Chapter 45
Kat
Boom.
Whoa. The bomb had gone off…somewhere. Not too near, but not too far, either. The sound had been muffled by all the layers of concrete, but the vibration shook the whole building. I thought of Jed and Mick. Hoped they were okay.
What the hell was happening over at Braithwaite?
The webcam had been knocked askew, and all I could see in the video-call was the high metal beams of the room’s ceiling, and a piece of paper that had fallen partway across the camera’s view.
I heard noise. Yelling, shouting, men’s and women’s voices.
Thuds, crashes, gunshots. Shit was going down, this minute, and I was stuck in this damned hotel, useless to them.
And through it all, I heard Holly’s shrill, constant screaming.
Keep screaming like a teakettle, baby. That way I know you’re still alive.
I had to scream too. I would explode if I didn’t let off some steam.
People walking past my van from their car shrank back at my banshee howl, and took off in a nervous, shuffling run to put distance between us.
I revved the van and sped past them, tires squealing as I took the turns on my way up to the exit.
When I got there, the bar was down, and the security guy had a look on his face that I recognized instantly. I was busted. He gestured imperiously for me to stop. He’d heard from his boss, or the caterers, or the cops, or maybe all of them. The jig was up.
“Stop!” he yelled. “You’re not supposed to be in that van! That van is stolen, and you are not authorized to be in here! Get out of the vehicle right now!”
Fuck that. I mouthed “sorry” at him as I gunned the engine, and crashed through the bar, crumpling the hood, cracking the windshield. I bounced up and veered out onto the street, taking the turn on two wheels. Cars braked to avoid me, honking furiously.
I floored it, going as fast as I knew how to drive. At this point, the more cops they sent after me, the happier I would be.
We needed all the help we could get.