Keystone (43 page)

Once they’re gone, Zaneen slumps against the wall.

“C’mon, Belladonna,” I tell her. “We’ve got to try and get up stairs.”

Instead of rolling her eyes at me, Zaneen smiles. Iris looks up at me with her bottom lip open, wondering.

“Marky said we gotta go,” she says. I grab Boodles off the bed and hand the grungy bear to Iris.

“We do,” I tell her. “Keep your eyes on Boodles.”

Iris does what she’s told, which helps in getting past the guy that Brandon and Mark creamed in the kitchen. Zaneen and Iris follow me up the steps to the top. There is a keypad at the side of the door and I think,
here goes nothing
as I focus on the keys.

You’re doing great,
Roger’s voice says in my ears and the numbers begin to swirl up and pop in front of my nose.

7POP7POP7POP3POP3POP3POP2POP1POP

I punch the numbers in as I see them and the bolts inside the door grind open. We step into the crazy-colored corridor and my eyes spasm. I focus on finding the door first, and then the dangling trapeze lever.

“Out you go.” I put my hand on Iris’s back and scoot her from the hallway and into the gym, right behind Zaneen. I know what I have to do. The lever will collapse the corridor and prevent any of the Fury from gaining entrance to the sealed Hotel, but it will also collapse any hope of Mark and Brandon escaping this way too.

“Go on,” Zaneen says. Her eyes are glossy too. It takes me a couple blinks to remember this is Zaneen. Zaneen, who usually wants to throw me off a roof top. She blinks back. “Don’t be afraid. They weren’t.”

I jump up and catch the trapeze in my hand, pulling it back down with me.

Roger hollers inside my head,
Get out! Get OUT! GET OUT!

The ceiling rumbles as I dive out the door and the entire hallway collapses in on itself.

“I want Garrett and Seany,” Iris whimpers, twisting from side to side as Boodles hangs limply from her elbow.

“They’re around here somewhere, punkin. We’ll find them,” Zaneen says cheerfully before leaning toward me and dropping her voice. “Won’t we?”

“They’re in the Courtyard, I bet,” I say. Then I lean in toward Zaneen and whisper, “As long as Garrett didn’t seal us out of the Core to protect the Addo.”

The recognition spreads across her face like green glue. If the Core is sealed, that means we’re on the same side as The Fury.

“What will we do then?” she asks. Iris and Mr. Boodles are both looking at me with unblinking eyes.

“We’ll figure it out,” I say. “Let’s just see if we can get to the elevator.”

“I know where it is!” Iris suddenly comes alive, stuffing Boodles’ legs into the waistband of her shorts. She runs down the hall and we follow her to the atrium with the elevators. Of the four, three are open and one is coming back to the ground floor, a tiny chime counting down toward us.

And then I remember.

Milo.

We left him passed out and locked in the elevator. But the elevator that we locked him in is coming at us now.

It’s no effort to keep my field up as the doors roll open, but it nearly bursts the moment I see Garrett standing inside. His eyes open and close with a sigh of relief as he rushes out into the hall. Iris lobs herself at him and Garrett scoops her up in his arms.

“Thank God,” he says, watching me. His eyes stay glued to me as he hugs his sister and mumbles into her hair, “It’s so good to see you.”

“There was a bad man. He hurt me right here,” Iris says, pointing to her neck. Garrett’s eyes well up as she tells him, “He squeezed my neck and I choked and I screamed at him. He pushed Neeny and he hit Nali and I tried to beat him up.”

“Good girl,” Garrett says.

“But Nali did this,” she pokes Garrett’s forehead, between his eyes, “and he fell down, like this.” She makes a face with her tongue hanging out and her eyes bugged wide open. Garrett looks to me.

“Chad’s gone and we saw Mark and Brandon,” I struggle to keep my voice solid. “They went back into the tunnels to look for Nok and collapse the tunnels leading to the bunker.”

Garrett just nods. He knows what that means. He clears his throat, but doesn’t speak.

“And I collapsed the hall and stairs down to the bunker too,” I say, but I look at my feet. Garrett’s throat rumbles again.

“You did the right thing,” he says, with a sad grin. It’s all he need to do to let me know we’re all going to put on happy faces, or at least not realistic faces, for Iris. I smile back and he says, “That’s what you were supposed to do.”

“I know what the…” I begin. I want to tell Garrett everything—about the Memory, about Roger, about how I fought Chad, but Garrett’s quick nod cuts me off.

“Tell Addo when you see him,” he says, his eyes flicking into the elevator. Zaneen steps inside and says, “Holy crap! What’s he doing here?”

