Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lance
Racing through the streets, it’s like Karma hates me. I hit every red light between the school and the office. Everyone is in the field because I’m out of rotation, and everything got screwed up. It’s my fault there’s no staffing right now.
For the past two weeks, I’ve lived in various states of panic. This might be the worst of it. My heart thunders in my ribcage, echoing through my body and pounding in my ears.
A Prius cuts me off and drives five miles an hour below the speed limit. God, Prius owners are the fucking worst. Once there’s an opening, I speed past it. Only two blocks away. No flashing lights, no sirens. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe Alana lost track of time.
That’s literally the stupidest thing I’ve ever thought. Even the logical part of my brain refuses to believe it. The hopeful part knows it’s a lie, and the jeebies laugh at me.
Rounding the corner, I see Macie in the parking lot. She’s clutching something black, bouncing on her toes and turning her head between the office and the building across the street.
Leaving the car running, I jump out and skid on the pebbles and uneven ground.
“Lance!”
“What’s wrong?”
Her bottom lip quivers as she blinks. “Alana’s in there.” She motions with her chin but clutches on to the…ohhh shit. The portal server. All our clients’ data, codes, houses, numbers, even pictures we’ve intercepted from blackmailers. Fuck.
For a second I almost don’t hear her. “Delta has her. He’s got a gun, and I think maybe a bomb. He came in screaming and yelling and went on a fucking rampage. He had me at gunpoint, but Alana traded herself.”
There’s a red bruise in the center of Macie’s forehead. My stomach tightens. “Is there anyone else in the building?”
“Specs is across the street, but he can’t get a clear shot.”
I push past Macie. I have to get to Alana.
Things I should’ve asked:
1) How long have they been in there?
2) Were the cops called?
3) How many weapons does he have besides the gun and the bomb?
4) Is he alone?
5) Why is he doing this?
But I’m running in blind. Alana’s in danger, and that’s all I need to know.
With soft steps, I make my way up the stairs, trying hard to avoid the squeaky steps and the one Jasper spilled his Slurpee on and is now a sticky mess. The office has an old brick and wood frame. Alana pitched the idea of getting it renovated, bringing more things up to code, but the staff voted in favor of health insurance.
So Alana put everyone else’s needs and desires before hers.
She also pays for Macie’s college courses. Alana pays the bill before Macie ever sees it, and Macie pays what she thinks is the Bursar Office. It’s really a slush account that Alana plans on giving back to Macie at graduation.
There are a million tiny, and several monumental, things Alana does for everyone else. And the one fucking time she needs someone, she’s alone.
Why does everyone fail her?
There’s no door at the top of the stairs on the third floor. I’ve been ninja quiet, toe to heel with every step, but Delta’s screams echo down the hallway.
“You’re such a fucking little bitch. You have no business here.”
Those were his same complaints when Alana took over Mastodon, only slightly more professionally worded.
Two more steps, my back flat against the wall.
“You couldn’t leave it alone?” he yells again.
I don’t hear her response. Is she scared? Was she placating him until Macie got out of the building? Or was she getting annoyed that this was going on too long?
A few more steps. I crouch down. The conference room is sandwiched between two windows. One that opens to the hallway, and the other to the outside world. There’s a photo on the wall that reflects into the room.
She’s standing to the side of the table, and Delta’s back is to the hall. Her face is emotionless, one straight line for lips.
Delta paces but keeps his gun on her. He’s also doing a great job of pacing in the one blind spot of the room. The angles are wrong. No wonder Specs can’t get a shot.
“I thought you were smart enough to get the Four Families on board. That’s what The Deviant wanted. He’s made his demands clear.”
“I don’t work for The Deviant, and I don’t work for the Four Families.” Her voice is steady. Even. Lacking rage or comfort. “And I don’t appreciate you trying to use Mastodon and its clients as test subjects for Majesty, either.”
He barks, “Oh please, Phoenix was only the start. Once we got to him, the whole music industry would be flooded. The Deviant had plenty of potential test subjects. He picked one of your clients to send a message.”
“If the message is that he’s an asshole, I got it.”
“Get on board or others will get hurt.”
Alana could make a move. She could disarm him, but she doesn’t.
And now I see why.
It’s a Faraday bomb.
They look like hour glasses, each side holding one inert chemical. They’re kept in glass spheres with one long tube wrapped around them. It’s supposed to make it easier for transport. Because if the spheres break, the explosion can be catastrophic. And it doesn’t take much force to break it. Dropping it from three feet in the air onto a hard surface would be more than enough to shatter it.
If I time it right, I should be able to disarm him and grab the bomb. Or Alana could do it.
Inching toward the door, I keep my shadows and steps in mind.
Alana yawns. “God, all of this is so boring and unoriginal. But what do you expect from a drug lord who calls himself The Deviant and his little bitch boy who doesn’t know his real name.”
“Fuck you! You’re a lying whore.”
Alana frowns. “Oh, you’re the first man ever to try to insult me by questioning my virtue. That’s so creative.” Now I can see her, and I’m pretty sure she knows I’m here. She doesn’t look in my direction, but her shoulders relax in a way only someone who’s lived with her for a decade would recognize.
Sweat beads down Delta’s face. He’s like a caged animal and has finally figured out he’s running on borrowed time. He raises his gun just as the glass behind Alana explodes, and she instinctively ducks. The window shatters by the time the bullet pierces Delta’s brain. The force knocks him back, his lifeless body slamming against the wall.
The Faraday bomb slips out of his hand.
I’m too late.
I’m blind and deaf and in pain almost instantly.
I broke my promise to Izzy.