~ 54 ~
PEYTON
The ballroom emptied in layers, calm and controlled. It wasn’t because people weren’t scared. On the contrary; I could see in their eyes, they were absolutely terrified.
No. They moved slowly because people this rich and powerful never, ever ran.
They didn’t know how, because they never had to. They had in the shadows. They had lawyers who took care of them, whenever things threatened to go sideways. And so they filed out with cool efficiency, withdrawing with as much dignity as they had left. Clusters broke apart. Voices were kept low. Phones were tucked back into pockets, or held tightly against ears so that no one else could overhear.
No one even looked at us as we broke into the hallway. Colson clasped my hand, leading me forward. Ripley followed like a shadow, closing the space behind me.
“You good?” he asked, huddled around me like a cloak.
“Better than ever.”
“You were fucking fantastic back there,” he pressed. “You know that?”
“Thanks,” I answered, unable to suppress a smile. “Now can we get the hell out of here?”
We continued on, passing security units that were moving in all different directions. Confusion had set in. The hired guards were breaking ties with Donovan’s men, who weren’t sure what the hell to do next.
“Everything’s collapsing,” Colson called back. “Way faster than I expected it to.”
I took the earpiece out because Theo wasn’t there anymore. He was right there ahead of us, looking excited to find us all together.
“Is it done?” Colson asked.
“It’s all over,” said Theo. “Accounts, drained. Data dumped. Everything we talked about, sent to the press.”
“Good,” said Colson. “What about loose ends?”
“There are none,” said Theo.
“You sure?”
“Not when it comes to Donovan,” he confirmed. “No.”
We stopped at the foyer, sticking close to the wall. People swirled past us, as we stood in the wreckage of the bomb we’d just dropped.
And then suddenly, there was a shift in the air. A presence that had me turning and searching for something; the next threat, perhaps.
That something was Roman.
He stood there in a dark jacket, perfectly cut to his V-shaped form. His button-down shirt was flawless. His tie, pin straight.
Colson and Ripley moved in tandem, stepping in on either side of me. But Roman had no interest in me, or even them. His eyes were locked solely on Theo.
“That was… efficient,” he said, not even attempting to hide the admiration in his voice.
Theo didn’t answer him, other than to adjust his glasses.
“A little messy,” Roman went on. “But contained.”
“That was the deal,” Colson cut in.
“Yes it was,” Roman agreed. “Part of it, anyway.”
The crowd was finally thinning out. Most of it consisted of hotel staff now. They were milling around aimlessly, trying to figure out what came next.
