Page 92 of Mr. Match

“What should we do?” I ask.

“Not involve her, of course. We’ll just have to show up without her and see how it goes.”

“Did you tell him you’d bring her?”

Pax starts to shake his head, but it turns into a nod pretty quick. “I didn’t have much choice if I want the meeting.”

We’re all silent after that.

“We won’t, though,” Pax says, trying to convince himself.

“We should all go home,” Mac says. “You and Cindy should stay at Ariel’s house tonight. I think Victoria might need the support.” He looks at me next. “You too, Shrike.”

But I shake my head. “No. I made plans with Katya tonight. I left a message for her but… she’s probably with Ariel and she’s probably been told not to reply.”

“So you should come with us,” Nolan says as he peeks through a crack in the curtains to look down on the street.

But I don’t want to get stuck over at Ariel’s house tonight. There is safety in numbers, but there’s also safety in a well-fortified house. And even though Ariel is part owner of ShrikeSafe Security, my house is much better fortified.

I want Katya with me and I want us both over there, behind my wall and gate, inside my brick building with floor-to-ceiling bullet-proof, mirrored, garage-door windows.

“Do you think they’ll follow us if we leave the back way?” Mac asks.

“Only one way to find out. Unless we want to be stuck here all night,” Pax says.

“No,” the rest of us reply together.

We look up at all the TV’s when more breaking news banners flash across the lower third.

“I think I know where Katya is. And she’s probably cold, so if you guys are ready…” I get up from my desk and start turning the TV’s off. “Let’s head out.”

I turn the lights out as they shuffle down the stairs, all moods somber.

We did it. We killed Corporate and we bought a reporter and it made national headlines within a few hours.

We’re winning, right? Our plan is working, right?

So why do I feel so fucking afraid of what’s coming?

Chapter Forty - KATYA

I’ve been waiting at the church for two hours. I wanted to go to Oliver’s place, but Ariel was adamant that I not. She told me to go home. So did Mariel. And I agreed, but I came here instead. There are two places Oliver will go looking for me right now. On the bus stop bench outside his house where I’d wait if I wanted to hang out with him and have sexy times. Or here, at the church, where I’d wait if we were meeting in secret.

I think tonight totally counts as a secret meeting. So I don’t care how cold it gets, or how long I have to stand here, huddled up in the shadows of the gothic arches overhead. I will wait until he comes to find me.

Mariel’s story was long and complicated, just like she promised. But it was the call from Ariel and Cindy’s father that shocked the hell out of everyone in that room.

Mr. Corporate was dead.

Victoria broke down crying hysterically. The strength inside her—strength that radiated out from her like a suit of armor—melted away in one instant. We pulled up the pictures of West online. Shot in the head.

Oh, God. I can’t even think straight. That moment… God, poor Victoria.

But then a text came in for Ariel. Don’t. Panic. That was all it said. It was Oliver.

Of course, it said a whole lot more than that after Ariel explained what it meant. And even though we had no details, we convinced Victoria that West was OK. We talked her into it. We talked ourselves in to it. We had to believe that they knew what they were doing. That it was fake. Mr. Corporate was not dead. He can’t be dead. Because if he is, then all the Misters can die.

It was a sobering thought for everyone. And if Mariel wasn’t there to herd us together into one solid wall of bricks, we’d probably have fallen apart.