“Damn,” Maisie said, leaning back in her seat with a sigh. “You do all the driving from now on.”

  “Agreed.”

  “How fast does this thing go?” She leaned over to see the speedometer.

  “Seems to top out at about a hundred and twenty.”

  “What!”

  “Why? How fast do you guys’ cars go down south?”

  “Fifty, maybe? And no one actually drives them that fast.”

  “Clearly different priorities up here.”

  “Clearly,” she murmured. She reached down to dig through the backpack, then seemed to remember something, and straightened. “Are you okay? Did that Taser hurt you?”

  He glanced down at his arm. “Not really. Stung a little.”

  “Huh.”

  “Maybe it was broken? He looked surprised it didn’t affect me more.”

  “Maybe.” She resumed digging in the backpack, pulling out the map. She opened it and studied it for a moment.

  “Am I going the right way?”

  “Yes. We’re headed toward Val’s Territory, though we still have a few more miles.”

  “How far can we drive until we need to go on foot?”

  “I mean…we could go almost the whole way there, but…” She winced.

  “What?”

  “What do you think the odds are that they don’t have GPS tracking on this thing?”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We probably shouldn’t risk it, right?” He slowed.

  “Let’s…” She twisted around to look behind them. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Nothing but empty road. “Why don’t you really step on it? Let’s put a few miles between us and that city before we go on foot.”

  He smiled at her. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  * * *

  —

  The car suddenly died five minutes later. The engine turned off, and it slowly rolled to a stop. It refused to start again when Lennon tried. Maisie grabbed the backpack and climbed out.

  “They may have remote access to it,” she said, glancing up at the sky. He followed her gaze, searching for drones. It was too dark to see anything.

  “Or it could have just been out of power?” he said hopefully.

  “Could have been.” She pointed into the darkness. “Let’s not stick too close to the road. If they were tracking it, we don’t want to make it easy for them to find us.”

  They traipsed into the grass. The lights of another neighborhood were visible up ahead. They also had an intense streetlight situation going on, from the looks of it.

  “At least we covered a lot of ground.” She bumped her shoulder against his with a smile. He bumped hers back.

  Their eyes met briefly. He was doing a horrible job ignoring that little voice telling him to keep his distance.

  And he was going to keep ignoring it, if she kept looking at him like that.

  “I should probably check in with Hadley,” she said. “Been a while.” She pulled the backpack around to her front, grabbing the radio inside. She turned up the volume. “Hadley?”

  “Oh my god! Finally! I’ve been pinging you for, like, twenty minutes. I was imagining the worst, FYI.”

  “Sorry. We were in a car chase.”

  “A car chase? What?!”

  “Turns out Lennon’s a very good driver.”

  “I know, I’ve been watching the news here.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, Elise tried to stop me, but I know how to access it myself now, soooo…”

  “Is something up?”

  “Yeah. I have bad news.”

  Maisie sighed. “Tell me.”

  “Declan figured out that you took Lennon and went up north. And he did not love that, let me tell you.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Well, first he yelled a lot, like a big baby.”

  Lennon almost laughed. He cleared his throat.

  “Then some shit went down here, and now basically the Declan faction and Lopez faction are at war. But, like, a tense war. No-one-is-talking-to-each-other kind of war. And I can’t really tell who is on which side now. I think some people are siding with Declan just to avoid getting killed.”

  Maisie muttered something he couldn’t understand.

  “And I think Declan knew that you wouldn’t go up there just to drop Lennon off, since you’ve been asking about that shipment. So, he left. For the north, I mean. He’s coming for you. And the shipment. He took some guys with him and they have a stupid plan to take on the Spencers.”

  Lennon looked at Maisie worriedly, but she actually appeared amused.

  “I wish him luck with that. We’ve encountered some serious shit here, and I don’t know how he’d even find us.”

  “Solid point, solid point. But Declan has also decided he wants Lennon, by the way, since—oh! I forgot the most important part. Lennon is there, right?”

  “Yeah, I’m here,” he said.

  “Dude, your dad won the election!”

  Lennon stopped. He blinked.

  He had somehow completely forgotten that the election was tonight.

  And his dad won?

  “He…what?”

  “Yeah, he totally won. Hold on. Let me turn this up and you can hear for yourself.”

  It was quiet for a moment, and then he heard a familiar male voice. A news anchor.

  “A historic night for the United States tonight, as Senator Camden Pierce defeats President Howard, ending the over-twenty-year reign of the Howard family. Senator Pierce looks to be winning by a landslide, and voters seemed to have turned against the president since news broke today that his campaign was responsible for dropping Lennon Pierce into the quarantine zone.”

  “Holy shit,” Lennon breathed.

  “So, congrats and all,” Hadley said, the anchor’s voice fading. “But now Declan’s decided he’d like to keep the son of the next president.”

  “And do what with him?” Maisie asked.

  “I dunno. Smugly show him off once in a while? Threaten to murder him occasionally if they don’t keep sending supplies?”

