18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Jensen
I told her I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and what have I done? Allowed her to be taken. Each passing minute is driving me insane. I have to get to Layla. The Renegades will come for us; that is, if Maddox didn’t convince them we’re dead. I can’t risk waiting on them to act, not without risking Layla’s safety. I’ve waited too long as it is, and while I don’t believe they’ll kill her, not yet, I do believe Julian will offer her up as a sex partner to anyone who wants to try and lifebond with her, Tad included. I’m pacing the room, contemplating how deep the cut will be when I escape this room and save Layla, only to have the wolves corner us and punish us when the fire alarm blasts through the facility. Water sprays all over me, and the door pops open, and thank fuck for it all. The calvary is here.
Thankfully, I’m well prepped by Creed, who’d been undercover with Zodius, on the set-up of the facility and where I should be headed. I ease the door open, scan the hallway, and head the direction of the lab, which I think is most likely to be Layla’s location based on resources.
I run down a flight of stairs and pause at a door, easing it open, only to discover something blocking it. And there’s a Zodius soldier face-down in front of the door. All I can think is, I hope like hell the Renegades got to Layla before Julian did. I shove open the door and create a space large enough to examine the vacant corridor before I exit. Bending down next to the soldier, I retrieve the man’s weapons and then slick back my wet hair from my face.
I jog forward, stepping over two additional Zodius soldiers, both lying face-down, before I round the corner to find the lab door open. My gut clenches with fear for Layla, and I enter, not daring a breath until I confirm she is not among the six bodies on the ground. Fear for her is a wild animal clawing at my insides.
My gaze lands on the computer by the doorway; water is pooled around it. Not optimistic it’s working, let alone loaded with the information I need, I rush that direction, shoving my weapons in my pants, to punch the keys. Against all odds, the screen flickers to life, and I work my magic, tapping into the security feed, opening several windows at once, and confirming what I’ve suspected. There are no Renegade soldiers, and whatever is happening in this part of the city, knocking out the soldiers, is not happening elsewhere. Soldiers gather at a distant corridor, and I have no doubt the only reason this place isn’t swarming with them is that whatever had set off the alarm and flattened everyone isn’t contained.
Why I’m still standing, I do not know.
I tab through another few screens and all but shout with relief. Layla is not only alive and still standing, but on the move. And by the grace of God, headed the right direction through the underground ventilation tunnel leading to the highway. But once she’s above ground, she’ll be exposed, and the Zodius soldiers will find her. I yank the computer from the wall, toss it, and draw my weapons. Knowing she has to have ICE to survive, I tear the lab apart, but come up dry. Cursing, I know I can’t hunt any longer, and I pray she has some with her. No matter the case, I vow to find a dealer and the ICE that she’ll need to survive.
I exit the lab, and there’s not a soul standing, and it’s weird as fuck. Whatever this is, I’m immune, and everyone else is scared shitless. With no obstacles, I’m at the tunnel in no time, but I don’t risk calling out to Layla. We’re on camera, I’m certain, unless the cameramen are all passed out. I reach the end of the path and exit to the highway, but Layla is nowhere to be found. And I have no idea how long she has until she goes into withdrawal, until she dies . I have to find her now.