Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
“This is stupid,” Katrina muttered as she watched Darwin run to the golf cart along with her father and brother. “How can they possibly get away from the drone on a golf cart?”
“You have to trust Darwin,” Upton said from where he stood at her side, looking out the window of the pressing shed, trying to catch sight of the drone.
“He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep your father and brother safe while giving us time to get away.
The faster we move, the faster we can get him help. ”
Katrina wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Even if it terrified her to think Darwin was willing to use himself as bait like this.
“Get ready,” Asher said from over by the other window. “I think the drone is about to go after their golf cart.”
Katrina looked out the window again in time to see the golf cart Darwin was driving disappearing down one of the vineyard lanes, heading away from the resort.
Then she saw a blur in the darkness thirty above the ground, sliding soundlessly through the air like a shark, all matte black and sharp angles.
Her stomach twisted into knots. That drone was built to be a killing machine, pure and simple.
“Okay, let’s go,” Asher said, nudging her and Seth toward the door.
Upton followed right behind them, carrying the small handgun pointed down and off to the side while his eyes scanned the darkness for signs of the drone coming back. Katrina had to admit it actually looked like he knew what he was doing.
They climbed into one of the other golf carts, Asher getting behind the wheel. As they drove toward the resort, Katrina couldn’t help looking back in the direction Darwin had gone, praying he’d be okay.
Taking her cell phone out of the clever hidden pocket in her dress, she scrolled through her contacts, hoping she had Lennox’s number. Luckily, she did.
He immediately responded to her text, saying he was on the way with Simon and some of the other guys and that they’d be at the resort in five minutes.
Get someplace safe and stay there, Lennox added. Trust Darwin to keep it together. But he can only do that if he knows you’re safe.
Katrina felt like screaming at this apparent universal need to keep her safe.
Hurry, she texted back.
Walking into the lobby of the resort a few minutes later was a surreal experience as Katrina took in the people relaxing in the atrium without a care in the world, all while a killer drone flew in the night sky just outside the doors, hunting the people she loved.
It hit her then. Not that she didn’t love her father and brother.
That was obvious, even after all the crap those two had put her through.
No, the thing that smacked her in the head was that she loved Darwin.
It probably shouldn’t have come as such a shock.
She’d been falling pretty hard for him from almost the beginning.
But to realize it now, after watching Darwin drive away to fend off a killer drone, made it hard to breathe.
She loved Darwin, and she might not get a chance to ever say those words to him.
“We shouldn’t stay out here in the lobby like this,” Upton said, slipping the gun into the pocket of his jacket so no one would see it and freak out. “If Chapman shows up, it’ll be too easy for them to find us.”
Katrina knew Upton was right, but hated the idea of running to hide while Darwin was still out there in danger.
“Where should we go?” Asher asked. “The Sauvignon Ballroom is probably already filling up for the ceremony–which is supposed to start in thirty minutes, by the way. I’m supposed to be there soon anyway, and if there’s safety in numbers, a wedding is definitely the place.”
“But what do we do if my mom is already there? She’s going to have a cow when she realizes Dad and Rhett aren’t with us,” Katrina said. “What would we tell her: that they’re running from a killer drone?”
Upton winced. “You’re right. Maybe we can find someplace near the ballroom? That way, we can be close to other people and somewhere Darwin’s Teammates can find us when they get here.”
“But where?” Asher asked.
“I think I might know a place,” Upton said.
Katrina, Asher, and Seth followed Upton as he led them through the perimeter of the lobby. She really wished they knew what Chapman looked like. He could be in the atrium, and they’d never know it.
Upton led them to a hallway that ran along the backside of the conference rooms and was therefore typically only used by the staff to move tables, chairs, and food back and forth without being seen. It was a good choice, though she was a little surprised he’d even known it was here.
Upton stopped at the door for the Merlot Room, a small meeting space next to the Sauvignon Ballroom. As they walked inside, Katrina’s phone vibrated and she pulled it out to see a text from Lennox, saying he and the other guys were at the resort and splitting up to look for Darwin.
We’re hiding in the Merlot Room, she sent in reply. Darwin is trying to lure the drone away from the main resort, so he’s probably headed west. Be careful!
