West was laying on the ground, looking totally out of it, his eyes dully searching the sky. He looked like he’d dropped fifteen pounds since I had last seen him. But the inhibitor was gone.
Tristan knelt on the ground next to him, his body trembling slightly in fatigue.
“Is he okay?” I asked Tristan, kneeling at West’s side. I was conflicted, wanting to both assure myself that he was alive and wanting to strangle him at the same time for betraying me.
“He’ll be fine,” Tristan said. “He’s actually drugged right now. I told him the truth about what happened with you and he was totally freaking out. I didn’t want him getting too worked up during the journey until he could see that you were okay.”
“Eve?” West mumbled, his eyes still totally unfocused. He blinked hard and shook his head.
“How did you get down here?” I asked, turning to Tristan and standing. “Surely you didn’t walk this whole way.”
He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. “We took a boat. I didn’t think we’d survive the drive down.”
West moaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position. “My head,” he said, pressing his hands into the sides of his head. “What did you give me?”
“A sedative,” Tristan said with a chuckle. “It was intended for livestock, but it did the trick.”
West finally opened his eyes, and saw me standing there with a hard expression. “Eve,” he said, his voice rising as he made his way to his feet. “Eve, you’ve got to listen to me—”
And then Avian plowed into him.
They both skidded across the concrete and hadn’t even stopped before Avian’s fists were connecting with West’s jaw.
“You’ve screwed Eve over for the last time!” Avian screamed. “And now you’ve probably killed us all!”
“Avian!” I screamed, lunging after him at the same time Nick did.
Avian shoved me off and punched Nick. He turned back to West and to my horror, pulled his hand gun and leveled it in West’s face.
“You keep making mistake after mistake,” Avian whispered. “And I am sorry for what you’ve gone through, but I’m getting tired of forgiving you. This…what you did to her this time…I’m not letting this go.”
“Avian!” I yelled again, taking a slow step forward. “This isn’t you. You don’t want to hurt him.”
“Believe me,” Avian said, shaking his head, his eyes never leaving West’s. “I do.”
“Avian, I—” West started.
“Shut up!” Avian screamed, spit flying from his mouth. He shoved his gun in West’s face again. “You don’t deserve any more second chances. I nearly lost her forever because of you!”
“Avian, don’t do this,” I said as I took another step toward him.
I looked up to Nick, who met my worried gaze for a second. I saw the action in his eyes before I could yell to stop him.
Nick rushed forward. His arms wrapped around Avian’s waist and they both rolled over the concrete, wrestling for the gun.
A shot fired.
Nick collapsed to the road, his breath’s coming in shallow gasps. His hands clutched his bleeding abdomen.
“Nick!” I screamed, darting forward to press my own hands into his to try and stop the blood.
“No,” Avian whispered. “I didn’t… I’m sorry… I—”
Elijah tackled Avian, forcing his face to the ground. He snapped a pair of handcuffs around Avian’s wrists.
“Royce!” Elijah bellowed. “Dr. Sun!”
The next sixty seconds were a blur of Avian apologizing, his eyes wild, Royce barking for Avian to be taken into confinement, men hauling the bleeding Nick and West back to the hospital, and Tristan and I standing there stunned, not knowing what had just happened or what to do.
They all shut me out.
Elijah locked Avian up and he, Royce, Gabriel, and everyone else important headed for the conference room to figure out a plan. As well as what to do with Avian.
They literally locked me out.
“Eve,” Tristan said. He’d followed me up to the sixth floor and we both stood outside the locked door. “I really need to talk to you.”
It took me a long moment to respond. I just stood staring at that locked door thinking I should be inside, helping to formulate a plan for how to save everyone here.
The Pulse was broken, and we had less than seventy-two hours until the Underground set off their hidden beacon.
And Avian was locked up like a criminal.
I had to do something. But what?
“Eve?” Tristan repeated.
“Okay,” I finally said.
I led him down into my room and locked the door behind me.
Out of view of everyone else, Tristan suddenly engulfed me in a hug. “You made it back okay then?”
“Yeah,” I answered, surprised at his bold move of affection. I patted his back awkwardly before he released me.
“I have to admit, I was worried I was sending you away to get ripped apart,” he said, his eyes dark. “Things started getting worse at the Underground after you left.”
“More break-ins?” I asked, my stomach hollowing out.
“Twice,” he nodded, his eyes turning to the window and the streets outside, like he didn’t quite believe that the city was actually cleared. “We got it the first time before anything happened. But we lost a soldier the second time.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. I truly was, despite what they had done to me. “Are you okay? Did they punish you after you let me go?”
This was when his eyes truly darkened. “That’s what I needed to talk to you about. They never questioned anyone after they discovered you were gone. But I kept getting all these knowing looks. They knew it was me, Eve. But they never said a word. They acted like they expected this, like they might have even planned your escape.”
I was quiet for a moment, digesting what this would possibly mean. “They wanted me to get out of there.”
Tristan nodded. “And I think they wanted you to get back quickly. Those were Alistar’s keys I took. To his motorcycle. I didn’t think about it at the time, but I found them just outside my door. They looked like they had been dropped there by accident. But I don’t think it was any mistake. I don’t think Margaret is quite finished with you, Eve.”
My blood turned cold as I met Tristan’s eyes again. A shaky hand rose to my head, running along my scalp. There was now very short fuzz covering my skin. “Something has been happening,” I whispered. “I keep having these head-splitting headaches. Blackouts that follow.”
“I have little doubt that it is because of them,” he shook his head. “Something is going to happen.”
“Margaret was obsessed with the Pulse,” I said. “I guarantee this has something to do with it.”
“That’s what cleared the city for you?” he asked.
I nodded. “She was livid when we told her we wouldn’t use it when she was down here those few weeks ago. She’s trying to force us to use it.”
“I suggest you tell your people to have it ready.” His eyes were dark and serious and regretful.
I shook my head this time, my eyes falling to the ground. “You just missed the earthquake. They hid the Pulse after the Underground took me. But it got damaged. There’s no way it will work. And I have no idea how long it will take to fix.”
Tristan swore under his breath.
All the information I’d learned, all the secrets and lies tumbled through my head, as if on repeat.
“Tristan,” I whispered, my blood going cold. I froze, my gaze locking with his. “What if I’m the trigger?”
His face blanched. I could see the gears swirling in his head as things started to fall into place. “That’s the reason they wanted you to escape.”
“They put the trigger in my head and sent me back. What if I’ve already started some kind of countdown?”