“Please. Stop.” I jerk against Nitro’s grip.
The screaming stops and guards lay limp on the floor, hands no longer clutching their heads.
Draven has regained control now. Oh, he’s still furious but at least we’ve gotten through to him and he’s released whatever weird hold he had on the guards. Then again, maybe it’s Dante’s presence that got through to him. He turns to his cousin, to his best friend, and says, “Deacon.”
Draven’s voice is choked, his shoulders slumped, his face desolate, as he points at the body bag.
Nitro releases me.
Dante turns white at the implication. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t breathe. He just stands there, as precious seconds tick by. Then, just when I’m about to start for the body bag myself, he stumbles toward it and yanks back the zipper. His whole body sags.
“It’s not him.” Dante’s eyes fill with tears. “It’s not Deacon.”
In my ear, Rebel sobs with relief.
Nitro walks over to the other body bags laid out on the lab tables. One by one, he unzips them and shakes his head. Seven in all. Seven bodies. Seven dead villains. None of them Deacon.
Relief fills me, followed by shame. Seven people are dead. Relief is the last emotion I should feel. Shame, horror, rage—but not relief. Never that. And yet, I can’t help but feel grateful that Deacon’s not in one of those bags. There is still hope.
“We should keep moving,” Draven says after a minute, drawing all of our attention back to him. “Keep searching.”
“What was that?” I ask, gesturing at the guards who are still writhing on the floor.
“Not now,” he says.
I want to argue, but I know that he’s right. This isn’t the time and it definitely isn’t the place. But before I can so much as nod, Nitro whispers, “Vane is in one of those bags.”
Dante and Draven freeze.
“Vane?” Dante’s voice is strangled. “Shit. Which one?”
Nitro nods to the last one on the right. “What should we do?”
“We shouldn’t leave him,” Draven says. “He’s a friend.”
Dante shakes his head. “We can’t carry him out of here.”
“You would carry Deacon out.”
“Yes, but he’s my brother. And we might still have to carry him out.”
Draven looks sick.
Dante continues, “If Vane was alive, I’d do anything to get him out of here. But he’s dead. They can’t hurt him anymore. We can’t risk it.”
Draven nods, and eventually so does Nitro. Tears burn the backs of my eyes.
“So now what?” Nitro asks.
“We need to find Deacon.” Dante pushes to his feet. “We’ll contact Vane’s family after we get out of this hellhole. But for now, we need to figure out where my brother is.”
I’m so wrapped up in the horror before me that it takes my mind a few seconds to get back on track. “No,” I whisper. “He’s gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” Dante looms over me.
My mouth goes dry, but I force out the words, “The guards said these were the last of them. After this they’re closing down the building.”
“And you believe them?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe? They were talking to each other, not to us. They said the building is empty.”
Which means—my heart sinks further at the realization—that my mom really isn’t here. Despair creeps in, but I shove it aside. This isn’t the time or place.
“Yeah, well, there’s only one way to find out.” Draven strides over to the security men, grabs one by the collar of his uniform, and lifts him off the ground. “The other prisoners?” he demands. “Where are they?”
The guard whimpers.
“Where!” Draven roars.
“G-g-g-gone,” the guard stammers. “N-n-new lab.”
“All of them?”
The guard nods. “All but these last ones.”
“Shite.” Nitro pounds his fist on the lab table beside him.
I step forward. “What about my mom? Do you know where Dr. Swift is?”
“Kenna?” He frowns at me.
Draven shakes him again. “Answer her.”
“I-I-I don’t know,” the terrified guard replies. “Maybe at the new lab? I haven’t seen her in a few days.”
“Where is it?” I demand.
“I don’t know,” the guard wails. When Draven tightens his grip, he says, “I swear, I have no idea. All the guards are being reassigned.”
Draven looks like he wants to keep interrogating the man, but then just tosses him aside like a rag doll, not bothering to see where he lands. “We need to find out where the new lab is.”
“Guys?” Jeremy says suddenly, his voice in all of our ears.
“How are we going to do that?” I ask, ignoring my ex-boyfriend. “Jeremy couldn’t find any information about that on Mr. Malone’s computer.”
“If we have to tear this entire building to the ground to find a clue,” Draven says slowly, “then we will.” And I know he means every word.
“Um, guys?” Jeremy says over the earbuds.
“Back off, geek boy.” Draven starts for the door at the back of the lab.