An Oath In Blood (Book #3)

Chapter 36: His Ace

WARREN HALE

"I can't reach Cor," Lilian said, her urgent fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop.

"What?" I crossed the room to look over her shoulder. Jace and Ren were already huddled behind her, the former's eyes filled with fear which had been inspired by the news that Corvina had lost Ahvi. "What do you mean?"

"I can't reach her." She glanced at me briefly, an apologetic look in her eyes accompanying the fear that shone in them. "I can't find any of the trackers anymore. I have lost all of them." She added.

"Oh, no, no. There has got to be some mistake." Jace spoke up, shaking his head. "That can't be right. Harley is with them. Tariq is with them. And Eman is supposedly somewhere in the dump." He ran a hand through his hair, straightening.

"My friends are in there, too." Lilian shot him a glare but it was subdued as if she couldn't muster the strength to be angry right now. "I can't reach either of them." She swallowed, turning toward the laptop screen again.

My heart had dropped to my stomach and poison spread through my chest, making it hard to breathe. My throat clogged, closing up with dread.

"Do you know why you've lost connection?" I questioned, trying to remain calm even though my insides threatened to spill out on the polished floors of Tariq's living room.

"I don't." She shook her head. Her fingers worked expertly over the keyboard but her eyebrows remained furrowed and the screen still showed the map of the city, toward the dump but the red dot in the center was nowhere to be seen.

"We lost Ahvi first. Then the rest of them. That can't be good." Ren murmured, his face void of any color. His hand shook violently as he brought it up to his face. He stumbled slightly and my brows furrowed in concern. His eyes grew haunted and unfocused and a moment later, he lost consciousness.

"Ren!" Jace grabbed him in his arms before he could fall to the floor. "Fuck." He added, patting his cheek. I was by his side a moment later, reaching for my friend but Jace cut me a glare. "Stay away from us." He slowly lowered Ren onto the couch where Lilian had made space for him, her eyes darting from the screen to Ren.

"Get him some water!" She instructed, turning toward Ren and checking his pulse. "He's just fainted from shock. Splash some water on his face."

"On it." Before Jace could protest, I was out of the room, walking into the kitchen next to the living room. Pouring out a glass of water, I brought it back to the room. I made to splash some on Ren's face but Jace snatched the glass from my hand before I could.

I watched with my heart racing as he sprinkled some water onto our friend's face. He didn't wake up. My heart sank, a numbness spreading through my body. Miles' call was a distant memory by now even though it had been merely hours since my brother had told me that he had hooked up with the woman I was supposed to be betrothed to.

I felt like I was going to faint, too but life wasn't so merciful. When you wished for death, it refused to come, letting you face the brunt of your struggles. When you wished for happiness, it alluded you, pulling back until you stumbled and fell running after it. When you wished for relief, life put you in a pain so profound, you couldn't hear anything other than your silent screams that echoed in your ears.

"Ren. Wake up," Jace was saying, patting Ren's cheek as he splashed more water onto his face. I pushed away the hurt I had felt a moment ago as I stepped beside my friend, taking a seat beside Ren. "Please. Wake up."

Jace didn't look at me when I reached for the glass and took it from his hand. I dipped my fingers into the glass and sprayed it onto Ren's face again. My heart constricted painfully in my chest as I said, "I'm so sorry, Ren. Please, wake up."