“What element?”
“Playing dumb won’t work. The Army already suspected you knew where it was—this proves they were right. I suggest you cooperate with me while I’m still feeling merciful.”
Part of me wants to give in, because I know all too well what outright defiance of a syndicate will do to us. If Bea and I run now, none of us will be even remotely safe. I can’t make this decision for everyone, but I have to.
“Let’s make one thing clear, Phantom,” I say, though it doesn’t come out quite as strong as I’d like it to. “No one is getting that element.”
His eyes go wide. “Excuse me?”
I grab Bea’s arm. “Bea, remember what you said in the car?”
She nods.
“I’m plugging my ears.” I slam my hands on the sides of my face and brace for the sound. It’s just as horrible as I remember, indescribable in its pitch and ability to cause pain. But it levels Juan’s men. Several already have blood coming out of their ears when Bea stops.
“Let’s go!” Bea runs for Sexy Blue, and I’m right behind her.
The Phantom barely picks himself off the ground as Bea revs the engine. His lips move, but I can’t make out what he says over Sexy Blue’s roar and my ringing ears. It doesn’t matter—I already know things are about to get violent. As Bea makes a sharp U-turn, I already have my phone out.
Upset as I am at Seth, still he’s the first one I think to text. Phantom ambushed us. Knows about test. Had to fight out. Coming to get u.
Seth’s text comes quickly. Are u ok?
Stupid, confusing boy. Still worried about me even when he practically shoved me away. Yeah, but we’re in big trouble.
Calling Brady. Hector texted me and said element probably wouldn’t explode. We need to destroy it now.
I couldn’t agree more. Okay.
By the time Bea and I pick up Seth, I’ve gotten a hold of Hector, Carlos, Mom, and Miles. Graham has his phone off, and I keep trying back every couple minutes. It’s the first time I wish I had Allie’s number, because they must be together. I don’t know her, but she’s in danger for being with Graham anyway.
Seth sits directly behind me in Sexy Blue, and it’s annoying because I can’t see his face or tell if he’s still hurt by what I said. I want us to be okay. I shouldn’t be thinking about this right now, but it’s all my brain wants to focus on.
“We’ll need Bea, Hector, and Carlos to come up with some kind of diversionary tactic,” Seth says. “They’ll be tailing us for sure if they can.”
Bea nods. “We’ll watch your backs until you get to the edge of town, then figure something out.”
“Sounds good,” I say.
The Pack is already outside when we get to Seth’s house. They cram into the car, and the extra weight makes it difficult to go as fast as Bea usually does. Everyone is quiet as we head in the direction of the cave, mostly because they’re playing lookout. Hector has his eyes closed, focusing on sounds none of us can hear. Carlos scans the quickly-dimming horizon, his diamond pupils expanded and round like a cat’s.
“Looks clear,” Carlos says.
Hector nods. “But it won’t stay that way.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly as a new wave of panic washes over me. “Don’t get cocky, okay? They way outnumber us. If you can avoid a fight, do.”
Bea pats my knee, then says in my voice, “We know the difference between diversion and attack.”
“Do we?” Carlos asks. “Because I’ve been wanting to beat up Juan’s dudes for years.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Hector says. “Seriously.”
Carlos makes a face. “It was a joke, man. You know, trying to lighten up the situation. Being tense won’t get us anywhere.”
“We have to be on our guard.” Hector runs his hands through his hair, and I wonder if he’s more scared than he lets on. He tries to act tough, but the more I get to know him the more I don’t buy it.
Bea slows to a stop at the city limit. Hector and Carlos take a few minutes to listen and look before they clear Brady to start running. Once they do, Brady carries Seth and me to save time, and we’re off at a ground-breaking pace. The sun has just set over the distant mesas, making it harder to see because the moon isn’t quite up. Everything is gray and hazy and passing by so quickly I barely have time to prepare.
The pools. They’re about to be gone. I want one more chance to swim in them. One more chance to be there with Seth when we’re not in this weird place, but happy like before. This is happening too fast. I’m not ready to say goodbye.
But what else can we do? If we don’t get rid of them tonight, chances are The Phantom will figure it out. He’s already too close.
The mountain that hides the pools grows bigger and bigger as Brady closes in, but about a mile off he skids to a stop, spraying pebbles everywhere. He doesn’t put us down. Just stares out at the shadowy landscape with a blank look on his face. Seth digs his knuckle into Brady’s head. “Uh, earth to Brady? What’s the hold-up?”
“I…” He squints. “Is it just me, or can you guys see the blue, too?”
“What?” I say, my eyes immediately on my best guess for the cave’s location. “There’s no light anywhere.”
“Are you sure?” Brady says. “I know that mountain like my own house, and I swear I can see the cave opening. Opened. Am I nuts?”
“Maybe you’re just so used to where it is that—”
Seth swears under his breath. “More to the left, Fi. That’s definitely brighter than it should be.”
I turn my head, looking for what they see. It’s very faint, but I finally catch the soft, deep blue spot against the mountain’s shadow. My stomach threatens to lose it as the implications set in. “Oh no.”
Someone moved the boulder.
Someone else found the pools.
Brady puts us down, and we all stand there for a second in a shocked daze. After that wears off, all I feel is regret. We should have caved it in yesterday. But no, I was selfish and wanted to keep something I knew was dangerous. Now we’re paying the price.
“What do we do?” Brady says quietly.
Seth clenches his jaw. “There’s only one thing to do—finish our job.”
I look at him, surprised. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sick of drugs. I’m sick of these people doing whatever the hell they want. And I’m sure as hell sick of this getting in the way of our lives.”
I bite my lip, positive he’s referring more to our last exchange than anything. But he’s right; this Radiasure race has made our lives even more difficult than before. “What if there are a bunch of people there? I don’t think Brady wants to bash heads in.”
Brady cringes. “Please, no.”
“We won’t know until we get there.” Seth starts running, and I’m not sure where this new zeal is coming from. Did he find more at his dad’s office? Or is this a reckless way to blow off steam from all our issues? There’s no time to ask—even the sound of our footsteps feels too loud now that I know there is someone in our cave. Someone potentially dangerous.
The closer we get, the slower and quieter we move. My hopes are high when I make out only one unmarked truck, which looks like it was used to move the boulder because the chain is still wrapped around the rock. There can’t be more than a handful of people. Of course, their abilities could make it much worse.
“They didn’t leave a guard,” Seth whispers. “Seems stupid.”
“Or they’re strong enough not to worry about it,” Brady says.
“Maybe.” Seth squints in a way I now know is him looking through something. My guess is the truck and nearby brush. “Ugh, I wish I had Carlos’ night vision right now. It looks clear, but the shadows cover a lot.”