Chapter 17 · No-Heart District

The safe house Juno picked was three blocks into No-Heart District, which meant nobody asked questions and nobody called cops. Mara helped Claire up the last flight of stairs while Juno kicked open a door that probably hadn't been locked in the first place. The apartment smelled like mold and someone else's cigarettes.

"Home sweet shit-hole," Juno said. She dropped her med kit on a table that wobbled. "Claire gets the couch. You get the floor. I get to explain to my contact why I just burned a favor on a place with working plumbing."

Mara eased Claire onto the couch. The older woman's breathing was steadier now, but her skin still had that gray look people got when their body was deciding whether to give up. "We need to go back for him."

"No." Juno was already unpacking supplies, her hands moving fast. "Kade made his call. We make ours."

"He walked into a trap."

"He walked into a *delay*." Juno didn't look up. "He buys time. We use it. That's the deal."

Mara wanted to throw something. She settled for pacing.