  “That…doesn’t sound great,” Lennon said.

  “They’re not going to blow us up if the president’s son is in here. Declan probably knows about that.”

  Lennon glanced swiftly at Maisie. Hadley might be right. He worried suddenly that she might also decide it was best to keep him here.

  “Calm down,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “What?”

  “What?” Hadley echoed.

  “I’m not going to make you stay here just because they might be less likely to blow us up,” Maisie said.

  His cheeks heated. “I, uh…”

  “I said I’d take you to the northern gate, and I will.”

  He swallowed, embarrassed that she could read him so easily. He was usually really good at hiding his emotions and pretending everything was fine. It was unnerving, to have her so easily size him up.

  “Anyway, mostly I think Declan’s just pissed that Maisie didn’t follow his orders,” Hadley said. “So, he’s going up there to take charge or whatever.”

  “Okay,” Maisie said with a sigh. “Thanks, Hadley. We’ll keep an eye out.”

  “Anytime. And answer your radio faster next time! I thought you were dead!”

  Maisie’s lips twitched. “I’ll try.”

  She slipped the radio into the backpack, then smiled at Lennon. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” he said, still a bit shell-shocked.

  “So, you’re now…what do they call it? First son?”

  “Yeah, uh, I guess so.”

  “First son and first person to leave the Q. You’ll be famous.” She tilted her head. “I guess you already are famous. More famous?”

  His stomach lurched. More famous did not sound like a good time. He already hated the media attention, the way the tabloids twisted stories about him to sound as salacious as possible.

  She was giving him a curious look, and he forced a smile.

  “That’s me. First and famous.”

  MAISIE

  THE SECOND NEIGHBORHOOD they entered was similar to the first. It was mostly new structures, which fit with what Maisie knew about the north. The aerial maps showed that the north had destroyed a lot more of the pre-zone buildings than the south had. It seemed like a dumb use of resources to Maisie. She’d sat in meetings with her dad while the Lopezes discussed construction, and everyone had always been in favor of using existing structures wherever possible.

  There were more people on the streets in this town, though. A lot of the shops were still open, and people walked casually down them, some of them swinging bags. That seemed like a good sign.

  She felt a hand slip into hers—her good hand—and she jumped, almost pulling it away. Lennon tugged her a little closer, nodding at something ahead.

  It was another man dressed in all black. They must have been some kind of police force for the area.

  “Let’s go this way,” she said, ducking into an alleyway.

  He glanced over his shoulder as they walked. The man continued down the street, swinging his Taser, and then disappeared from view.

  She released his hand, encountering a tiny bit of resistance when she did, like he’d intended to keep it. His skin had been warm against hers, and she almost wished she’d waited to see if he’d pull away first.

  She stuffed her good hand into her pocket, rolling her eyes at herself. Her last boyfriend was Declan, and clearly that had been the wrong choice. Now she was imagining holding hands with Fancy-pants from the other side of the wall. She was nothing if not consistent in her bad dating choices.

  She looked over her shoulder again. The officer was at the end of the street, watching them.

  “Shit,” she murmured. Lennon followed her gaze. They both picked up the pace.

  “Do we stand out somehow?” he asked. “Why do they keep finding us?”

  They turned a corner, and she took a quick glance around. The clothes were varied, so that wasn’t it.

  Her gaze caught on something glinting in the bright streetlights. It was a large silver pendant on a chain around the neck of a woman rushing past. And on the guy next to her. And everywhere else Maisie looked.

  “It’s the necklace,” she said. Maybe that was the “permit” the last cop had been talking about. Some kind of ID chip embedded in the piece of jewelry.

  Lennon made an annoyed noise. “Crap, we should—”

  “Stop!” a voice yelled from behind them.

  “—run,” Lennon finished.

  She took off, Lennon beside her. They needed a car. Or, at the very least, they needed to lose this officer.

  They turned another corner.

  She cursed.

  There was nothing but open space in front of them. A park, with a dirt walking path, and a few small trees. They needed a crowded street. To get lost in a rush of people.

  Maisie pulled her gun out of her waistband. She didn’t want to use it—the sound would only attract attention—but she didn’t have a choice.

  She dared a glance over her shoulder. The officer pumped his arms, feet flying over the pavement, his brow lowered in fury. He was gaining on them.

  He stopped. He lifted his arm, pointing his Taser at her. His lip curled.

  She stopped, and aimed her gun.

  She wasn’t fast enough.

  The shock rocketed through Maisie’s body like a bolt of lightning. She gasped, and swayed.

  The world went black.

  LENNON

  LENNON DOVE FORWARD to catch Maisie. She landed heavily in his arms, and he grunted as he struggled to keep his balance.

  The officer aimed his Taser at Lennon. He winced, bracing for impact.

  The jolt hit him. He jerked as the current of electricity passed through him. It was uncomfortable, but it subsided quickly.

  The officer frowned, and slowly lowered his Taser. He stared at Lennon.

  He reached for the other gun in his pocket.

  Shit. That was a real gun, with real bullets.

