“They can and will.” Drake’s voice is hard. “There is nothing to stop them from doing it.”
“We have evidence against them,” I tell Drake. “Wren was smart enough to video what happened when those males raided the center.”
“How much did you get?” Drake asks Wren.
“I got plenty. The men in combat gear raiding the reception area with guns. The anti-vaxxers getting shot in cold blood. Sally, too. They were shooting to kill. They didn’t care that Sally was unarmed. That she was begging them to help her, with her hands raised above her head in surrender.”
“You got footage of Sally being shot while surrendering?”
“Yes.” Wren nods.
“Where is it?” Drake looks excited. “This is exactly what we need. Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
“That’s the problem; the evidence is at the Vaccination Center. I don’t actually have it.” Wren’s face falls. “The cellphone I was using to record the whole thing fell out of my hands when Grim’s dragon flew us out of there.”
He groans in frustration. “They will have it by now, then.”
“Maybe not,” Wren says. “It fell and then slid under a cabinet in the corner. I don’t think anyone noticed with all the chaos.”
“They will have traced it by now. If they trace it to the building, they’ll tear the place up trying to find it.”
“I think the phone broke as it fell,” Wren tells him. “If it was off, they wouldn’t be able to trace it, would they? Hopefully, we can retrieve the information somehow.”
Drake looks like he’s thinking things through. “If – and it’s a big if – your phone is still there, I have someone who works in our tech department who could help us with that. He’s an absolute whiz. But we would have to get it back first, and I can’t be involved.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry. The problem is that the center is crawling with Mainland Security. They’re saying that it is a Mainland building, that you acted against the Mainland, Grim, and that therefore this is their jurisdiction. I’m a councilor, and even I’m not allowed anywhere near there. Sally’s hospital room is guarded by Mainland Security. Her doctors are all from the Mainland.”
“They’re really putting a lid on this,” I say.
“It would seem like it.” Drake nods. “You need to find somewhere to lie low for a few days. Hopefully, the dust will settle, and you’ll be able to get that cellphone.”
“We could go back to the Academy,” Wren says. “It was—”
Drake shakes his head. “I checked. There is a maintenance team arriving tomorrow to begin preparations for the next intake of recruits. It won’t be long before more employees are sent from various departments. I’m assuming that the SUV is an Academy vehicle.” He lifts a brow.
“It is, which means they’ll probably know it’s missing when they arrive tomorrow. The whole island will be looking for it soon after that.”
Drake nods. “Yep. You can’t go to friends or family. You can’t go anywhere near your homes. They’ve been raided and searched. There will be Mainland Security posted to watch out for you.”
“I figured,” I say.
“What about my dogs?” Wren looks concerned. “They had enough food and water to last for a day or two. My neighbors have a key. I’m sure they would have helped out, but…” Her eyes clouded with concern.
“I will find out and make sure they’re safe,” Drake tells her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’re just fine.”
Wren nods, still looking worried. “Where will we go?” she asks me. “What are we going to do? If we had camping gear, we could head into the jungle.”
“I think I know of somewhere,” I tell them. “No one would think to look there. We’d be safe.”
“It’s better you don’t tell me where that somewhere is,” Drake says.
“I hadn’t planned on it.” I smile at the male, and he narrows his eyes, scrutinizing me. I realize I’m smiling and stop immediately.
“I’d better get going. Let’s meet back here in three days,” Drake says. It’s clear that he doesn’t think things will have died down by then.
Neither do I. This could take weeks.
“I will attempt to gain access to the site, but I can’t be too pushy about it. I’ll do my best. In the meantime, the two of you need to stay safe. That means you need to go underground. Don’t do anything stupid, Grim.”
“I won’t,” I tell him. “I know what’s at stake here.”
