The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

Too much. They knew far too much. And she would have bet her life they knew much more than they'd let on. The thought of anyone knowing where she came from, maybe even involving her family, stopped her brain cold.

She finally opened the door. Bess was there before Loretta finished speaking her name.

"Go back inside, Loretta. I heard."

"They know, Bess. They know everything."

"Sit down, catch your breath. They probably know more than they're admitting, but beyond that you're just guessing." Bess brought two glasses and the nearly empty bottle of whiskey from Joffrey Columns, the bottle Karl brought to her a lifetime ago. "Don't make it worse than it already is."

"Worse?" Loretta said. "They know about Sophie and Rhysto, my links to the shaws and the Convenience, even about the Northlands and Gemma. What can make this worse?"

Loretta swallowed the harsh, clear liquid without taking a breath. Bess refilled the glass.

"We don't know how much they know about any of those things," she said. "They're trying to rattle you, Loretta. That's standard when they don't have much to go on. Don't do their jobs for them."

"Who did this? Who told them about me?"

Loretta forced herself to drink a small sip instead of the entire shot.

"That's not worth guessing about, is it?" Bess said. "You do know several people in both places. I know I didn't meet all of your clients, either, so that's no help. Trying to figure that out is a waste of our time."

"But not a waste of their time!"

Loretta finished her drink as she walked in a circle around the room. Bess was right about one thing. Her heart was pounding harder than before.

"Stop, listen to me," Bess said. "You can always get away for a little while. You did that before, and no one was the wiser."

"Bess, they knew about Gemma. Bloody Rhysto knew when I went north with Bill. What makes you think I can leave now without the whole of Constable Law right behind me?"

The guard took a deep breath, then swallowed her own whiskey.

"They never mentioned Joffrey Columns, did they?" she said. "No one knows about Gemma's house out there, and no one seems to know about Karl. Not even his own mother. I don't like it any more than I did before, but as long as you stay away from that white beast, that's where you go."

Loretta let out a breath she felt like she'd been holding since the alert chime not twenty minutes ago. Joffrey Columns was the only place she could be safe until she figured out what to do next, and she wanted to keep up with Gemma's progress on the larger Dragon anyway.

No matter what Detective Warstan said, she was not about to sit and wait for some kind of net to close around her. Or worse, for her past to catch up to her at last and drag her north into The Pit.

"You're right, Bess, as you so often are. Strange as it sounds, that might be the safest place in Alterra for me right now."

Chapter 56

Karl turned at a hand on his shoulder. He was glad of any excuse that let him look away from the tiny, freshly filled grave. George was standing behind him, nearly unrecognizable in a dark suit with his unruly brown hair tamed down. He stepped forward and shook Arthur Gilmore's hand.

"I'm sorry for your loss, sir," George said. "But I'm glad to see you again."

"George Wood," Karl's father said, nodding. "I don't think I've seen you since you and Karl here were in training together. Are your parents well?"

"Yes sir. They both send their condolences. When everything calms down, they'd love to have the two of you over for dinner. Mind if I borrow Karl for a few minutes?"

"Not at all," Karl's father said. "He needs a break from all of this. He's all that's kept Klia and Rethia from falling apart." The older man pulled Karl into a one-armed hug. "Comes from everything he's learned over the past ten years, taking care of people. I'm damn proud of him."

"Thank you, Father," Karl said. "I'll be right over here."

Karl managed to walk several feet before his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. George stood against the elaborate wrought-iron fence of the small cemetery with his back turned, apparently looking at the stand of oak trees just beyond, but Karl saw his shoulders shaking.

"What was that?" George said, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Damned if I know." Karl was amazed at how good laughter felt, even if he was doing everything he could to keep it quiet. "If you hadn't been standing right there, no one could convince me I didn't hallucinate the whole thing."

"Well, I'll back you up with whoever you need me to. That's the best thing I've heard in years, buddy. You doing okay?"

Karl finally caught his breath and managed a small smile. There were so many things George didn't know, things he wasn't ready to talk to anyone about yet. Maybe never.

"It's been a rough few days. We're getting through. I really do appreciate you coming all the way out here, Georgie. That means a lot to me. Things calm out at the Columns?"

"No matter what else is going on, I hate this for Rethia," George said. "She was nicer to me than my own sisters ever were. Wish I could do more." He shook his head slowly. "This might not be the best time to get into the rest. We can talk later."

"My father's right about me needing a break from thinking about this." Karl hoped he wasn't making a mistake, letting himself in for more stress and nonsense when he had more than he could deal with already. "Talk to me now."

"Things are calm enough, mostly," George said. "The ’sters are a little restless. Some of the patients too, but nothing to worry about. Gemma's the one I'm worried about."

Karl tried to ignore the lurch in his guts, that deep