Page 64 of Glass Rose
Something’s wrong.
I cross to the door and open it. “Problem?”
John’s eyes dart past me to Sofia, who’s sitting up on the bed, hair mussed and lucky for him, dressed. “Alex is gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?” I ask.
“Couldn’t sleep, so I went up to check on him. Office is empty.” His shotgun hangs at his side, fingers tapping nervously against the barrel. “His gear’s not here. He’s vanished.”
Myjaw tightens. “How long?”
“Since I found out. No more than twenty minutes. I did a sweep of the warehouse first, thought he might be taking a leak or raiding the pantry.”
“Shit.” A cold feeling settles in my gut. “Let’s check the cameras.”
“You want to check if he left?”
“Yes.”
“Good Idea. I doubt he’s skilled enough to evade each camera.”
We follow John across the warehouse floor, past the empty living area where dishes from dinner still sit in a tub of soapy water. The office sits perched above the main floor, accessible by a metal staircase that clangs loudly beneath our hurried steps. Inside, monitors glow with blue light, illuminating the empty chair where Alex should be sitting, keeping watch.
I scan through the security monitors, flipping between camera feeds with quick taps. The loading dock door’s closed. Perimeter fence intact. No movement on the—wait.
“There.” I point to the northeastern camera. “Timestamp 23:47.”
The grainy black-and-white footage shows Alex slipping through the side entrance, backpack slung over his shoulder. He pauses at the tree line, eyes back on the warehouse before disappearing into the darkness.
“Son of a bitch.” John leans closer to the monitor. “What’s he thinking? There’s infected out there.”
Three quick beeps cut through, then silence.
John switches to the exterior camera feeds. Three black SUVs with tinted windows crawl up the access road. Each vehicle’s hood bears a logo gleaming in the moonlight… The distinctive double-tangled triangle of Green Research.
Sofia’s hand finds mine. What the fuck did Alexdo?
“Wake Cho and Marcus,” I tell her. “We’re going to need everyone on this.”
She nods, reluctantly releasing my hand to head for the door, looking back at me with a mixture of fear and determination that makes my chest ache. “Gavin?—”
“I know.” I won’t let them take her, or me, without one hell of a fight. “Go.”
She disappears down the stairs, and I turn back to the monitors, where several figures emerge from the car.
“Doesn’t look friendly.” John moves to the weapons locker behind his desk.
I zoom in on one of the figures. “There’s our Judas.”
Alex stands in the harsh glare of the headlights, camera clutched in his hands like a talisman. People always show you who they really are when the chips are down. It shouldn’t surprise me, selfish prick was always looking out for number one.
“How many?” John asks.
“Twelve. Heavily armed, tactical gear. Military training by the way they’re moving.”
“Bastard was using us from the start,” he says. “Offering a warehouse full of supplies.”
“And us.”
