Stalking the halls at an accelerated pace, I head for the corridor between solitary and the East. I’m meeting Rook and Velle there for one last rendezvous before the countdown begins. Sure enough, I find them waiting for me, wearing their determination on their faces.
Winds whip at the building, Velle’s eyes gliding upward. “It’s hitting hard out there…”
“As good a time as any to fuck shit up.” I grin, and he winks.
“How’s 48?” He asks, beginning that pacing he does when he’s ready to go, like his body has too much pent-up energy and if he sits still, he’ll explode.
“I mean… he’s alive,” I breathe.
Rook swallows visibly.
“I stashed that bag for him in Darcey’s room. He’ll be able to access it if he needs to.” He pauses, wringing his hands. “Peters and Reyes will handle it once everything is in motion.”
I nod. “What are we gonna do about 102?” Velle stops moving and peers at me. “I just ran into him and Byron… Just waltzing around the East, looking for Dr. Love.”
Velle scoffs, shaking his head. “Yea, apparently that’s a thing.”
“62 said it was harmless,” Rook murmurs.
Gotta love the guy for his blind optimism. Though I won’t lie, sometimes it drives me nuts.
“Yea. Right.” Velle rolls his eyes.
“So The Ivory’s been letting them walk around.” Rook shrugs. “I don’t see why it’s a problem for us. I mean, what could they possibly be doing?”
“That’s not the point,” Velle grumbles. He’s honestly seemed just as butthurt about Kang hooking up with Fenwick as Luthor and Ren, which is surprising.I didn’t know he cared that much…“Fenwick has been spying for The Ivory, and you know as well as I do, he doesn’t let you juststopworking for him. When it’s all said and done, 62 will have to make a choice. And we’ll have to trust that choice…”
He breathes out a rough one, rubbing his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to deal with a snake in the grass. Not when every move we make in here has to go off without a hitch.”
“Baby, things go wrong,” Rook takes his hand. “Shit gets fucked up, you know that. If it does, we’ll adapt and fucking handle it.”
Velle doesn’t appear sold on the whole Kang and Fenwick thing, but he moves on, because we don’t have much time. Peeking at me, he asks, “Love got Darcey out?”
I nod. “Yea, they’re gone. On their way to the mansion.”
Which is why it’s even weirder that Kang said he and Trevel were down here to see Dr. Love… He never mentioned anything about meeting with them.
“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Velle hums,alsonot sold on the Felix and Dr. Love aspect of this thing.
But once again, he doesn’t have much of a choice but to take them at their word that they can handle The Ivory, and hope that their part of the plan won’t blow up in our faces.
“Let’s focus on what wecancontrol,” Rook cuts in. “Pedroia’s meeting should be happening after lights out.”
Velle checks his watch. “Twelve minutes and counting.”
God, that’s so soon. I’m freaking out.
“Peters is on point,” Velle goes over the details we’ve already hammered into our brains repeatedly. I’m sure he’s just speaking it out loud to placate himself. He glances my way again. “You’re taking Hancock and Jasper to the Attic…”
“We’re meeting there as soon as I’m done with you,” I tell him with confidence made to ease his mind.
But he just nods and goes back to pacing. “He’s still here for some reason… But he has no reason to stay after light’s out. Once we have the armory, we’ll get guns to the prisoners. Lucas and Soto will signal the control rooms, and we’ll—”
“Lucky…” I grab him by his holster, forcing him to stop moving. “Take a breath.”
He scowls at me, but I scowl back until he concedes and does what I say. Inhaling deep, and letting it out slowly, I witness a fraction of the tension fall from his shoulders.
“This plan is solid,” I tell him. “Everyone knows what to do, and they’ll do it.”