Putting her phone away with a silent prayer, Katrina looked around the Merlot Room, taking in the stacks of chairs and tables that were folded up and leaning against the far wall.
Turning back around, Katrina saw Upton pull the small handgun out of his jacket pocket. She thought for a moment he wanted it out just in case Chapman found them, but then Upton backed away from her, Asher, and Seth, the weapon pointed at them.
“Upton, what are you doing?” Katrina demanded.
“Sorry about this. I really am,” Upton said, moving the weapon a little more toward Asher when her future brother-in-law looked like he was going to do something stupid. “If it helps, it’s nothing personal. Just business.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Asher demanded, Katrina’s hand on his arm the only thing that stopped him from taking another step forward. “What kind of business?”
“The kind that involves a lot of money,” a man’s voice said from the doorway.
Katrina’s head snapped in that direction to see a tall man with dark hair walking into the room. Between the man’s cold-blooded expression and the way his gaze went straight to Seth, it wasn’t difficult to figure out who he was.
“Chapman, right?” she said, watching as four other men stepped into the room behind him. Three of them were heavily muscled, dangerous-looking, and carrying guns. The other guy was smaller and wore a rumpled suit, a nervous expression on his face.
“And you must be Giles, the engineer from the Genesis Project who jumped ship to join Chapman?” she added in a casual tone that belied how completely terrified she was.
If the guy had looked guilty before, it was nothing compared to how embarrassed he looked now. But before Giles could say anything, Chapman spoke.
“You should be far less concerned with who we are, and instead, focus on what we’re going to do if you don’t give me exactly what I want.”
“What’s that?” Katrina asked, even though she knew the answer.
Chapman’s mouth curved into a smile that was anything but friendly, his gaze going to Seth before returning to her.
“I want the anti-tamper code. If I get it and it’s the right code, I’ll call off the drone that’s in the process of hunting down your father and brother.
If you don’t give me the code, I’ll wait until the drone takes them out, then I’ll bring it up here and start killing members of the bridal party, starting with anyone wearing a purple dress. ”
Katrina didn’t have to look down to know Chapman meant her, along with everyone else in the bridal party, outside of Khloe, of course. Chapman was willing to hurt anyone and everyone to get what he wanted.
That was when she realized Chapman would never let them go, even after he had his codes. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who left behind loose ends.
“I can’t believe you’d help someone like this,” Katrina said, throwing a scathing look in Upton’s direction.
She didn’t expect an honest answer out of her former friend. Her only goal here was to delay Chapman as long as possible so help could arrive.
Contrary to his earlier words, Upton didn’t appear sorry at all.
Instead, he shrugged, a smirk tipping up the corner of his lips.
“I originally took your mother up on the offer to be part of the wedding party because I thought the two of us might get together again. When you made it clear that wasn’t going to happen, I took the next best offer–from Chapman.
Then again, half a million dollars is a pretty good offer all on its own. ”
Katrina shook her head. Upton had to be the biggest jerk she’d ever met.
The sound of muffled gunfire echoing from somewhere outside filled the silence. Everyone turned to look toward the sound, including Upton.
Was that the drone?
Was it Darwin?
Was it his Teammates?
Katrina didn’t know. And she didn’t think. She just moved.
Taking a step toward Upton, Katrina kicked out as hard as she could, her shoe slamming into his shin. He let out a curse, but Katrina barely heard it. She was too busy wrestling the gun from his hand.
Backpedaling, she turned the gun around in her hand, pointing it at Upton as Chapman’s goons aimed their own weapons at her. Part of her realized then that there’d been a serious flaw in her poorly conceived plan.
Katrina lifted the gun higher, aimed in the general direction of the three armed men, and pulled the trigger.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And then once more for good measure.
Katrina had no idea if she’d hit anyone, but they all definitely ducked, diving this way and that to find cover behind the stacks of chairs and tables. That was good enough for her.
“Run!” Katrina shouted, shoving Asher and Seth, pushing them out the door that led to the service hallway.
Heart pounding, Katrina ran after them as fast as she could, gun in one hand, her phone in the other as she frantically texted Darwin for help.