Burn Out *18+*

Chapter 13

I waited two weeks. Fourteen days of chewing my fingernails, destroying pens, and sleepless nights. I told myself over and over again that there was a dedicated team out there, doing their absolute best to bring her home. But clearly, their efforts were not enough. With traditional missing persons cases, the first seventy-two hours were the most important. After those three days, hope dwindled and information became harder and harder to come by. Would it take longer in this industry? Would she even want to be saved by the end of it?

Was it already too late?

I tried my best to put my faith in others. This was their world, not mine. But that wasn't exactly true. This had been my universe since I was old enough to grasp the concept of death and the struggle between right and wrong. And, no one on this planet was going to fight harder than a distraught daughter trying to bring home her idol.

Which was the precise reason why I was standing outside of an unmarked building in the middle of the night.

No one would know that this little shithole of a building housed some of the most advanced tech in the country. Or that the people who frequented it were not normal folks going to a nine to five where they complained around a water cooler. Some of those people were cold blooded killers that happened to be fighting for the right team or the best techs in the industry or medics who could save your life when you thought you were a goner.

I knew how to get in the building. I knew where my mom's office was and the combination to the safe in her desk drawer. The problem was that I didn't know if security had been updated. If I tripped a single alarm, there was no way that I was getting out of that building without a lengthy explanation which would probably come after someone had pointed a gun at my head or I had been thrown to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and stared upwards. I shouldn't have been able to see the clouds but the light pollution in the city made them stand out, even in the dark of night. Hopefully, I would be in and out before the sky opened up and rain poured out. This time of year, freezing rain was a real problem.

But I was stalling and I knew that. The sooner I got this over with, the better.

The roof was my best option. I had a route planned out on a little map in the backpack that I carried but it was unnecessary, I had memorized every step over the past two weeks, only sparing a few minutes when I waffled between this being the best thing to do and the worst mistake of my life. But if there was a chance of a chance that I could help my mom, then this would all be worth it.

It took some crafty work to grab hold of the ladder that was mounted on the side of the building, too high for me to reach even when I extended my arms above my head. Once I got my fingers wrapped around the first rung, I was steady and certain as I dragged my body upwards. Each step was a risk. Each step also brought me closer to saving mom. I was just thankful that the building was only two stories. If it was one of the massive sky scrapers downtown, I wouldn't have the energy to disarm the roof access door or anything that came after that.

But I wasn't going to make it that far anyway.

The second I planted one of my black boots on the roof of the building, I felt my skin prickle with alarm. I couldn't put my finger on it right away, but something was off. I surveyed the parking lot I had just come from, making sure there were no other cars, that no one was watching me.

Too bad the threat was already on the roof.

"Hey Gator."

Alistair. I let out a curse between my clenched teeth, finally spotting his figure tucked against a wall, covered by shadows and the night sky. He was lounging on the frigid roof as if he were laying in his own living room. How had I not seen him?

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides as I thought of my options. Unfortunately, it would seem that I no longer held all of the cards in this scenario.

"I think it's quite obvious that I was waiting for you." He unfolded his body, standing to his full height before stretching like a senior that had been resting in a recliner too long. "To be very honest, I thought you would be here hours ago."

"Go home, Alistair. You aren't even in the right province," I snarled.

My cousin was completely unbothered with my rage. "I think I'm exactly where I need to be."

"If you're going to scold me, you should have sent Jasper. He can drive a point home like no other."

"Jasper and I decided that I would be better suited to keeping an eye on you after we delivered the news. You need to go home, London."

Something awful and inky was brewing within me. it tasted like rage on my tongue, but it stung my heart like sadness. "My mom is out there."

There was a shift in Alistair's features. Softness came over him, and he absently nudged a small group of leaves that had lost their colour long before they had been blown onto the roof. "I was terrified when I got the call that Jasper was missing in action. I had pretty much just gotten in the line of service and my brother was gone. Shortly after, he was presumed dead."

"Then you understand that I need to do everything I can to help. And since I'm not part of the service yet, this is my only option."

"No, London, you're wrong. This isn't an option at all. We have specialized teams for this. You aren't trained to do this in the slightest capacity and now that you are emotionally invested, your head and your heart are going to be at war. The last place you need to be is on the front lines right now. You are a liability."

"Is that what you thought?" I spat. "Did you assume that you were a liability when you heard that Jasper was gone? Or did you want to do everything in your power to bring him back?" Right now, I was debating pushing past him and carrying on anyway.

If Alistair was anything like his brother, he would have verbally lunged at my throat and snapped at me. all of my harsh words would have been spat back at me. But Alistair was not Jasper. Instead, he gazed up at the sky that had now started to rain. "I thought of going to save him, you're right. And I know what you are going through to some degree. But each time I thought of trying to get in line to save him, I thought of my parents. To lose one child is awful. To lose both would be hell." He swallowed hard and brought his eyes to mine in the dark, so steady and ready. "I know that this feels like the end of the world. I know that feeling in gut, the worry of never getting closure. But you are more to this world than just your mother's daughter."

"Alistair—"

"Go home, London. Trust the process. The best of the best are trying to bring her home."

"What if they can't?"

"Then there is no way in hell you can either. We are doing our best, I promise. We don't take it lightly when one of our own goes missing." Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a sigh. "Also, I sent out word to reject any of your applications for any jobs."

"What?!" I shrieked. "Why would you do that to me?!"

"Because I know who you are. I know that you aren't going to listen to me and if you got a job that gave you any access to weapons or plans or tech, you would ignore everything I have said. I cannot take that risk and have your blood on my hands. I made this choice to keep you alive. Go home, go to college tomorrow, remember that you have a father, you have friends, you have a whole life to live."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hello everyone! We will be moving to scheduled updates with Burn Out! I know that a lot of you are fans of schedules so this book will be updated every Sunday. This doesn't mean that there won't be additional surprise updates, just so you know.

Question of that Day: Are you superstitious?