Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Bristol
Jaxson curses as he runs a hand through his dark, cropped hair. His cheeks are red, eyes fuming, and he glances at me. Like somehow, I’m to blame.
He’s got the news on, and the breaking story changes from Harper’s abduction to an EMP in Nevada that has darkened a great deal of Las Vegas.
The city and Las Vegas Strip remain untouched, but the outskirts of Las Vegas are dark.
“We need to get them out, ASAP. I can’t let this come back on us.” Jaxson stands from his desk, his chair squeaking against the floor as he hurries out of his office.
I chase after him. “Where are you going?”
Until Liam returns home, he’s in danger.
He hasn’t reached out, and with the EMP, he likely won’t, unless his phone was enclosed in a faraday cage.
So far, there’s been no communication from any of them since the blast.
I wring my hands together, anxiety creeping up on me, and I sway, my hand clasping the doorjamb, hoping to go unnoticed. Nausea packs one hell of a punch, and I exhale, doing everything in my power to slow my racing heart.
But it’s not like I have any control over it.
The medicine works, on most days, but this type of fear, the crippling variety, doesn’t exactly help matters.
Stress makes everything worse.
Jaxson stalks into Mason’s office, slamming the door shut behind himself.
It’s clear I’m not invited to their little debrief of current events. I gnaw at my bottom lip, waiting seconds feels like minutes. I hurry back into Jaxson’s office, hoping there will be an update on the news, something worthwhile.
Through the glass window of his office, the shades are drawn, and I catch sight of Jaxson storming back toward me.
“Any news?”
“Mason is getting a chopper out to them.”
Slowly, I nod, falling back into the chair I sat in earlier. Rubbing my hands on my pants, I’m sweating profusely and fan myself. The room is stifling, but I know without a doubt it’s me. My internal thermostat is broken.
Fear grips my heart, clutching it, squeezing, and I gasp for breath.
Jaxson glances at me and then turns up the volume on the television as we watch the news report. “I want you to scour the message boards, social media, let me know what people saw—what they’re saying.”
It’s a distraction, not a great one, but it will keep me busy. I retrieve my phone and start scrolling. Immediately, the news threads are filled with conspiracies and wild theories.
There aren’t any physical accounts of events.
At least not yet. Anyone in the EMP blast zone, their electronics were fried.
“Most of the discussion is that people think the government is behind the EMP.”
“Wouldn’t be the worst place to put the blame. It is their technology,” Jaxson mutters. “There’s an air force base not far from where the EMP went off. We might be able to push that narrative.”
“You want us to lie?” I stare at him, surprised. I’ve always thought of Jaxson as the golden retriever type. Loyal. Honest. A golden boy.
“It’s better than the government coming here asking questions, or worse, showing up on the Ricci’s doorstep, asking how they got their hands on the EMP technology. Because Dante wouldn’t so much as blink before turning us over to save himself.”
“How noble of him,” I mutter.
“I never said he was noble.”
Jaxson’s phone rings, and he answers it, momentarily ignoring me. “Yes, we need an extraction.” He pauses. “At least seven.”
I purse my lips, eyes widening, listening in to Jaxson’s conversation as I stare at my phone.
“I’ll send you the coordinates now. But you need to get there before anyone notices there’s an explosion and they send in the cavalry.”