“You okay?” He eyes me. “You seem nervous.”
I am nervous.
My heart is thrumming inside my chest, not just the cute little beats. I’m talking about a bass drum's low, rumbly beats. Yeah, my heart is pretty much rounding out a percussion band right now.
“This is the big reveal.” I swallow. “I just don’t know what to expect, you know?”
“I don’t either. But it can't be good if people are killing others for this information.” He snaps the two microchips together and plugs them into the drive on his computer. Files flicker onto the screen, flashing pictures and codes in fast succession.
I put my hand on his forearm. “Park, before we look at all of this, I want to tell you something.”
“Your timing is terrible.” He laughs, glancing at me. “Can we talk about whatever it isafterI make sense of all these files?”
I scratch my forehead. “After might be too late.”
“The files are already popping up. I promise I’ll give you my full attention after we figure this out.” Park leans into the screen, studying a rendering of a missile. “I think these are plans for some kind of weapon.”
I sink back into the couch.
I’ve lost him.
He flips through the files, scans, and pictures. Mathematical codes and formulas are written all over the pages. “Can you make sense of any of this?”
I sit up, looking at the computer screen. “It’s a bit above my pay grade, but I can try.” I tilt my head, reading the equations. In a lot of ways, it’s like a paleographer reading ancient hieroglyphics. You can pick up bits and pieces of what’s happening, but you don’t have the whole story to really know for sure. “They’re chemical formulas—compounds that are used to harm, incapacitate, or kill.”
“They’re weapons of mass destruction, but not nuclear.” Park huffs. “They’re plans and formulas for chemical weaponswiththe launch codes.” He runs his fingers through his hair absentmindedly as he flips through more files. “Why wouldn’t Sienna turn this into the CIA? Why would she enlist me? This is serious. If this information gets into the wrong hands, it could mean World War III. Millions of people could die.”
He clicks through the last of the files, but now they’re photographs of people, not weapons. He inclines his head, studying a man in one of the pictures. “I recognize that guy, but the photo isn’t clear enough for me to make out who he is.”
“Park, can we talk now?” I stand, pacing back and forth. “I have something important to say.”
He looks at me, but I can tell he’s distracted. His mind is on chemical weapons and the men in the pictures, but it’s okay. Now is as good of a time as any. “There’s something I need to tell you.” I suck in a deep breath, working up the courage. “I—”
Bullets fire through the walls of the house. Park tackles me to the floor, shielding me with his body. He yanks the chips out of the computer drive and shoves them into his pocket. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
So much for telling him what I’ve been dying to say.
THIRTY-THREE
PARK
I don’t knowhow these people keep finding us.
My phone is secure.
We weren’t followed.
Sienna’s house is in a safe location.
It’s like they knew we would be here.
The shots outside come from different angles, breaking through the walls and shutters.
“Stay down!” I army crawl to Sienna’s cache of guns on the floor across from me. “They’re probably shooting to break through the storm shutters. We have a few seconds before they’ll come inside.” I load some guns and sling them around my shoulder. Then I grab a few other small devices and throw them toward my bag next to the couch. “But don’t worry. I’m going to get us out of this.”
Shots fire right behind me, and I whip around. Lacee’s standing in the middle of the living room, holding a small gun out in front of her.
“What are you doing? You don’t know how to use that.”
