Oath Bound
Page 56
Finally, she looked up. She blinked, and there were tears in her eyes, and my chest ached as though someone had ripped my heart out and left the wound gaping open. “I lost her,” Kori said. “I’m supposed to protect her, and I lost her.”
“No, Kor, I lost her.” I couldn’t stand to see her like this. She looked so...hopeless. “But we’re going to find her. And she’s going to be fine.”
“No, she won’t.” Kori turned on me, eyes blazing with anger, and Sera took a step back. “You have no idea what Julia will do to her if Kenley pisses her off. If we piss her off. She has to keep Kenni alive, but that doesn’t mean she won’t let them hurt her.”
Them?
Kori ran one hand through her hair, then gripped a handful of it. “I know where she is,” she whispered, and chill bumps popped up all over my arms. Ian shook his head, but she didn’t even notice. “You know where.”
“No.” He was still shaking his head. “She’s not in the basement, Kori. Julia’s not stupid. She knows that’s the first place we’d look.”
“But it wasn’t. This is the first place we looked. And we were wrong, because she’s in the basement.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides and my stomach started to churn. I felt helpless watching them. But I was so glad Ian could comfort my sister when I couldn’t.
“No, we were wrong because Julia moved the whole operation. Kenley’s not in the basement,” Ian insisted.
“We have to check.” Kori’s eyes were narrowed, her jaw set in a firm line. Ian nodded, Sera shot me a confused look, but I couldn’t explain, because I didn’t fully understand Kori’s mental shift, other than that it stemmed from whatever she’d suffered at Tower’s hands, whatever she thought they were now doing to Kenley.
“We will. We’ll look everywhere,” Ian promised. “But for now, let’s get out of here.” He wrapped one arm around Kori, and as grateful as I was that he was able to comfort her, I felt that his gain was my loss. I didn’t know how to be there for her anymore, and that realization resonated deep inside me, an ache I couldn’t ease.
“What basement?” Sera whispered in my direction.
Kori’s head snapped up and her sharp gaze found Sera. “Hell. The basement in hell. That’s where she put Kenley. I know it is.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” Ian held his hand out, then waited for her to take it. Finally she did, and there was a shift in her eyes. Behind her eyes. She blinked, then seemed to stand straighter, stronger, just from being close to him. Her focus returned, and she was with us again, back from whatever psychological detour had claimed her moments before.
I started to smile and welcome her back. Then something moved on my right. With a jolt of alarm, I turned just as two large hands aimed a silenced pistol through the doorway from the hall. I pulled my gun, but Sera was closer. And faster. She threw one arm up beneath his wrists, trying to raise his aim so he’d hit the ceiling.
It almost worked.
A flash of light came from the barrel an instant before the muted thwup echoed through the small room.
Ian crumpled to the ground. Kori and I fired at the same time—I hadn’t even seen her draw. I have no idea whose bullet actually did the job, but the shooter stumbled backward into the hallway, then slid down the opposite wall, leaving a single wide red smear on the white paint.
Out bullets had struck so close together—over his heart—that I could only see one hole.
In the shocked silence that followed, no one moved for at least a second. Sera gaped at me. Then at Kori. Then at the dead guy. Then she started breathing really, really fast.
“Sera? You okay?”
“Fuck her!” Kori holstered her gun and dropped to the ground at Ian’s side, where blood dribbled between the fingers of the hand he held to his own shoulder. “I need something to— Give me your shirt!”
But that was easier said than done. I handed Sera my gun, and she held it like it might explode and kill us all. I shrugged out of my jacket, ripped off my holster and pulled my T-shirt over my head, then tossed it to Kori.
While she wadded it up and pressed it to Ian’s wound, I stepped into the hall, glanced in either direction, then squatted next to the downed man and checked his neck for a pulse.
“Dead,” I announced, stepping back into the observation room.
“Of course he’s dead,” Kori snapped, still pressing my shirt against the hole in Ian’s shoulder. “Are there any more?”
“Not yet. He’s security. If the entire building’s empty, he may be the only one here, guarding the cemetery, so to speak. Or so he thought.”
Kori brushed hair from Ian’s forehead, and even in the dim light, I could see that his dark complexion looked strangely washed out. “I have to get him out of here, but I don’t have enough bleach to clean this up.”
“Go,” Sera said. Her eyes were still wide, but her focus was steady. She was still with me. “We’ll take care of it. They have to have a supply closet, or something.”
“You sure?” Kori flinched when Ian grimaced.
“Go!” I shrugged into my holster, which felt weird against my bare skin, and took my gun back from Sera. “The longer you stay, the more blood there is to destroy.”
Kori stood and fired her silenced pistol into the ceiling twice. Glass shattered, obliterating both sets of lights, and I pulled Sera close, tucking her head against my shoulder to shield it. When the glass settled, I glanced up to see Kori doing the same thing for Ian. He still looked pale. He was losing a lot of blood.