  Lennon dropped Maisie as gently and quickly as he could. He grabbed her gun from the ground. The safety was already off.

  He winced and aimed low, for the legs. The first bullet ricocheted off the ground. The officer took quick steps forward, aiming his gun at Lennon’s head. He was approaching fast. Too fast.

  Lennon fired again. And again. The officer yelled and hit the ground only a few feet from him, clutching his leg. His gun skittered across the pavement.

  Lennon grabbed it, and then used his own gun to whack the officer across the head. He collapsed with a grunt.

  “Sorry!” Lennon yelled, reaching down to scoop up Maisie. He shoved both guns in his waistband, barely remembering to put the safety on before he did. Maisie would never let him live it down if he shot himself.

  He caught a glimpse of something shiny around the officer’s neck, and he knelt down, pulling it over the man’s head. He put it around his own neck. There was a chance that they could use it to track him, but it was a risk he was going to have to take. Clearly, he couldn’t move through the city without one.

  He took off as fast as he could with Maisie in his arms, glancing at the officer behind him. Still motionless. He went back the way they’d come, away from the park with all its dangerous open spaces.

  “Maisie,” he said breathlessly. Her eyes popped open.

  He turned a corner and skidded to a stop. “Oh, thank god. Can you wal—”

  Her body convulsed, her mouth opening in a silent scream. She went limp again.

  “That’s a no.” He held her tighter and ran, ducking in between buildings until he found a tall patch of bushes on a quiet street. It wouldn’t hide them for long, but he just needed a minute to figure out what to do.

  He gently lowered her to the ground and pulled off the backpack. He fished out the radio and pressed the talk button.

  “Hadley.” He waited. Nothing. “Hadley. It’s an emergency.”

  “I’m here.” Hadley’s breathless voice came through too loud, and he quickly turned the volume down and glanced around. They were still alone.

  “Maisie’s hurt,” he said.

  “What? Hurt how?”

  “I don’t know. The cops here have some kind of Taser. They hit us with it. I’m fine, but Maisie is unconscious.”

  “Unconscious?” Hadley screeched.

  “And she was convulsing. I don’t—” He cut himself off and took a deep breath. “I need to know what those Tasers are and what it did to her. Can your contact tell us where to go? Is there a hospital or something? Can I even take her there? They keep asking for our permits and I—” He stopped abruptly again and took in a breath. Calm. He couldn’t afford to panic.

  “Hold on, I’m trying to contact him now. Are you in East Spencer?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s not great, but we’re going to have to work with it. Give me a minute, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  The line went silent, and he looked down at Maisie. She convulsed, and moaned. He put a hand on her arm. She immediately shook it off.

  “Okay.” Hadley’s voice came through the radio a few minutes later. “It’s not the best news, but, um…”

  His heart seized in his chest. He barely knew Hadley, but he could hear the fear in her voice.

  “Those Tasers are some real dickhead technology that sends a tiny device into your body to attack artificial matter.”

  “Artificial—”

  “Like, most of her organs.”

  “Oh.” That was bad.

  Don’t panic.

  “And it sends out electric currents that—never mind, never mind. Queso gave me an address. It’s not a hospital, but they can help. If you get her there quick, they might be able to…they might be able to do something. But it works fast. Really fast.”

  He swallowed. “I’ll go as fast as I can.”

  “Okay. You have your map? Queso walked me through how you can get there.”

  * * *

  —

  Lennon ran as fast as he could with Maisie in his arms, following the route Hadley laid out for them. The location wasn’t far, but he had to stop twice and prop Maisie up until a cop passed by, angling her toward him so they couldn’t see she was missing a necklace. One of them gave Lennon a knowing smile after his gaze skipped from the necklace to Maisie slumped against him, and he’d had to resist the urge to smash his gun against this guy’s head too.

  The address was in a residential neighborhood, blessedly free of cops. The homes were all identical little brown boxes, and he was sweating and panting as he ran up the driveway of the last one on the street.

  The door opened before he could knock. Lennon took a small step back, holding tighter to Maisie.

  The woman in front of him was tall, nearly as tall as him, and probably twenty years older. She peered at him over her glasses.

  “The kidnapped one,” she said.

  “That’s me. She needs—”

  “I know, I know,” she said, cutting him off. “Come in.”

  He stepped inside the house. It was tiny, and so full of books that it was like they’d taken on a life of their own. Books in every corner, on every surface, stacked so high they blocked out most of the light from the street.

  “I took this necklace from a cop,” he said in a rush. “It doesn’t have a tracker, does it?”

  “You mean from one of the patrols?” She glanced back at him with an impressed look. “No, it doesn’t have a tracker.”

  She led him through the living room, and he held Maisie closer, carefully weaving around the towers of books.

  They went down a narrow staircase and into a basement. Medical equipment had been set up in the corner of the room—some machines Lennon couldn’t place—and a tray full of instruments. Two large cabinets were against the wall, shelves labeled with various supplies. There were three cots against the wall, all empty.