Page 145 of Deadfall

Griffin sank to his knees and held his head in his hands. I didn’t even hesitate—I knelt down with him and wrapped my arms around him. If he noticed, he didn’t react. I rested my forehead against his back, and felt the fury and grief vibrate through him.

I was vaguely aware of footsteps that stopped at my back. When something bit into my neck, I realized I shouldn’t have let my guard down. I jerked backward at the same time Griffin slumped forward. The warmth of a drug swept through my body and my vision blurred. But, not before I saw Angel, with two empty syringes in his hand and a regretful look on his face.

“It’ll be okay, Emersyn,” Angel said.

Then, the floor of the boat rushed up, and darkness swept me away.

68

SEVEN

The RPG rocked the area and threw me halfway down the cliff.

I was temporarily disoriented, and my ears rang as I struggled to my feet. Shadows advanced through the dust. I got off a few shots before I turned and limped down the coastline to draw them away.

Another bite of pain cut into my side and I went down. I scrambled up against a rock at the edge of the surf and watched two men materialize through the fog with grim looks on their faces.

I raised my gun—

Click.

Empty. Damnit.

The first man looked around. “She’s not here.”

The other spoke into his comms unit. “She’s not here, boss. Escaped by boat.” He listened for a moment. “Roger that.” He stepped closer and raised his gun.

I clutched my side and grimaced as I looked up at the barrel in my face. As I watched him squeeze the trigger, I hoped G wouldn’t blame himself. I knew he would, but I really hoped he might eventually find peace. At least I’d given them some time to escape.

My last thought had me wondering what death was like—

I hoped it was nicer than this place.

I closed my eyes and pictured G’s green eyes and Emersyn’s smirk as the gunshot rang out.

69

EMERSYN

My head hurt something awful as I came out of whatever haze the drug had thrown me into. I groaned as I sat up and looked around the room. It was literally just four concrete walls and—

Griffin.

He had one wrist handcuffed to a pipe that ran from floor to ceiling. He was awake with a blank, dead look on his face as he stared at the door.

“Where are we?” I asked.

He didn’t look at me. “I don’t know.” His voice was flat and dull.

“Did Angel do this?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know what else to say, so I said nothing. Unlike Griffin, I wasn’t handcuffed which was curious. Angel clearly knew I was dangerous too, so why had he only cuffed Griffin?

Nausea coursed through me at the memory of the explosion, and I buried my hands in my hair. The world felt less than without Seven around. Part of me felt like he just wasn’t here, but I’d see him later. I’d get to hear his jokes and his laugh and see that lopsided, sly smile he always got whenever he was about to do or say something cheeky. He couldn’t be dead. Death was so very final. Too serious for someone who very much was not.

The door opened and none other than Angel stepped through. He looked a lot different though. He’d ditched the tactical gear for slacks and a dress shirt rolled at the sleeves.