She gave him an incredulous look. "I'm not telling you that."
He just held up a hand. "Do you have some form of organization? A way to reach each other and deal with a threat?"
"Disappear. Lie low. Die and wait to be called back. I mean, we have groups that know each other, and there are some who seek out new transitions, but that's..." Her mouth clamped shut.
He chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Can you get in touch with them?"
This time, she didn't try to explain. "Yes."
"Ok."
Pushing the chair back, he crossed the room, grabbing his shirt from the floor. Once that was on, he found his keys and wallet. What he really needed was a cup of coffee, but that could wait. Right now, he was a man on a mission. That sign from God he'd demanded came in the form of blue eyes filled with honesty. Screw the Church. This was what felt right, and Thane was going to do something about it.
He dropped the keys in front of her. "Truck's in the lot. Black diesel, so should do ok cross country. Here's three-sixty in cash. About a grand open on each of these cards." He tossed two beside the keys. "Drop the H from your name and find a new last name."
"What's yours?" She reached for the card.
"Keegan."
She nodded. "Dalia Keegan. I can do that."
His hand paused, another card between his fingers. "Dahlia..."
She slipped the cards into her pocket. "Valka. I won't kill you if you say it."
His heart stuttered to a halt. His fingers tingled. He knew what he was doing, and he'd thought about it so many times now. If he'd done this earlier, then Mei might still be alive. If this would save Dahlia, then it would be worth it.
But he hadn't expected her to let him use that name. Her real name. The one that could force her to come back at any time he wanted. That meant something big, and he knew it. He also knew just how hard she'd cried for her lost lover last night.
Which meant she needed more than simply dropping the H from her name. She needed to become a whole new woman. As her name spun through his mind, he tried to think of a more modern version.
"Valerie Keegan," he decided. "Val for short." He didn't know why it mattered, but if she was using his last name, then he wanted her first to be closer to the real thing. "And my debit card. The PIN is 1478. I'll keep at least five hundred in there for as long as I can. You need to go to Des Moines, Iowa."
"Why?" The debit card went with the others.
Thane dragged his hand over his mouth, all too aware that his fingers were trembling. "Every state has some form of the Church in it. Most live alongside the Catholic or Lutheran congregations, but as they grow, they branch out. A few states have more than one branch, but we're almost everywhere now - except Iowa, Hawaii, and Alaska. We lost Iowa a few decades ago and still don't have the people to start another, yet."
She picked up the keys, slipping her finger through the ring that bound them. "And what are you doing?"
"I've been told to attend confession tonight. While I'm there, I'll talk to my brother and see what details I can get. Babe, I'm on the inside. Laird's even deeper, but I'm not sure he'll be on board with this. Look, with the things I can learn, your people can tear this whole thing down."
"That's what Mei wanted," she said softly. "It was her big dream. She kept trying to convince me that you'd help, if we just gave you the chance, but I didn't want to take the risk. I was so scared that something would happen to her, and…"
"I know," he breathed, moving closer to wrap his arms around her. "I thought about giving you the money to get out, but I hoped that if you stayed, I could talk to you again. I was selfish, and she paid the price. Never again, Dahlia."
She sniffed and turned her eyes to the keys. "And you? If I'm in Iowa, then how do you fit in?"
"Pick up a burner phone and send me some spammy text." He stepped back to give her space. "Since I was little, I knew this wasn't right. I knew something was missing. When they killed my mom, I swore I wouldn't follow blindly. When they staked my brother because he couldn't finish his indoctrination, I knew I was trapped. Think of this as my own form of revenge."
"And Mei's." She nodded, accepting that, then swallowed. Her eyes searched his face for a long time before she asked, "Will you come too?"
He had to swallow before he could answer. "The tattoo doesn't come off."
"I know. That wasn't what I asked."
This moment was the point of no return. He knew that if he promised her something, he couldn't live with himself if he broke it. He'd just paid enough to ease his conscience. Hell, he was supporting her, and would for as long as she needed.
And she'd just taken his last name.