“I got him,” Wesley calls, still feeling for Bronco’s pulse. “I hear sirens now.” He moves to drag Kaz inside the garage and out of the rain. “How many times you shot?”
“Dunno,” Kaz whispers. More blood slips from the corner of his mouth. His swollen eye is shut tight.
“Thanks,” I tell Wesley. “Get them help.” If we survive this, I might have to hire the guy. I give one last, long look at Kaz. “Stay alive.” I jump back in the vehicle and push down the gas pedal. The SUV surges forward into the night. Alexei holds the phone out. The blue dot looks solid. We go after it.
“Where are they?” I ask Alexei.
He thumbs the screen, eyes narrowing. “They’re at TimeGem.”
I pause. “TimeGem?” But Sylveria is dead.
“Yeah.” He nods. “Besides Wynd, did you recognize the other guy from the video?”
“No. Probably hired muscle.” He was clumsy. I slam the accelerator. The SUV rockets forward, the world on either side of the vehicle blurring into streaks of gray and green. Panic chews through my chest, raw and unfamiliar. I’ve never felt this before. Wynd has Ella, and he likes to play with his prey.
“I didn’t see this,” I mutter.
Alexei shakes his head. “We never do. It’s always the people closest to you, isn’t it?”
Not really. My brother would never do this. I don’t think Kaz would, either. Ella’s a complete brat, but she’d never betray me.
I wrench the wheel, pulling off the interstate toward TimeGem Moments headquarters. Asphalt rattles under the tires. We round a curve down the quiet street, and suddenly there’s an old Buick in front of us. “What the fuck?” I swear.
Alexei glances at me. “What?”
“Her godmother’s in there.”
Alexei leans closer to the front window. “Huh?”
“I don’t know,” I growl, leaning on the horn.
The dog lifts his head in the back seat and presses his nose against the window, his tail visibly wagging.
“Her godmother’s a dog?” Alexei mutters.
“Shut up.” I cock my head. Through the Buick’s dusty rear window, I see Aura behind the wheel. I honk again. She ignores me.
I press the gas pedal and nudge the Buick’s bumper.
She slams her brakes and whips the wheel, spinning into a tight 180 before sliding to a stop on the shoulder. Dust explodes around her.
I hop out of the SUV.
The Buick’s driver’s door bursts open, then two more. Three women climb out, each one leveling a gun at me. I see a Ruger, a Glock, and a Ladysmith, all black steel in the sunlight.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” I yell. I can’t remember the last time I raised my voice.
They’re all dressed like some strange corporate color wheel. Mags wears bright yellow, Jos is in fluorescent green, and Aura sparkles in eye-popping blue.
“What do you think we’re doing?” Jos snaps. “We’re going to get our girl.” They look like a deadly yoga class for seniors.
I swallow hard. “How do you know where she is?”
Mags shifts in her yellow suit, looking uncomfortable. “We’ve been hacked into all the cameras of the four social media companies for years. We saw her brought in byyour man—the one who’s with you all the time. He lifted her out of the trunk and put a hood over her head. She was alive.”
I shove panic into the distance. “Alexei and I are going in. Fergus, you and the ladies are going to provide cover from outside. Got it?”
“No,” Aura says flatly. “We’re going in.”