“No, Kor, I lost her.” I couldn’t stand to see her like this. She looked so...hopeless. “But we’re going to find her. And she’s going to be fine.”
“No, she won’t.” Kori turned on me, eyes blazing with anger, and Sera took a step back. “You have no idea what Julia will do to her if Kenley pisses her off. If we piss her off. She has to keep Kenni alive, but that doesn’t mean she won’t let them hurt her.”
Them?
Kori ran one hand through her hair, then gripped a handful of it. “I know where she is,” she whispered, and chill bumps popped up all over my arms. Ian shook his head, but she didn’t even notice. “You know where.”
“No.” He was still shaking his head. “She’s not in the basement, Kori. Julia’s not stupid. She knows that’s the first place we’d look.”
“But it wasn’t. This is the first place we looked. And we were wrong, because she’s in the basement.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides and my stomach started to churn. I felt helpless watching them. But I was so glad Ian could comfort my sister when I couldn’t.
“No, we were wrong because Julia moved the whole operation. Kenley’s not in the basement,” Ian insisted.
“We have to check.” Kori’s eyes were narrowed, her jaw set in a firm line. Ian nodded, Sera shot me a confused look, but I couldn’t explain, because I didn’t fully understand Kori’s mental shift, other than that it stemmed from whatever she’d suffered at Tower’s hands, whatever she thought they were now doing to Kenley.
“We will. We’ll look everywhere,” Ian promised. “But for now, let’s get out of here.” He wrapped one arm around Kori, and as grateful as I was that he was able to comfort her, I felt that his gain was my loss. I didn’t know how to be there for her anymore, and that realization resonated deep inside me, an ache I couldn’t ease.
“What basement?” Sera whispered in my direction.
Kori’s head snapped up and her sharp gaze found Sera. “Hell. The basement in hell. That’s where she put Kenley. I know it is.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” Ian held his hand out, then waited for her to take it. Finally she did, and there was a shift in her eyes. Behind her eyes. She blinked, then seemed to stand straighter, stronger, just from being close to him. Her focus returned, and she was with us again, back from whatever psychological detour had claimed her moments before.
I started to smile and welcome her back. Then something moved on my right. With a jolt of alarm, I turned just as two large hands aimed a silenced pistol through the doorway from the hall. I pulled my gun, but Sera was closer. And faster. She threw one arm up beneath his wrists, trying to raise his aim so he’d hit the ceiling.
It almost worked.
A flash of light came from the barrel an instant before the muted thwup echoed through the small room.
Ian crumpled to the ground. Kori and I fired at the same time—I hadn’t even seen her draw. I have no idea whose bullet actually did the job, but the shooter stumbled backward into the hallway, then slid down the opposite wall, leaving a single wide red smear on the white paint.
Out bullets had struck so close together—over his heart—that I could only see one hole.
In the shocked silence that followed, no one moved for at least a second. Sera gaped at me. Then at Kori. Then at the dead guy. Then she started breathing really, really fast.
“Sera? You okay?”
“Fuck her!” Kori holstered her gun and dropped to the ground at Ian’s side, where blood dribbled between the fingers of the hand he held to his own shoulder. “I need something to— Give me your shirt!”
But that was easier said than done. I handed Sera my gun, and she held it like it might explode and kill us all. I shrugged out of my jacket, ripped off my holster and pulled my T-shirt over my head, then tossed it to Kori.
While she wadded it up and pressed it to Ian’s wound, I stepped into the hall, glanced in either direction, then squatted next to the downed man and checked his neck for a pulse.
“Dead,” I announced, stepping back into the observation room.
“Of course he’s dead,” Kori snapped, still pressing my shirt against the hole in Ian’s shoulder. “Are there any more?”
“Not yet. He’s security. If the entire building’s empty, he may be the only one here, guarding the cemetery, so to speak. Or so he thought.”
Kori brushed hair from Ian’s forehead, and even in the dim light, I could see that his dark complexion looked strangely washed out. “I have to get him out of here, but I don’t have enough bleach to clean this up.”
“Go,” Sera said. Her eyes were still wide, but her focus was steady. She was still with me. “We’ll take care of it. They have to have a supply closet, or something.”
“You sure?” Kori flinched when Ian grimaced.
“Go!” I shrugged into my holster, which felt weird against my bare skin, and took my gun back from Sera. “The longer you stay, the more blood there is to destroy.”
Kori stood and fired her silenced pistol into the ceiling twice. Glass shattered, obliterating both sets of lights, and I pulled Sera close, tucking her head against my shoulder to shield it. When the glass settled, I glanced up to see Kori doing the same thing for Ian. He still looked pale. He was losing a lot of blood.
