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The thought of leaving Lucy behind brought up a sting of bile to the back of her throat. She must steel her nerves because she had to make sure Ari was safe before she could return and prayed it wouldn’t be too late. The women of Adytum were ruthless, to say the least.
She pressed forward and all her thoughts rushed to Cooper and needing help. Maybe she would be close, and Dylan could send her in to save Lucy.
The entire journey through the underground graveyard, Ari’s words were the same, “Oh God. Oh God.”
Dylan had the same sentiment, but there wasn’t time to wallow in despair. They could only move forward and focus on their own survival. Once past the line of tombs, they plunged into darkness with only a small amount of light leading them to the staircase and the stage. Ari would need to climb the steps, but could she?
At the base of the stairs, it was an awkward push and pull, but Dylan ascended with Ari clinging to her side. As soon as they emerged, they faced another obstacle. A gun held by Maxi pointed at them.
“You found her,” Maxi said, growling with venom as she flicked the barrel and motioned for them to step up and join her.
“Maxi, what are you doing? This is crazy,” Dylan said as she steadied Ari.
“What I should have done long ago. Get rid of this little trouble-making bitch.” She held the gun with a firm hand, her aim unwavering as she pointed it at Ari’s head.
Dylan stepped in front of Ari with her arms spread wide. “I won’t let you do it.”
“Oh, the theatrics. You say that like you have some say in the matter, mon petit. You always were so cute.” Maxi took slow and precise steps toward them as she spoke. “The way you have always thought that I trusted you. So easily manipulated. That’s why I made you head of security. My good little soldier. If you choose to jump in the way, so be it. You’re replaceable. Two for the price of one.”
Just as Maxi’s finger tightened on the trigger, a loud bang echoed through the arena. The three of them whipped their heads toward the entrance, but Dylan’s gaze returned at the perfect moment. She lunged at Maxi, knocking her off-balance. The two women struggled to the ground. Then the gun went off with a loud pop.
Dylan rolled away with her arm across her chest while Maxi pulled herself to her feet. When she leveled the gun toward Ari, uniformed officers stormed into the arena.
“Police! Put the gun down!”
From the ground, Dylan watched the rest unfold.
Maxi’s evil grin and her menacing prowl toward Ari. “So, here we are. Another choice to be made: to kill Ari or not to kill Ari? That is the question, isn’t it?”
Fear gripped Ari’s body, racked with tremors.
“Drop your weapon, now!” said a voice from the audience. “We will open fire.”
Without taking her eyes off the gun, Dylan prayed she would listen because there was no way Maxi would miss if she fired before they did. This would not end well.
The muscle in Maxi’s arm flexed as she readied herself to pull the trigger. Just then, a gunshot echoed off the walls, accompanied by the thud of Maxi’s body hitting the floor.
Ari limped to Dylan and dropped to her knees beside her. They held each other as the police rushed to the stage. The trapdoor remained open, so Dylan pointed to it. “Down there! My friend is down there, hopefully still alive.”
With assault rifles aimed, a team descended the stairs while others remained in the arena, assessing the situation. A female officer approached Dylan and Ari. “Ma’am, can you walk?”
Dylan nodded as she pulled herself to her feet. Chaos ensued, with official lingo coming from the police team surrounding them. They were being escorted out, though Dylan protested, not wanting to leave Lucy behind.
“Ma’am, I need you to leave the building. If your friend is inside, we will find her.”
“She’s right. They will find Lucy.” Ari’s words did nothing to soothe her.
Squad cars and ambulances flooded outside the building. The flashing lights around The Silo had attracted spectators and news crews along the street. As they stepped out the front door of the hotel, Dylan’s eyes caught sight of many notorious figures with scowls on their faces. The events unfolding would have serious repercussions. Likely, the detectives would raid the entire hotel, uncovering other unethical business dealings. The Delacroixes might fall, but their blood ran so deep in the city that there was no telling if anything would come of this, or if they would sweep it all under the rug.
A police squad secured the building while a paramedic treated their wounds and Ari’s shock. Dylan scanned the crowd and saw Terry scooting through the throng of media and first responders toward them, shouting Ari’s name.
“How in the hell—” Dylan began.
Terry raised his hand. “It’s called knowing people. Ariel mentioned on camera that she was a CityBeats reporter. Got a caller on the tip line who mentioned the website. Mentioning Adytum and us worked in her favor, and I called in the cavalry.”
“Let’s just hope they find Lucy,” Dylan said.
“The other woman?” Terry snorted, out of breath. “Just wish people would have listened to me sooner. Is she a friend of yours?”
