Though we’re supposed to meet these Spudlings at the interstate bridge, we don’t take the roads to get there. Seth and I know exactly how to navigate the desert so that we end up at the drop-off, and Lee Seol seems happy to let us take the lead.
The night sky is darker than usual, thanks to the considerable amount of cloud cover. It’s been a while since we had a storm roll in, and I’m not sure whether the darkness is a good or bad thing. Either way, I speed up.
“What’s the rush?” Lee Seol says through labored breaths. “They know to wait until I get there.”
“If it rains I’m screwed.”
She curses. “I’ll suck it up then. You people and your long legs.”
After another mile or so, I can feel the humidity saturating the air. It’s easy to pick up on, since usually Madison is beyond dry. Thunder growls in the distance, and my heart begins to race. Just a little further. We’ll pick up the stuff and leave. Simple as that.
“Almost there,” Seth says quietly, and my heart flutters because I know he senses my nerves and is trying to comfort me. Stupid boy. I’m sure he still cares even though he’s acting like a jerk.
Even though the gorge under the bridge is nowhere near Grand Canyon height, I still get jittery as we approach. A fall off this cliff would mean death. We’ve slowed to a walk, the dark outline of the bridge’s pillars in clear view.
Lee Seol sounds exhausted when she says, “They should be right under there, in the space between the interstate and cliff.”
“Fabulous,” I grumble. “A chance of rain plus heights? Best night ever.”
I can’t see her eye roll, but I swear I can feel it. “I’ll go by myself then.”
She takes off, and I immediately feel guilty for complaining. All she’s done since she got here is help me out—she doesn’t need my crap. I run after her, Seth next to me. We’re closing in on her when a dark figure appears from the bridge’s shadow. Looks like the Spudlings showed as promised.
The figure sets something on the ground, and Lee Seol slows to a stop. She goes for the box, and that’s when the guy points something at her. The sound of the silenced gun isn’t much, but it still pierces me. I skid to a halt, shocked, as I watch her hit the ground. This can’t be happening. She’ll get up and fight back. She has to.
She’s not.
Miles is going to kill me.
“Fi.” Seth puts his hand on my shoulder, and my eyes go to him. “Take your dress off.”
“Right.” I get to it, though my body floods with terror because Seth is running towards the guy instead of away. What does he think he’ll be able to do? The guy has a gun, and we don’t even know what ability we might be up against. But we can’t leave Lee Seol there, and whoever that is can’t get our equipment.
Seth throws a surprisingly decent punch, but the guy dodges just in time. Though I’m closer, I still can’t make out much of our enemy besides his clearly male lines. Seth tries to grab him, but the man turns out of it and slaps the back of Seth’s head. Not a hit, but a slap.
“That the best you can do?” the man says, his voice muffled from his black mask.
“Shut the hell up!” Seth punches. The man bats his hand away. He kicks. The man grabs his leg and makes him trip. Seth charges. The man flips back, landing perfectly, like a cat.
Why he hasn’t used the gun yet is beyond me.
I can’t help feeling like this guy is playing with Seth, which doesn’t make sense after he shot Lee Seol right off. I creep closer, trying to decide the best way to get a jump on him. His reflexes have to be enhanced, because he seems to anticipate Seth’s moves. Not that Seth is some amazing fighter, but still.
The man doesn’t seem to notice as I approach him from behind. He’s bulkier than Seth by quite a bit, and he carries a confidence that screams super ability. I slip the needle box out of my mouth. I don’t want to use a killing needle, but it might be time to do it.
“Tsk.” The man stands in front of Seth, who is panting from the effort. “I can’t believe The Phantom’s having trouble with such a pathetic group.”
“It’s not all about physical strength, is it?” Seth says.
“But you’re not—”
That’s when it starts to rain. Hard. The water shows my outline, and the man immediately notices. He wastes no time charging me. My heart races, but I prepare to stab him with my needle. Before he gets to me, Seth closes in and tackles him. He shoves his foot into Seth’s stomach, and Seth falls to the ground with a loud thud. Then the man gets up and comes for me.
I try to stab him, but he avoids me thanks to the rain.
“Shoulda known…you’d…bring…” He grabs my wrist and squeezes so hard I lose the needle, but I won’t go down without a fight. I grab his mask with my other hand. May as well get an I.D. if we can’t beat him.
But when I see his surprised face, mine fills with horror. I know him.
It’s always one thing to suspect someone of doing wrong, but another thing entirely to see the living proof.
“Dad?” Seth coughs.
“Are you really surprised?” Mr. Mitchell looks at his son. I take several steps back, not a single clue what to do now.
Chapter 34
“Why?” is all Seth can say as he stares at his father. Better than I can do, because I still can’t find a single word. My brain is stuck in “holy crap his dad really does work for Juan” mode. Also, he just shot Lee Seol.
“Why? Because you idiots destroyed my bugs and I needed more. Easiest way to get it is to steal it.” His dad picks up the box and looks behind him, spotting me easily in the rain. “Don’t you dare think about attacking me again. I will hurt you next time.”
Seth is on his feet now. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
His dad glares at him. “The same goes for you, too, son. My perfect balance makes me a better fighter than you could ever hope to be.”
“You just keep finding ways to suck at being a father, don’t you?”
He lets out a long sigh. “Do me a favor? Stay the hell out of this from now on. You’re getting in my way.”
Seth balls his fists. “Good. I want to be in your way.”
“No, you don’t.” He hefts the box onto his shoulder. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see you this time. Use it wisely.”
Seth just flips him off and heads for Lee Seol, who is sprawled out on the ground. His dad walks away, and I wait until he’s a long way off before I move. Taking my place next to Seth, I carefully pull back Lee Seol’s shirt to see how bad the wound is. There’s blood everywhere, but he got her in the stomach. “This is really bad, but she’s not dead.”
Seth nods, angry tears streaming down his face. “How did he know we’d be out here?”
“No cl…” Then something comes to mind. “Lee Seol mentioned another hacker named Crisis—maybe your dad knows him and paid for a tip?”
“Maybe.” He wipes at his eyes, already stuffing whatever he’s feeling back inside. “I’ll get your dress.”
“Okay.” I watch as he walks off, but my attention is quickly back to Lee Seol. I put my ear to her heart. There’s a beat, but it’s slow. I pull off her mask and wad it up to try and stop the blood. She needs help, but I don’t know what to do because she’d kill me if I brought her to a hospital. The other option isn’t much better…if I bring her home like this Miles will explode.
Seth tosses me my dress when he gets back, and then he sits on the other side of Lee Seol. “We should take her to Rosa. Lee Seol will have to reveal her identity, but there’s nothing else we can do.”
I slip my dress back on as I say, “You’re right. She’ll be pissed—that’s better than dead, though.”