Free Torched by April Henry Page B

you say that I did a good job?” I protested. “That fire caused a million dollars’ worth of damage.”
    “Gluing locks was something anyone could do. Torching that car dealership was your first real test. They know you’re willing to go all the way. They’ll trust you more now. You helped them create something that got them headlines across the nation.”
    I snorted in frustration. “Helped them create something? Because of what I did—something you wanted me to do—this guy got his car lot burned down. All I did was help them destroy a million dollars’ worth of cars.”
    “He has insurance,” Ponytail said dismissively. “I hear he might even be claiming a few things burned up that didn’t. And the day after the fire, he even sold two Hummers from the far end of the lot.” He gave me a mirthless grin. “You should tell those MEDic people that they got it bass-ackwards. That fire put tons of pollution into the air, and putting it out meant a bunch of dirty water went straight into the river and then the ocean.”
    His words just made my head hurt even more.
    Richter touched my arm. “Look, if you hadn’t lit the match, someone else would have. Remember, our priority is to stop them before they kill someone. And by getting even deeper inside, now you’ll be able to help us do that.”
    “But why do you need me? I’ve been doing some reading about MED. It’s just a bunch of independent groups—you’ll only ever know about what’s happening in this one.”
    “Cedar’s group is willing to go a lot farther than most,” Richter said matter-of-factly. “More than just pickets and protests. They’re willing to destroy to make their point. It’s only a matter of time until they turn to violence. Have you heard them talk about anything like that at all—even if it’s just a hint?”
    I shook my head. “I can tell there are still things they don’t talk about in front of me. But hurting somebody, it really doesn’t seem like something they would do.”
    “Did you know that a cleaning woman was scheduled to be in the car dealership office the next night?” Ponytail asked. “What if she had gotten caught in the fire?”
    The hair on my arms rose. “But Coyote and I staked it out.”
    “Staked it out?” Ponytail echoed sarcastically. “Dropping by for a couple of hours for a night or two doesn’t count as professional surveillance.”
    I shivered. Had they followed us?
    “If you can tell me everything that happened, why do you even need me, anyway?” I said, taking a step toward the door.
    Richter grabbed my wrist. “We do need you. We can’t always follow them, not without their knowing it. We need to be able to stop them before somebody gets killed. Not come in when it’s too late and mop up the blood.”
    I shook myself free, but I stayed put. There was something in his voice, desperation, fear. A raw honesty I hadn’t expected.
    Ponytail leaned down and picked up a black case off the floor. He opened it up to reveal a device about as big as a full-sized iPod, with wires leading off it instead of headphones. “That’s why we need you to wear this.” He slid it into a black case that had a wide strip of elastic that looked like it was meant to go around my waist.
    I took a step back. “It’s almost summer. It’s not like I’m going to be wearing heavy sweaters. If one of them finds that thing on me, there’s no way I’ll be able to talk myself out of it.”
    Ponytail slapped his hand down on a box, making me jump. He turned to Richter. “Well, that’s just great. If she’s not going to wear a wire, how are we going to be able to tape-record anything?”
    “She’s a girl,” Richter said calmly. “She’s got a purse. We can use that.”
    “A purse?” I said. “No one in MED carries a purse.”
    “We can put it in a backpack, then,” Richter said. “Something.”
    Ponytail made a face. “Not nearly as good, you know that. We need something on her