Indira. Her letters to him.
Olivia. Pounding on his door. Demanding to see him.
Her words. And the plan her employer had set into motion.
His heart thrummed in his chest, beating faster by the second. That was it. That was why Alex had cast him out before his shift was supposed to end. He had to-
What?
Still swathed in blankets, Daniel reeled, his fists clenched around the fabric. What the hell was he supposed to do? Leon was in trouble. Because of him. It was his fault—and not just Leon, either. James and Maya would get sucked into the middle of it right along with their friend. All because he’d made such an utter mess of things.
He shook his head furiously, pressing a hand to his face. No. He refused to let this swamp him. He’d handle it. Think, Daniel. How? How will you-
The phone. He lunged out of the bed, tripping headlong over himself as the sheets caught at his legs. At the last, he caught himself, digging in the bedstand for the burner phone he knew was there.
And then he stared at it, clutched in shaking fingers.
He could still remember that day—the night when he’d passed Leon a slip of paper with his phone number scrawled on it.
Take it, he’d said. He’d held his arm out, unflinching, until Leon finally took it. And he’d smiled. Just in case.
Leon had grabbed for a scrap of paper, then, scribbling down his own number. And he’d thrust it right back at Owl.
He’d tried to argue. He’d tried to say that he didn’t need the protection. He was Owl, after all. Librarian of Alexandria. Master of the fucking fount of human knowledge. What danger could he possibly find himself in that Leon could save him from?
He’d been an idiot.
His fingers flew across the phone’s keyboard, calling up the contact list—and the short selection of names waiting there. For a moment, he hesitated, his thumb hovering over the button.
A phone call. In the outside world. With Leon.
Even a single day ago, he’d have thought something like this was...an impossibility. Something that would never in a thousand years come to pass.
But here they were. Before he could lose his will, he jabbed the button, closing his eyes and lifting the phone to his ear.
It rang. The seconds ticked past.
It rang again.
And again.
“Hey!” a familiar voice said, painfully cheerful.
Daniel flinched. “H-Hey. Uh. It’s-”
“You reached Leon’s phone. Guess you missed me. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”
An earsplitting beep screamed out over the line. Daniel dropped the phone to his side with a muttered curse, closing the line before it could capture a message.
Now what? Damn it, there was no telling how long they had until shit went south, and he needed someone to know. Down the list he went. James’ name appeared under his cursor next.
Again, he raised the phone, pressing it against his ear. The ringing began anew.
James and Maya had succumbed to Leon’s peer pressure. Maya more easily than James. She’d smiled at him as she handed over her number. James had just stared, scowling. It was James. No one had been surprised, and Owl knew better than to think the man was actually unhappy. It was more that he couldn’t live with himself if people thought he was having fun.
The line clicked. Daniel stood a little straighter. “James. I-“
“James. I’m not here.” An earsplitting beep followed the words.
Daniel killed the line with a muted snarl, jabbing at the keyboard. The cheap phone shuddered with every blow, ready to come apart at the unkind treatment.
Another name. Another push of the Call button. Another series of tinny rings in his ear.
“Maya here. I’m not around. Leave your-”
Daniel dropped his hand away, violently squeezing the phone. His better senses kicked in before he could destroy the device. That cheap hunk of plastic was his only means of reaching any of them, now that he was back in the outside world. And he didn’t have time to go for another round in Alexandria.
If he couldn’t reach them, if he couldn’t warn them that Indira was coming, then he’d just have to go after them himself.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he froze. He’d go after them? Really? Doing so would mean exposing himself. There would be no going back. Once they saw his face, the perfect secrecy of the Librarian would have taken on its first wound.
Could he really do that? Alexandria was old. Ancient. He had no idea how long she’d been around, but the only thing that’d kept her safe up until now was having Librarians who guarded her. Who looked after her, hiding her secret from the world. He’d be undoing all of it. Throwing it away.
He could leave, he realized. Pick up and run. Even if they were able to glean his location from the calls he’d made to Leon and the rest, he could vanish. He’d made preparations, just in case. He’d simply vanish into the night, leaving nothing behind to show that Owl the Librarian had lived here.
And Leon would be left to face the Booklenders, together with his friends. His skin prickled, quivering with a shiver that ran up and down his back. If she was going this far, targeting him outside of the Library, then there was no reason to think she’d balk at hurting someone to get what she wanted.
He’d do it. The knowledge sank into his gut, heavy and somber and sour enough to fill his throat with acid. He’d do whatever it took to save his friends, no matter what trouble it caused. They’d been there for him. Night after night, year after year.
He wouldn’t abandon them now.
In an instant, his mind was made up. He threw himself toward the bathroom, pulling a tee off the floor and over his head, tripping over himself in his hurry to don a pair of jeans. He paused for a single moment, just
