People screamed and those who could move scattered as one of the fire engines farther down the cross street rumbled to life. Its lights flashed on, the siren piercing the night as it came directly at them. Alexei skidded to a halt and took a shooting stance, aiming for the driver. The windshield wasn’t bulletproof, and it cracked beneath the first couple of bullets Alexei fired, a bloom of red splashing across the damaged plas-glass.
With the driver dead, the fire engine careened out of control, jumping the curb, in danger of running over several wounded people still lying on the sidewalk. Alexei’s pyrokinesis was useless in stopping the fire engine, but Jamie’s strength was not.
Jamie put on a burst of speed that was enough to put him between the fire engine and the screaming, wounded citizens who couldn’t get clear. He slammed both hands against the front grille, entire body straining against the sheer weight of the rescue vehicle. Jamie was forced back with a guttural yell, feet sliding over concrete, but his enhanced strength was enough to keep the fire engine from running over any innocent people.
“Inferno!” Jamie yelled.
“On it!” Alexei shouted.
Alexei kept his weapon trained on the cab as he quickly closed the distance between them. He yanked open the passenger-side door, ready to shoot, but the only people inside were dead. Alexei lowered his weapon just enough so he could clamber inside and turn off the engine, relieving Jamie of the vehicle’s tremendous forward momentum. He activated the brake and was about to jump out the way he’d come when someone started shooting.
He ducked, swearing as he pitched himself out the opposite door, staying behind the fire engine for cover. Alexei held his weapon close in one hand while calling up fire with the other, trying to get eyes on the shooter. People were still running for cover, but Alexei could see hovering drone cameras being turned in their direction.
“Callahan!” Declan yelled.
Declan got no response to his taunting yell and the silence worried Alexei. He came around the front of the fire engine, seeing that Jamie had already moved to intercept Declan without a care for his own safety. Alexei let fire twist up his arm as he ran forward, prepared to do whatever he needed to kill Declan, when Jamie got there first.
No words were spoken, no demand for an explanation about the carnage being wrought on the nation’s capital.Whywas something to be picked apart later, when their world wasn’t falling down around them.
Now was the time to act.
Jamie didn’t hesitate. He executed Declan from a distance of five meters, carving up the traitor’s face with multiple bullets that never missed. That Jamie did so before cameras streaming the fight to the masses, with his own face bare to the media, made Alexei swear violently. He knew nothing good would come from tonight.
“Apollo!”
Alexei turned to see Katie running their way, Madison by her side, along with one of the MDF’s empaths. The trio was breathing heavily when they finally came to a stop near Alexei and Jamie, taking in the scene and the reporters at the edge of the park, having stayed for the story rather than run for their lives. Without hesitating, Katie reached up and removed her hard helmet, tactical goggles, and the nanotech strips adhered to her face.
By revealing her face, Katie was going against direct orders regarding their classified identities, which they were supposed to hide at all costs. Alexei didn’t think twice about removing his own hard helmet and nanotech strips. With the media cameras trained on Jamie, none of them were willing to let him deal with the fallout alone.
“I shot him,” Jamie said, sounding hollow.
“I know, Jamie,” Katie told him, her voice quiet and strained from emotion Alexei still couldn’t feel. “I know.”
In that moment, Alexei knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jamie wasn’t talking about Stanislav or Declan. But grief and the process of grieving were a long way off with Katie still in his mind, her power merged with the empath’s to keep him on an even keel. Alexei knew he had to keep moving forward because if he stopped fighting, even for a second, the truth would break him.
“We go meet with rest of team,” Alexei said hoarsely. “Still have job to do.”
He wasn’t the one on the team normally giving orders, but Alexei had a feeling they would all need to step up and take on Jamie’s duties when he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so. Alexei doubted he himself would be up to the task later on, not after tonight.
Then we’ll carry you, too,Katie told him softly.
Because that’s what a team did.
They brought what was left of you home.
18
Those Distant Bells
“Fuckingshit!”Donovan shouted. “Take cover!”
“There’s no cover strong enough out here to protect us from a fucking cruise missile!” Liam snarled.
Sean reached out and grabbed both Donovan and Liam by the wrists, pushing his phase power through them. It killed their comms, but it would keep them safe and alive in the event the cruise missile reached where they stood near the South Lawn of the White House.
Saving the White House, and everyone still inside, was a different problem altogether.
It launched,Annabelle said into their minds through Katie’s mental links.
