Page 75 of Shield and Savior

“You’re such a fucking little bitch. You have no business here.”

Those were his same complaints when Alana took over Mastodon, only slightly more professionally worded.

Two more steps, my back flat against the wall.

“You couldn’t leave it alone?” he yells again.

I don’t hear her response. Is she scared? Was she placating him until Macie got out of the building? Or was she getting annoyed that this was going on too long?

A few more steps. I crouch down. The conference room is sandwiched between two windows. One that opens to the hallway, and the other to the outside world. There’s a photo on the wall that reflects into the room.

She’s standing to the side of the table, and Delta’s back is to the hall. Her face is emotionless, one straight line for lips.

Delta paces but keeps his gun on her. He’s also doing a great job of pacing in the one blind spot of the room. The angles are wrong. No wonder Specs can’t get a shot.

“I thought you were smart enough to get the Four Families on board. That’s what The Deviant wanted. He’s made his demands clear.”

“I don’t work for The Deviant, and I don’t work for the Four Families.” Her voice is steady. Even. Lacking rage or comfort. “And I don’t appreciate you trying to use Mastodon and its clients as test subjects for Majesty, either.”

He barks, “Oh please, Phoenix was only the start. Once we got to him, the whole music industry would be flooded. The Deviant had plenty of potential test subjects. He picked one of your clients to send a message.”

“If the message is that he’s an asshole, I got it.”

“Get on board or others will get hurt.”

Alana could make a move. She could disarm him, but she doesn’t.

And now I see why.

It’s a Faraday bomb.

They look like hour glasses, each side holding one inert chemical. They’re kept in glass spheres with one long tube wrapped around them. It’s supposed to make it easier for transport. Because if the spheres break, the explosion can be catastrophic. And it doesn’t take much force to break it. Dropping it from three feet in the air onto a hard surface would be more than enough to shatter it.

If I time it right, I should be able to disarm him and grab the bomb. Or Alana could do it.

Inching toward the door, I keep my shadows and steps in mind.

Alana yawns. “God, all of this is so boring and unoriginal. But what do you expect from a drug lord who calls himself The Deviant and his little bitch boy who doesn’t know his real name.”

“Fuck you! You’re a lying whore.”

Alana frowns. “Oh, you’re the first man ever to try to insult me by questioning my virtue. That’s so creative.” Now I can see her, and I’m pretty sure she knows I’m here. She doesn’t look in my direction, but her shoulders relax in a way only someone who’s lived with her for a decade would recognize.

Sweat beads down Delta’s face. He’s like a caged animal and has finally figured out he’s running on borrowed time. He raises his gun just as the glass behind Alana explodes, and she instinctively ducks. The window shatters by the time the bullet pierces Delta’s brain. The force knocks him back, his lifeless body slamming against the wall.

The Faraday bomb slips out of his hand.

I’m too late.

I’m blind and deaf and in pain almost instantly.

I broke my promise to Izzy.

ChapterThirty-Eight

Izzy

Emotions create a choke point on the highway of my thoughts. I stood there. That son of a bitch tried to take my son, and I did nothing. No, I shook and used every ounce of strength not to kill him but no action.

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