Her eyes flicker with panic now. “That’s not possible.”
“It’s exactly what I said.”
Matt looks between us, his face a mask of confusion and dawning horror. “Hold on,” he says slowly. “Ivan is not dead?”
“No. He isn’t.”
Viper pulls her arm free from my grip, stumbling back a step. “You’re wrong,” she says, but there’s no conviction behind it now, just a desperate, flimsy hope. “Murtaugh wouldn’t do that. He hates the tar.”
“Where the fuck is he?” I snarl, my control snapping.
I spin and lash out, clearing the entire shelf with one swipe. Every bottle shattering against the floor, the noise a violent alarm meant for Viper. It’s a calculated mess, a way to keep my hands occupied and far away from her.
I don’t stop there. Another shelf, but this time I don’t even need to touch it. A wave of pure force, and more bottles smash, liquid splashing across everything.
“Jax!” Matt shouts, his voice tight with fear. “Stop! She doesn’t know!”
I grab another bottle and hurl it against the far wall. It bursts into a thousand glittering shards.
“Where would he take her?” I press. “Think.”
Viper’s chest rises and falls faster now, her eyes darting around the room like a trapped animal. “I don’t know.”
“Think,” I roar, the sound making the walls vibrate.
She presses both hands against her temples, her face a mask of terror. “I don’t know, Jax, I swear?—”
“Ten years ago,” I cut in sharply. “Ivan said he saw you.”
Her movement stops. I can fucking hear her frantic heartbeat from across the room.
“There was…” she says slowly, the words dragged out of her.
Matt turns toward her, his own face pale. “What?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know if it’s still there.”
“Where?” I demand.
“There was this place he used to go. Right after we met you.”
“What place?”
She hesitates.
“An old storage facility,” she says finally. “Under the old rail yard. He said there were samples to collect there.”
Matt stares at her.
“He told me the city sealed that place,” she says. “I’ve only been there once to bring him supplies.”
It has to be it, because if there’s one place in Tar City that connects directly to the tunnels beneath the pit—it’s the fucking rail yard.
I lunge forward and grab Viper’s wrist. “You’re taking me there.”
Her eyes widen, the panic finally overflowing. “Jax?—”
“Now.”
