Part 32 (1/2)

The table was covered in papers: photographs of various locations around the Shadow District; images of Kat leaving work, taken from a distance; a map with the location of Drew's school highlighted in neon yellow as well as Mel's Bar, Denise's office building, and the Black Door.

”We should get the rest of the Elite in here to tear the place apart for more evidence,” Miranda said, lifting her wrist. ”Star-three-”

”Wait,” Deven said shortly, grabbing her arm and pulling her com away from her mouth.

”What's wrong?”

Deven's head snapped up, and he looked around, something dawning on his face that left a burning chasm of fear in Miranda's stomach. ”We have to get out of here.”

”What-”

Deven's voice was urgent. ”No agent of mine would leave evidence lying out in plain sight unless she knew we would see it. She knew we were coming. Go!”

He pushed her toward the door, just as David all but shouted from her wrist: ”Get out of there! A signal was just sent from the-”

Miranda ran for the exit, and no sooner had her face hit the cold air than she was jerked back into something hard-Deven seized her by the shoulders and shoved them both forward, over the railing, twisting in midair to pull her against his chest.

The force of the explosion behind them threw them both through the air and into the street below.

Miranda felt her shoulder hit the ground and crack beneath her, a dull but fierce pain engulfing her as Deven landed on top of her, s.h.i.+elding her body from flying debris. The noise was deafening-Miranda was sure she screamed, but she could hear nothing but the thunder of the apartment's walls fragmenting and flying outward at lightning speed.

She felt pain throughout her body, both from her own wounds and from David's. Her shoulder was in agony, and something was stabbing her in the leg-no, David's leg.

”f.u.c.k,” she heard Deven grumble near her ear. ”That was so stupid.”

”David,” she moaned. ”David! He's hurt-get off me!”

”Calm down,” Deven commanded harshly, not budging. ”He's fine. You're still alive, aren't you? Hold still-we're pinned underneath something.”

He s.h.i.+fted on top of her, and she became aware of a weight pressing down on her that wasn't him; he was, she realized, lighter than she had expected, probably lighter than her. She smelled scorched wood, so they were probably wedged under part of a wall. Beyond Deven's body she could hear chaos-Elite yelling, sirens wailing in the distance, Faith's voice giving orders. The odor of electrical fire and melted plastic and metal were thick in the air.

”Miranda!” David said from her com. ”Are you all right?”

”I'm okay,” she panted around the pain in her shoulder. ”We're stuck under something. Where are you?”

David sounded breathless but otherwise okay, the panic leaving his voice once he heard hers. ”Near the stairs. I was halfway up when I saw the signal-I made it to the lee of the building and everything blew out over me, including you. I'm surrounded by debris and have a piece of rebar in my leg-stay where you are. Whatever you do, don't try to Mist if you're hurt. You won't be able to focus and you might scatter yourself.”

She could feel his fear, for her and for Deven, and she probably would have been afraid, too, but she was so relieved that he was all right that there was no room for any other emotion.

”Can you move your legs apart?” Deven asked through gritted teeth.

Miranda obliged slowly and painfully. ”Probably the first time you've ever asked a woman that,” she said.

Deven snorted, then made a strained sound and pushed upward, one of his knees between hers using the ground as leverage. She felt the weight on them lifting, slowly at first, then angled hard off to the side.

Deven fell down next to her, breathing hard. ”Stupid,” he said again. ”Should have known better . . . but I was sure we had her. The intel was good . . . 5.23 has never been wrong.”

He forced himself up onto his knees, and Miranda saw that he was b.l.o.o.d.y and disheveled. As she started to push herself up, too, it felt like something in her shoulder tore, and she cried out. Deven put his hands on her and nudged her back down.

”Lie still,” he said. ”I'll fix your shoulder, but you have to give me a minute to catch my breath.”

She nodded, trying to stay grounded and keep her breathing steady while Deven looked around them at the demolished scene. ”We're all the way across the street,” he commented, sounding impressed. ”Whatever she used to blow the building had no smell, no vibration . . . I'd love to know what it was. It looks like the whole building went up . . . be glad you can't see it yet. There are . . . a lot of bodies. Humans . . . from the crack house. I don't see any Elite among them.”

”Faith's okay,” Miranda managed. ”Have you . . .”

”Sire . . .”

The voice coming from Miranda's com was hoa.r.s.e and faint, but she knew it. ”Lali?” she asked. ”Lali, where are you?”

A cough. ”Sire . . . my Lord Alpha . . . I'm sorry. I failed you.”

Deven leaned over toward Miranda, who held up her wrist. ”No, Lalita.”

”I was sure of the intel . . . must have missed something . . . I failed you . . .”

Miranda was astonished to see something s.h.i.+ning in Deven's eyes. He replied to Lali in a language Miranda didn't understand, and Lali said something almost too quiet to hear. Then silence.

”David?” Miranda asked urgently. ”Do you have Lali's signal?”

She heard him take a deep breath. ”She's gone, beloved.”

Miranda fought back tears as she asked Deven, ”What did you tell her?”

The Prime looked away. ”I told her I was proud of her.”

”And she said good-bye,” Miranda concluded, wiping her eyes with the hand of her uninjured arm.

Deven started to speak, then clapped one hand against the side of his neck. ”What the h.e.l.l . . .”

Miranda felt something small and hard hit her injured shoulder, and she whimpered, groping with her other hand and finding a thin cylinder of wood jutting out from her coat.

She looked up, alarmed, and saw Deven pull an identical object from his neck.

Then he gasped and fell forward, catching himself on his hands with a choked groan. She watched in horror as blood began to drip from his mouth and nose . . . he sucked in a hoa.r.s.e breath, eyes clamping shut, raising both hands to his head.

It was only when the pain gripped Miranda's skull that the realization came to her . . . and by then it was too late . . . She was already losing consciousness, the pain engulfing her so completely that she couldn't even scream.

Seventeen.

”Miranda!”

David fought his way back to consciousness gasping, choking around the pain that racked his entire body as the ant.i.toxin kit had its way with him.

”Sire, please . . . you must hold still.”

Blinding light sent new flashes of agony through his head, but he opened his eyes anyway, struggling against the arms that held him down until he recognized the tense, pale faces hovering over his.