Chapter 52

 

RENEE SPRINTED TO catch up. Good thing she’d spent a lot of time running. Jessie darted toward Aeron’s building pursued by Sawyer. Renee had caught sight of her running and sent Jed’s sister toward Frei.

One of the guards had spotted her only to crash face first into the floor as he tripped over something. She couldn’t stop to make sure he was out. 

She’d tried to radio Frei, but with her vest riding up, her earpiece had come out. She shoved the dangling wire, mid-run, into her pocket.

Jessie hurtled up the few steps and yanked at the door.

Locked.

She pulled a card from her pocket. Swiped it. Renee willed the door to open.

Nothing.

Jessie glanced behind her. Sawyer rammed into her. They clattered to the ground. They tussled. Jessie kicked him and scrabbled to get away. Sawyer reached out and ripped off her mask.

Jessie clutched her chest. She doubled over.

Sawyer raised his arm. Renee drew her gun. Fired.

Bam.

The glass door beside Sawyer shattered. Whatever shiny object that had been in his hand clattered to the floor. He gripped hold of his wrist. Blood pulsed from the wound. 

He turned. Renee charged him off Jessie. The impact smashed him backward over the hedge. Her shoulder stung with the impact. She pulled Jessie away. Jessie gasped for air. Renee glanced up. She had to get out of the wind. Jessie needed her pump.

Sawyer scrambled along the ground. He turned, knife raised. Renee shoved Jessie behind her, bracing for the blow.

Sawyer gripped his neck. Pulled a dart out. Looked at it and slumped to the floor.

Frei burst out of the shadows and over to the door. Tools out. It swung open in seconds. Renee and Frei lifted Jessie up and carried her inside. Frei hurried back out and dragged Sawyer into a side room as Renee placed Jessie onto the weight bench.

“Pump,” Renee muttered, fumbling through Jessie’s pockets. She found it, handed it to Jessie who took it, and clamped her eyes shut.

Frei stormed over.

“Water,” Renee shot at her.

Frei pulled a bottle from her trouser pocket. “He’s out for now. The sister got to the garage.”

Renee checked over Jessie. “He had a knife.”

Frei nodded.

“She’s unharmed.”

“Get to the garage.” Frei lifted up her mask as Jessie protested. “You’ve done an amazing job. Go get rested. Make sure the salt and water is ready for Miroslav.”

Jessie nodded. The wheezing cough she gave made Frei’s eyes glint with concern.

Renee gave Jessie her mask. “Let’s get you to the bus.” She put the radio back in as Frei glanced at the door.

“Jäger is on the move. I need to go.” She flashed a smile at them both and strode off. Renee wanted to tell her to be careful but Frei would tell her to get on with it.

“You ready?” she asked Jessie as she pulled herself upward.

Jessie nodded, fiddling with her mask. Renee helped her off the bench and tiptoed around the smashed glass. It would have to stay there.

Renee glanced up in the direction of the main building. Aeron would be playing by now. She knew the crowd would be mesmerized by her. She needed to be kept safe.

There was no way Aeron would leave any students behind. There was no way Renee would leave her behind.

“So get a move on,” she muttered to herself, guiding Jessie along the path to the garage.

 

FREI RELOADED HER dart gun. She’d hit the guard who was unconscious on the ground just to be sure. She’d dragged him into a closet in the hallway of the boys’ dorm and sprinted to catch up to Jäger. She spotted him and held back as he entered the building on the southwest corner of the quadrant. The block set back between Aeron’s gym and Sawyer’s engineering block.

Officially it was a medical block but held a few confinement suites. She knew from bitter experience what they were like.

She scowled as she got to the side door and pulled out her toolkit. Not surprisingly, Huber appeared at her side. She let him in and pulled up her mask.

“Jäger is inside. He’ll visit Kevin so your best bet would be when he goes to find the doctors to sedate him.”

Huber straightened his tie. “And the girl?”

“Pregnant.”

Huber rolled his eyes. “Worthless.”

She bit back her views on the subject. “The boy’s unhinged. Violent.”

Kevin concerned her. He seemed to have buckled. She tried to feel him out, to see if he would be interested in freedom but the kid was obsessed with Jessie’s notes.

“I’ll break him in.”

Ursula had left out that Kevin wasn’t a genius but Huber hadn’t asked. “Either way, I get you into the secure confinement area and I get you out. Then you’re on your own.”

Huber smiled. “Lead the way.”

 

HEAT. LIGHTS. THE shimmery glow of the stage. Sweaty hands. Thumping heart. People. There were a load of people somewhere beyond the glow.

Baby steps.

One thing at a time. Focus.

Breathing heavy in my ears. Pulsing blood. All mine. It felt isolated up here. Miranda and I. It was just us.

Breathe.

Chaconne. The first section was the easiest. My hands trembled. Sweat coated my palms. Adrenaline poured through me.

Breathe. Calm.

My left knee shook like it could buckle any second. My heart loud, heavy, so much so I could just hear the music. Miranda mimed her way through the first section. Her pain pulsed in my wrist.

Renee’s idea had worked. Smyth had found it hilarious that I’d made the microphones crackle with static. He chuckled as Miranda played along with my crackly track.

Renee. Man, I wished she were here right now. I wished Nan were here. Miranda was counting on me to pull this off. She was holding her own.

The final few notes of the first section played and I placed my bow to the strings. She needed me to find my strength. I closed my eyes, focusing on centering myself.

I took a deep breath. Prayed that I could do this in front of a load of people and started to play.