Diesel shook his head. “If they’re here, they’re in the stadium. Come on.”
Diesel filled him in on the past twenty-four hours as they darted past the flow of people pouring out from the main doors and headed for a side door that was hanging off its hinges.
“So if you arrived with St. James, Mr. Lee and Dr. Easterby,” Grayson said as they reached the door, “then where are...?”
“Evan! Diesel!” Liam was jogging toward them, phone in hand. “I called first responders I know personally,” he said, breathing hard. “People are hurt and need medical care, and I don’t trust Stone Solutions not to intercept police calls. Have you seen Aisha? She left the car with me. Then I lost her.”
“You’re not going to keep a doctor away from the injured,” Diesel said. “I’ll find her.”
“Right behind you.” Grayson nodded at Liam as Diesel disappeared into the stadium. “You talk to St. James since you got here?”
Liam shook his head. He was paler than usual. “I’m coming with you to find her.”
They ducked through the doorway and into the halls in the depths of the stadium, emerging at one end of the football field. Liam froze. “Is that—Stensby? AndKosler? How the hell are they here?”
Grayson had seen them too, the bodies unmoving on the end zone. He hurried over and knelt next to Stensby.
“Last I saw him, he was in Stone Solutions’ private hospital in Kirkland.” Stensby’s face was streaked with red. Grayson pressed a hand to his neck, over his jugular, but there was nopulse to feel. “What the hell happened? The corrupted empaths get their hands back on him?”
“Wouldn’t have to be the empaths.” Liam had pushed up Stensby’s sleeve. He pointed to the puncture mark at the wrist. “He’d been on an IV drip. They could have given him the same thing they gave Dr. Whitman when she killed the Macys.”
“Another frame job,” Grayson mused.
“I wouldn’t put that past Stone Solutions,” Liam said grimly.
Does Stone Solutions know you’ve got me here and what you’re planning?Grayson had asked Nichols, in that lab.
You mean Vivian?Nichols had scoffed.As if she’d ever have the stomach for it. But rest assured, I am backed by those with therealpower.
Grayson raised his gaze to the stands, tracking up the rows of seats until he found the glass windows of Stone Solutions’ luxury box. “No,” he said. “I wouldn’t either—”
“Ooh, look how big this guy is!” a chirpy voice said, suddenly close.
Grayson looked up to see two empaths heading straight for them, both around his own age, a woman with dark brown hair and a man with big blue eyes.
The second empath rubbed his bare hands together. “He could do some damage.” Then he suddenly frowned. “Why am I not getting any emotions from him?”
At his side, Liam stiffened, but Grayson just met their eyes. “There’s a reason for that,” he said dryly, and watched both empaths hit the end zone, gagging.
“I think all y’all have done enough damage today,” he said, getting to his feet. “And it ends now.”
Alex cut through a stadium food court, past the trampled remains of beer stands and cotton candy racks, following a newsource of emotion so strong it could only be Reece. Cora was at his side, expression grim.
“What pissed Reece off?” she said as they hurried past staircase after staircase leading down to the lower-level seats.
Alex shrugged helplessly. “Take your pick,” he said, gesturing around them.
They were getting closer to Reece, who seemed to be seeking them in return. Just before they hit a set of suites, Reece crested a set of concrete stairs from the stands and joined them.
“Where the hell have you been?” Cora demanded as she pulled him into a hug.
“Port Angeles. The Olympic mountains. It’s a long story.” Reece reached for Alex next. “What the fuck happened here?”
They formed a tight huddle, arms around each other, their conversation half words and half emotions as they filled each other in.
“I’m going to find Charles Stone and make his fate worse than Nichols’s,” Reece said darkly after Alex told him about the kidnapping and the suite.
Not a lie. Alex could appreciate that, but he was still confused. “So you and Evan spent the night in the truck? During asnowstorm? How’d y’all avoid frostbite?”
