Page 34 of Reverence

Too empty.

I continued down the dimly lit hallway, my footsteps echoing against the walls.

“Amala.”

“What?” I snapped.

“I asked you a question.”

He caught up to me, effortlessly falling into step beside me.

“My work is complete. I’m leaving.” I glanced at him. “Is there any other information about my life you’d like to know?”

“We still have work to do.” This is when I stopped walking. “Or did you miss the stack of paperwork sitting beside the printer?”

I turned to face him. “Let me rectify that for you. You have work to do. We split the responsibilities equally. Your inability to manage your workload efficiently is not my problem.”

Ares pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head toward the ceiling.

“You’re extremely difficult to work with.” He exhaled sharply. “Why can’t you just cooperate with me? Jesus Christ.”

“Says—”

Bang. Bang. Bang.

We snapped our heads toward the sound and instinct took over.

Our hands immediately went to our holsters, firearms drawn within seconds.

“Shots fired,” Ares said, his expression hardening. “East wing.”

I nodded, reaching for the portable radio clipped to my belt. Another series of gunshots echoed through the building.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I pressed the transmit button.

“Shots fired! Shots fired! This is Special Agent Rivera at the Synapse Field Office. We need immediate backup. Special Agent Valiente and I are responding to the scene now.”

Then we moved. Firearms raised as we advanced through the corridors with measured urgency, careful not to expose ourselves unnecessarily.

We reached the stairwell and ascended toward the second floor, the sound of distant movement growing louder with every step.

Whoever had opened fire made one hell of a mistake.

Within minutes, every available agent would be responding. The Bureau would be placed on lockdown, and local law enforcement would begin converging on the building.

There would be nowhere for the shooter to go.

We reached the corner and stopped.

A man stood several yards ahead, a firearm visible in his hand.

He scanned a keycard and entered one of the restricted rooms.

“The CCTV room,” I whispered and Ares nodded.

Then we moved closer, following the suspect. We scanned our credentials, and the electronic lock released with a soft click.