“I’m one minute out,” Zac said. “But traffic’s a nightmare. A lot of streets are closed for Notte Bianca.”
“Pendragon’s en route,” Bobcat cut in. He’d been mostly silent since they confirmed the Greek Fire had been in the lab, as they were busy sneaking their way out to avoid being arrested. “But we’re at least an hour out.”
Blue lights flashed at the amphitheater entrances as uniformed officers pushed through the crowd.
“Scarlett,” said Rav, as we crested the top of the amphitheater, ducking low so the police wouldn’t see us. “Get Noah before the police do. Find out if he has more intel.”
“I’m on it,” she said.
The police were filtering in through the entrances. One of them approached the guard, who still had our Fenix operative from underground.
Rav nodded to the stairs opposite the police and guard, and I crept along behind him, staying out of sight.
My phone buzzed in my backpack. Not the Reynolds one mounted on my forearm, but my regular Pendragon phone. The vibration pattern meant it was a text from someone on my team.
I slid the pack around to my front, unzipped it slowly so we wouldn’t tip off the police, and pulled the phone out.
Rav turned to cock an eyebrow at me, and I put a finger to my lips, promising to be quiet.
But the text on the screen caused my stomach to drop. From Percival, it read:Must have had connection issues at the lab. Did you hear about Owen?
I typed back:Owen?
The three dots began dancing immediately, and part of my brain didn’t want to read the response. But it read:Detainee said Dr. Kensington had gone to the egg.
My knees wobbled, and I put a hand on Rav’s shoulder for balance before tripping down the stairs.
He whispered, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I missed a step.”
He just patted my hand and kept moving, acting as my protector. My support. Like always.
But Owen? Working at the Fenix lab?
Of course he was, Brooke. Dr. Norris had told me Owen had been hired by a private pharmaceutical company, where he was focusing on applications of his polymer research. The same research that had made me think Owen would be a solid resource for understanding Greek Fire.
You should have sucked it up and reached out to him.
At the bottom of the stairs, we stayed in the amphitheater’s shadow, following the wall until we were clear of the police presence. Rav caught my elbow, pulling me toward the exit. “Let’s go.”
We ran. Over a hill. Into a cluster of trees. Down an embankment. Over another. And finally, to the road.
Owen was your research partner for a year. You dated the man! You spent almost every waking hour with him. And he’s here? Not just in Naples, but with the Greek Fire?
“There!” Rav pointed to where Zac had stopped the SUV nearby, its engine running.
We sprinted toward him. Behind us, more fireworks shot into the sky—someone trying to salvage the show, maybe, or thelaunches were automated. Each explosion made my shoulders tense, waiting for the chemical burn that never came.
Why would Owen be working with these fanatics? His expertise is in barriers, in containment. In making sure dangerous substances stay precisely where you want them, not in?—
Oh, shit. A good barrier also ruptures exactly when you need it to.
“How far to the castle?” I asked as we reached the vehicle.
“On a normal day, maybe half an hour,” Zac said. “But with this traffic?”
“I’m calling one of my friends, who’ll be able to give us the best directions for tonight,” Rav said, yanking open the door. “We’ll get as close as we can, then make a run for it.”
