Page 147 of Hell and High Water

But the whole place is deathly silent.

The ramifications of that reality sit like a weight in my gut. Marco must have wiped the slate clean.

As we approach, cautiously crossing the rubble strewn plaza, Evan and Alaya take up positions on our flanks, guarding the vehicle and our backs. Like an unspoken order, Gavin sidles up to me, heading for the entry.

“Looks like Devonde built this place to withstand an assault.”

“He didn’t build it strong enough, apparently,” I huff.

“Stay close.”

“Good idea.”

The interior of the building is smoldering, in places, blown out. Thankfully, most of the smoke has dissipated through the massive windows littering the street out front.

A few bodies line the hallway leading back to the elevator bank, a mix of Ghost-emblem wearing thugs, professional security guards, and a rabble of militaristic looking uniforms indicative of Marco’s forces.

“In broad fucking daylight,” Gavin rumbles, shaking his head in disbelief.

“And not a cop in sight.”

“Smart. They don’t stand a chance against Marco’s firepower.”

“Or they’ve been bought.” Tell's reports of the failing effects of law enforcement echo through my head.

Or they're all just scared. Many of the good ones, the honest ones, are with us, abandoning their posts alongside their corrupt counterparts to protect their families.

Which inevitably compounds the problem. With only the corrupt cops left, it’s yet another faction we have to worry about when we’re trying to get around and evacuate civilians.

But right now, that speculation is a distraction I can’t afford.

“We can’t search the whole building. Any signal?”

“No. Either his tracker isn’t working or he’s not nearby.”

It’s a demand I had as things escalated, for Tell to wear a beacon. Knowing it’s not sounding here in the middle of this blast zone should be a relief. But I won’t stop looking until I know he’s safe.

“Let’s at least check Devonde’s office before we go.”

“Hellena…”

“No. If there’s anything useful there, we need to get it.” As unlikely as it might be.

Gavin nods, a look of concern on his face for me.

The stairwell is flashing with red light the entire climb, littered with more and more bodies as we climb. It’s all I can do to keep my eyes forward, to ignore the carnage.

On the top floor, the damage is less, but the fighting must have been the heaviest.

“They really let this fucker have it, didn't they?”

“That's Marco. He's fucking ruthless.” As if I needed a reminder of what we’re up against.

It takes both of us to clear a path to Devonde’s office door.

Inside, the room is a disaster.

There’s no way anything survived the gunfire, the clear signs of blasts and what looks like a thorough ransacking. Only one body stands out among the detritus.

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