Inescapable (Talented Saga #7) Read Free Page B

the
vote?”
    Victoria rubbed her temples
wearily. Tempers were running hot, and patience was running short.
The meeting had already taken up more time in Victoria’s day than
she had to spare. Still, she did not think a vote was a good idea
quite yet. Because Alois was wrong. The council’s decision on
whether or not to execute the prisoners did matter. There was a fourteen
percent chance that it would matter a great deal.
    “ What other alternatives,
Michael?” Amberly demanded. “Where, besides Vault, can we place
that many refugees? We are not magicians. We cannot conjure a new
island overnight.” Amberly threw her arms up dramatically. “To me,
it is simple: Innocents versus criminals. There is not room for
both.”
    “ Not all of their crimes
are severe,” Michael pointed out.
    “ And the refugees haven’t
committed any crimes at all,” Amberly countered, smoky gray eyes
flashing dangerously.
    “ What about only executing
the dangerous prisoners, those with talents capable of causing
grave harm?” Charlene asked, directing her question towards
Victoria. “How many additional refugees would we be able to take if
we limit the proposed action to those on Levels Four and
Five?”
    “ Twenty-eight hundred,”
Victoria rattled off the number from memory.
    “ That number is paltry
compared to the five thousand spaces for innocents that would be
freed up by executing all of the prisoners,” Amberly snapped, her
accent thickening with every increment of anger. “Innocents. In the
eyes of the law, and of each of your government’s justice workers,
they have committed no crimes and broken no laws. The nearly five
thousand refugees we’re discussing are decent, hardworking
individuals. They do not deserve to be left to intolerant jackals
like the Poachers, not to mention the hate groups who will be out
in droves for Talented blood. Honestly Charlene, can you sit there
and say that convicted criminals have more of a right to clothing,
food, shelter, and safety? Because, to me, your hesitancy on this
issue says you do place more value on our prisoners’ lives than
those of the refugees.”
    Amberly leaned forward and stared
unflinchingly around the long, oval table, meeting each set of eyes
in turn.
    Crane trained his midnight eyes on
Victoria’s gold ones, his lips pursed in a grim expression.
Victoria knew they were thinking the same thing: Amberly’s
passionate arguments and careful word choice were helping many of
the council members overcome their moral dilemmas.
    The problem was, for the very first time in
her life, Victoria Walburton did not know what the “right” decision
was. She herself was uncertain. Though she’d made countless tough
calls throughout her tenure as head of the UNITED council, Victoria
had never once looked back and regretted those decisions. This
time, Victoria knew she would regret whatever action UNITED took.
Protecting some Talented came at the expense of destroying others.
It was a no-win scenario.
    “ These are dark days for
this organization, for the Talented, for the norms, and for the
world as a whole,” Crane was saying. “The Joint Nations are about
to vote on whether to banish an entire race of people. Now, you,
Councilwoman Azevedo, are asking us, the very people tasked with
protecting that race, to vote on k—”
    Amberly leapt to her feet. “I am asking this
council to vote to save innocent lives!” she roared. The claws
literally came out, sprouting from Amberly’s nail beds with violent
force. She raked them down the table, leaving deep groves in the
wood. The Portuguese councilwoman turned the full force of her
wrath on Ian Crane. Almond-shaped eyes narrowed to slits, glowing
yellow irises peeking out from between heavily shadowed lids.
    “ You are too sentimental,
my dear Ian.” Amberly’s voice was low and throaty. “It all comes
down to one person for you, one criminal . You have no care for any
of the other prisoners on Vault. You care only about