Page 24 of The Darkest Revenge

KATIE

My eyelids fluttered open, and I sucked in a sharp breath as I sat up too quickly for my brain to follow. Groaning softly, I shivered at the cold, conditioned air that slithered up my arms and legs. Instantly, hands were on me, and I blinked hard before Brandon’s concerned face came into view.

“What happened? Where are we?” Slurring heavily, I held my hand to my eye to keep it from popping out of its socket as a massive ache engulfed my head. Gently pushing me back down, Brandon sat on the bed, and I sniffled harshly as I covered my face.

“We’re in California. You woke up on the plane and started freaking out, so... but, just take a minute. We’re in my headquarters building.”

Arching my back sharply, I groaned as my back popped, and Brandon swiped some hair from my face as his other hand caressed my bump.

“There’s no word on Jett, yet, but a lot of bodies can’t be identified because of the fire.”

“Why do you have a bed in your office?”

When I opened my eyes, Brandon was like some benevolent angel in the glow of the dim lights. His smile widened a little, and even through my headache, I could tell he wassomuch more stable being back home.

“Where’s Mason?”

“He doesn’t know we’re here, yet. It’s almost 4 a.m., though. We’ve got a few hours to figure out what to do next.”

Sitting up much slower this time, I breathed a sigh of relief even as my mind churned faster and faster with each passing second. We wereinBrandon’s headquarters? Why didn’t we go home? As if sensing my confusion, he sat back and grabbed a water bottle off the nightstand.

“Nathan said he’s probably watching the house, so going there would tell him we were back. This is the safest place. I’ve already locked Berthold out, and if his keycard doesn’t work, he can’t even enter the building.”

“Okay. Good. That’s good... Did you sweep the building?” Cold water cooled my face and neck, and I caught Brandon’s gaze as he nodded. “Even better. Okay. So... now... we contact Mason directly. Give me your cell phone.”

“What? No, can you at least wait five minutes, Katie? You threw up all over the plane, and... just a few minutes to wake up.”

I don’t remember that. A shiver jerked my shoulders at the word ‘plane’, and I scowled lightly even as I ducked my head in a nod. Relief shone in Brandon’s eyes, and he uncapped my water bottle for me. Taking a few, huge gulps, I realized how thirsty I was.Which shouldn’t be surprising considering the flight is, like, eight hours long, and I was down for almost all of it.

“Okay, so... assuming we’ve got a few hours before the place opens, and Mason didn’t leave us any surprises,andassuming Jett is dead... did you revoke Mason’s info? Can he still get in the building?”

Again, Brandon nodded, and I took another gulp from my bottle to lick my lips heavily.

“Good. Good. So, we’ll just stay here and when he comes in... I’ll shoot him. And this’ll be over.”

My grim optimism earned me a grimace, but Brandon didn’t try to object anymore. I knew it wouldn’t be so easy as to just kill Mason, but I was hopeful. Until now, everything was going smoothly. It wasn’t unfair to hope it’d continue to go smoothly.

“Brandon, we got a problem.”Nathan’s voice came crackling through a small walkie talkie, and he snatched it to answer a curt ‘what’. “There’s explosive in the basement. Like... a lot of explosives. Enough to level this whole block.”

“... Shit. Is there any way to disarm them?”

This building was priceless, and Brandon went white a sheet as he sat straight up.

“Where are they?”

“In the basement against the structural pillars, and I’m no expert, but... there’s too much here to disarm them by myself before people start coming in.”That sounded really bad, but pride flickered in my chest when Brandon didn’t immediately start hyperventilating and crying. He gulped harshly, his eyes finding mine desperately searching, and I held out my hand for the talkie to speak up.

“You’re gonna have to start, Nathan. Don’t get complacent, the wires could be switched on some. You can’t call the police or anything, either. Mason’ll be listening in. Do you have any buddies that are trained for explosives?”

“Nope. I’m on my own. Y’all two need to get out of the building, in that case. I’ll be fine. Either I live, or I’ll die so fast I wouldn’t even know I’m dead.”Nathan’s voice lilted, and my hear throbbed as expectation swam through my system. “You remember when you asked me at the hospital if I had someone like Katie? Someone that made me a better person. Someone I loved. Well, I do. Her name’s Lola, and she was my baby sister. I’ve lived my whole life trying to be someone she’d be proud of, to rise above the racism and the stigma that got her killed. So, either I’ll keep on doing that, or I’ll finally be with her. I’m okay with both of those outcomes.”

I teared up a bit at that, and the radio went silent as Brandon shivered almost uncontrollably. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him to my chest to hold him tight. He very much could lose his only friend, if that were what Nathan could even be called. My chest tightened, but we didn’t have time to stand around and worry.

“Let’s get out of here, Brandon.”So, having Nathan as backup is out.As much as I wanted to be mad, I couldn’t be, and I threw my legs over the bed to help Brandon to his feet. “We gotta go.”

“N- Nathan will survive. He will.” Wiping tears off his face with his sleeve, Brandon stood by himself, barely. Fumbling for his cell phone, he handed the device to me, and we headed out of the room and through his office to the elevator. I had never been in this building before, but it didn’t matter— they were all basically the same, anyway.

I dialed Mason’s phone number on the elevator and held my breath as anxiety curdled my blood. My heart pounded in my ears, and Brandon punched the ‘down’ button before wrapping his arm around my waist.

---