I peek in, following her gaze, and run into Milo, still out cold, on the floor.

“I couldn’t have him running all over with the Addo upstairs,” Garrett explains, his voice clear again. “So I found the elevator control room and got the door open. And now I’m babysitting.”

“Babysit!” Iris explodes with laughter as we pile into the elevator. “But he’s a big boy!”

Iris climbs around Milo, leaning in close to get a good look while she hangs onto Garrett’s leg. “Is he sleeping?”

“Yup,” Garrett says simply, punching the button to our floor. Zaneen leans over Milo, her head tipped to the side.

“He really is good looking,” she says, more to herself than us.

“He’s drooling!” Iris squeals. We ride up and my stomach flip-flops as the elevator drifts back to our floor and rolls open its doors.

“I thought you were going to seal up the hotel core without us,” I say.

“I was supposed to do it five minutes ago,” Garrett says with a grin. “Grab Milo’s legs and I’ll get his arms.”

I do what he says and ask, “Supposed to?”

“Freddie called,” he says. “My mom gave the order, so Freddie gave me all the instructions. There’s not much to it.”

“So what happens?” Zaneen asks. “Metal girders over the doors or something?”

“Something like that, but bigger.” Garrett nods, but he’s looking at me. I drop Milo like a side of rotten beef and his eyes squint open. He looks up at us like we’re all strangers, but I ignore him. Garrett wants me to know just what we’re up against, but he doesn’t even need to tell me. I can feel it, tingling in my hands. “The only problem is, once I do it, I can’t reverse it.”

“What do we do when they come back?” I say.

Garrett’s eyes flick to his little sister, but Iris watches him without expression.

“Once it’s sealed,” Garrett finally answers. “Nobody can get in and until Freddie comes back, nobody gets out.”

“What if Freddie doesn’t come?” Zaneen asks.

Garrett just shakes his head.

“Ever?” she says.

Garrett just shakes his head again, instead of answering.

But my mind isn’t on elevator rides or the way Iris is just combing her fingers through Boodle’s fur or even how Zaneen isn’t trying to hit on Garrett any more. I’m not thinking of Brandon and Mark or how our tiny Cura is out there, facing the others. I’m not even concerned with the glob of semi-immobilized guy at my feet, because my brain is stuck on something else happening in my head.

It’s Roger…whispering to me…
Milo has something to say.

Chapter 21

I NUDGE MILO WITH MY foot.

“What did you want to say?” I ask. The confused look he gives me morphs into something more like shock. And then it blooms into dread.

“Well, uh…I don’t…I mean, I’m going to...” he stutters. Garrett glances at Milo and looks back at me, silently questioning. But I have no idea what’s got Milo so freaked out. All I know is that if Roger’s telling me about it, it has to have something to do with my well being and Milo’s stammering is totally making me nervous. Finally, Milo spits out, “I need to talk to the Addo.”

“About what?” Garrett says. Milo gets to his feet, watching the numbers climb on the digital display over the elevator door. He clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck as the elevator reaches our floor.

“Well,” he says as the door slides open. And then he bolts past Zaneen. Milo sprints down the hall toward our rooms and I take off behind him, with Garrett on my heels.

But Milo makes it to his room first, punching in the code and Garrett streaks to a stop in front of his own door and punches in his code too. I barrel toward Milo, hoping to take him down before he gets inside. At the same time, I project my thoughts to the Addo:
Milo’s coming- get out of the Courtyard- we’re coming- lock yourself in-

Milo disappears into his room, slamming the door in my face. Garrett’s door slams too and I race back to my own door, fumbling to punch in my own code. Zaneen and Iris run toward me, shouting to find out what’s going on, as my door unlocks.

I can’t wait for them. I speed through my apartment, hurdling the coffee table to the sliding glass door that leads to the Courtyard. And I freeze when I see what’s happening outside.

Milo is on his knees, collapsed, at the Addo’s feet. Garrett hovers between the Addo and Sean and when I open my door, Garrett looks up at me with shock paralyzing his face.

Milo’s head is in his hands and he’s sobbing.

“I never wanted to be like them.” Milo chokes on his words. “That’s why I didn’t. That’s why I’m telling you.”

Chad?
Addo’s voice asks in my head. I look up to meet his eyes and shake my head.

Gone.
I project back.
Milo?

Spilling beans,
the Addo says.

Milo keeps his head in his hands, rubbing at his eyes, as he continues. “Chad wanted me to come. He told me that Dale VanWeider would have a soft spot for me since I was related and he’d get me into your Cura. Chad said that once I got into your Cura, I was to find out where you were and…you know.”

“Kill me,” Addo answers like he’s playing on a game show.