The pain was so sharp. Biting. I stumbled as my knees threatened to collapse under me again, and Richard grabbed me. “Are they all dead?” I asked, staring up at him, praying he would unbreak my heart and soul. “Beck and the others definitely died?”
“I don’t know,” he returned. “I showed up just as the building exploded, and the emergency services were trying to evacuate.”
“The first explosion?” I asked as Richard started to lead me through the huge penthouse. “Or the second one?”
“The third one,” he replied grimly. “That one took out the entire top floor.”
No!There was no way any of them survived.
Richard continued, not realizing that I was shattering into a million pieces in front of him. “I got there in time to see Graeme and Catherine throw you into the car and take off. It’s only that I’ve been keeping tabs on her and her family over the years that I was even aware of this penthouse.”
“If they want to kill you,” I said woodenly, “why are you here, dropping yourself in their lap?”
I yanked my arm out of his. “You should just go. Leave me here, with your weapon, and I’ll take care of it.”
I might die in the process, but I was okay with that. With Beck and all the rest gone, all that was left for me to do, was to make sure Catherine and her fucked up family never hurt anyone again. It was the one focus in my head. The only reason I was still standing on two feet and breathing.
“Riley, no,” Richard said. “Seriously. They’re not good people. Trust me, I’ve known many bad humans in my life, and these two are topping that list.”
Determination annihilated the pain for a second, and I grasped onto it. “That’s why I need to take them down.”
Before he could say another word, I lurched forward and pulled his gun from the back of his pants. I’d noticed it as soon as he walked in—Beck’s training in observation was paying off.
I hadn’t held this particular model before, it was thicker and heavier than my gun, but all of the normal parts were visible. I flicked the safety off.
“Go,” I said, fury pounding through me, but I somehow managed to keep my hands from shaking. “Hide until I take them down. And if I don’t, get to the vault and find footage to destroy Catherine. You can take Delta back.”
Richard just lifted one eyebrow, not even looking concerned when I leveled his own gun on him. I think he knew I wasn’t going to shoot him.
A scrape at the front door stole my attention, and I immediately jerked my hand behind me, telling Richard to hide.
He narrowed both eyes on me before melting off into the apartment, disappearing. I quickly dropped the gun into my empty holster … I still had Beck’s vest on, even though they’d removed my gun from me.
Catherine flew into the room, Graeme right behind her.
“What the fuck did you do?” she screamed, getting right in my face, her hand swinging out to crack me across the cheek. “The footage is everywhere.”
I blinked, managing to dodge her first hit before knocking her back with a little straight shot. Graeme remained back, watching the pair of us.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about?” I said softly, looking between them, all the while my hand was inching to my side to grab the gun.
Graeme lifted a small device and hit a button, and a massive television started to lower out of the roof. Somehow it was already on, and the news was playing.
Catherine and Graeme’s faces were flashing at me. And there was a banner running across the bottom of the screen.ATTACK AT DELTA OFFICES. TEN DEAD.
Graeme hit another button and there was sound:“Catherine Deboise and Graeme Huntley are wanted for questioning in relation to tenmurders and corporate espionage. They are considered armed and dangerous.”
The report paused, giving out the police line to call. Then he crossed to another reporter who was on the scene at the office.
The dark-haired woman stared right at us as she spoke, her face serious. “Devastation here today, at this attack on the multi-billion-dollar Militant Delta corporation. The closely held family business has always had only five seats on its board, and we … at this stage, cannot confirm if any of the board members or their heirs are alive.”
It crossed back to the original reporter.
“Can you tell us about the footage of Catherine Deboise and Graeme Huntley initiating the attack?”
The other reporter nodded a few times, like there was a delay in their information. “Yes, Sam, we can confirm that our news station received an anonymously sent file which shows Catherine Deboise allegedly murdering multiple board members. And she is joined by her brother, Graeme Huntley, another Fortune 500 member, to finish the attack.”
There was a quick flash on the screen, showing Catherine, bloody knife in hand. They had blurred out most of the faces, and there was no obvious graphic violence in this clip, but there was no mistaking it was Catherine. The next clip was Graeme, his gun in hand as he fired a few rounds off.
