodded once. "I'll hold you to that."

After Max left the industrial district, he took a circuitous route to avoid main roads and potential checkpoints. Next to him, Jade remained vigilant, her eyes constantly darting to the rearview mirror.

"How far to the airport?" Kyra asked, leaning forward.

"About forty minutes," Max said. "Rishba reports they're already en route with Yasmin and her children, and Morris, our pilot, says that both planes are fueled and ready for departure."

The knowledge that they were so close to escape should have been comforting if Kyra thought that they were out of harm's way, but she'd learned thatthe final stretch of a mission was often the most dangerous.

The pendant remained cool against her skin, but since it was not always trustworthy, she relied on her training and instincts, remaining alert as the city gradually gave way to more open terrain.

She wanted to ask Jade how she'd dealt with the guards that had been assigned to the boys, but fearing an answer that would upset them, she decided to wait for a private moment.

The boys had fallen into an exhausted silence, the youngest two leaning against their older brother while the eldest, who sat next to Parisa, stared out the windows, trying to look brave despite the fear evident in his tense shoulders.

"When we get to the airport," Kyra told them, "stay close to me. Do exactly as I say, no questions and no talking. Can you do that?"

Four solemn nods answered her. These children had grown up in an authoritarian regime, and they understood the importance of following orders or suffering the consequences.

"Good," she said, offering a reassuring smile. "We will be on our way to see your cousins before you know it."

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