Dark Side of the World // S.S. [Book Two]

Chapter 49

Lydia's phone dings and she says after a moment, "It worked."

"It's about time." Malia says, moving towards her door.

I'm stuck in the middle until someone gets out. Scott places a hand on Malia's wrist. "Wait."

She pauses and says, "I hear them, too."

"Hear what?" Lydia and I ask.

"Heartbeats." Scott answers.

"How many?" Mr. Argent wonders.

"Ten?"

"More." Malia says.

I flip my braid over my shoulder as I ask, "Are we breaking in or not?"

"Not." Mr. Argent says. "The armory should be empty now."

Malia shrugs. "We can take down a few hunters if we have to."

"We're dealing with a dozen well-armed hunters who have orders to kill you on sight."

I shrug. "That's nothing new. I've been in fights with monsters that want to kill me. This'll be easy."

Malia sighs and says, "Excluding Meg's comment, how are we supposed to get inside?"

Mr. Argent cranks the SUV's engine, but Malia turns the engine off. "Gerard thinks we're gone. It's a good plan."

"It's our only plan." Lydia says.

Mr. Argent shakes his head. "And it's not working."

"We can still do this." Malia states optimistically. "Let's vote."

Scott nods. "Guys, we just need to give Liam and Theo more time."

"We have ten minutes." Mr. Argent tells us. "Ten minutes before Gerard's people flag this vehicle. Once that happens, we'll be seen as a potential threat."

"Then what?" Malia asks.

"They'll pay us a visit."

I see Lydia touching the windshield, completely zoned out. "Lyds? You okay?"

"Yeah." She answers softly. "I think so."

"We should call off this mission." Mr. Argent decides.

Scott looks at Mr. Argent. "Brett and Lori are gone, and Jiang and Tierney are still missing. Gerard's always one step ahead of us. We have to do this now."

Mr. Argent shakes his head. "We're too exposed, Scott."

Malia frowns. "You said we had ten minutes."

Mr. Argent looks at his watch. "Nine."

Scott reaches for the door, but this time, Malia stops him and locks his door. "What are you doing?"

He glances to her. "I'm gonna lure them away so that we can get inside. We need a new plan."

"Not a dumb one." Malia counters.

"I'll bring the thermite charges."

"We need them for the armory."

"Oh my gods. You guys are fighting like an old married couple. An explosion will buy you time." I say, rolling my eyes.

"But not enough to get in and out safely." Mr. Argent adds.

Malia's eyes widen slightly. "Guys...How about using the tunnels?"

Mr. Argent nods. "We could get underneath the building, but we'd still need to sneak in undetected."

"The ventilation system?" I suggest.