Page 143 of Ramshackle
What do I need?
I…don’t know. It doesn’t feel real, seeing Gordon hurt. Can he recover from something like that? Is it over?
You thought he was dead last time, and he wasn’t.
That’s right.
“This is a gift from the president.” Thorne’s voice sounds through the speakers.
“What deranged bastard kills his own men?” Kellan growls.
It was a rhetorical question, but Dane replies anyway. “Clearly the sick fuck in charge of GE.”
I keep watching the screen as everything plays out. Jackson fighting Thorne back. Aiden grabbing Gordon.
See? He’s still alive.
“What did he say? Turn up the volume,” Kellan barks suddenly.
Dane reaches over the laptop and taps a key several times. “There. It’s all the way up.”
“He’s there…been there…with your Guild…”
Dane stiffens next to me.
“He’s lying.” Kellan snatches the phone on Aiden’s desk and hits two keys. “Yeah, I want a full security update. I’ll wait.”
“You think he snuck in during the party?” Dane asks.
“No. This place is locked up tighter than a frog’s ass hole. There’s absolutely no way he could have gotten in.” Kellan brings the phone back to his mouth. “Yeah? She did? Good. No, that’sthe order. Everything locked down, no one in or out. Call me if you see anything.” A pause. “Anything. You see a speck on your screen where it shouldn’t be, I want to know about it.” He hangs up. “Cibrina already has the bunker entry points secured, and the guards all checked in again that nothing has happened.”
Gordon’s head drops, his body going limp.
I grip the armrests on the chair, my knuckles turning white as I stare breathlessly at the screen.
Did he…?
Is he…?
“Wait…didn’t he say something aboutbeenhere?” I hear Dane talking, but the words don’t register as I’m consumed with the image of Gordon collapsed on the ground.
“The bunker is impenetrable. No one from outside got in,” Kellan argues.
“That’s not true, though, is it? We’ve let a lot of outside people into the bunker,” Dane pushes. “All of the rescued gifted.”
“And they’re isolated on their own floor in a locked space.”
“Then fucking humor me and call them.”
The phone on the desk rings, making us all jump.
Kellan answers. “What do you mean, the door opened on its own? No, there are no ghosts—” He stops, teeth snapping together. “It was probably Harvey. Call Claudia and have her keep an eye on him until I get down there.” He slams the phone into the cradle and slaps the laptop closed. I blink from my daze and look up. “I’m going to see what Harvey’s up to, but in case it’s nothing good, you aren’t coming with me. Get to our room, put the steel wall down, and hide under the bed until I come for you. I’m not taking any chances.” Kellan shoves the laptop at Dane. “And take this with you.”
“Do you think the president is actually—”
Kellan cuts Dane off. “I think you both need to get your asses to that room.” He helps me to my feet, then draws my face up tohis with a pinch of my chin. “Can you do that for me, beautiful? I know you’ve got a lot going on right now, but I need to know you’re safe. I’ll come for you as soon as Harvey’s dealt with and I’ve checked in with Cibrina.”
I take a deep breath and exhale, pushing the stress and worry from my mind for later. I can’t get lost in a sea of what-ifs when there might be danger here in the bunker. I need to be prepared to fight. To defend and protect the Guild for Aiden while he’s not here. “I’m fine,” I tell him, my voice coming out strong and clear. No more fear or hesitation. “I can help you if it comes to a fight.”
