I think about how proud Nico was to have killed and have no doubt he’ll spill all the details when he gets the chance. He wants to be famous and this will do it. We’re going to have a mountain of bad press to deal with, but considering he kidnapped me, I’ll be able to protect Aquarius Social. “I had no clue of the killer lurking in my cousin,” I whisper.
“Me either. It’s unthinkable, really.” Pain laces my dad’s words. “He killed Greg. My legacy. My son.” A tear gathers at Dad’s eye and he wipes it angrily away.
That’s all my father cares about. Someday that might not hurt. “Have you talked to Scarlett and Quinlan?”
“Yes. They’re at the company now beginning a crisis campaign. They’re both shocked and angry.” He grips the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white. “I’ve ordered them to attend the ball, so we can show a united front. We’re walking in together.”
I don’t care. Not even a little bit.
My father clears his throat. “You can’t save Thorn, from what you’ve said. Please don’t make a fool of yourself tonight. Post about the great ball, show that you’re a survivor and that Nico is the bad guy, and then leave. Make them want more of you. Forget Thorn Beathach right now.”
Not in a million years. I know Thorn loves me. But if he nearly passed out, then he’s close to death. Thorn is too damn stubborn to let anybody see him in a weakened state, and my entire body floods with adrenaline. He can’t die. The idea is unthinkable. “Just hurry up. I have to get to him.” My brain is running through all of the information I gleaned about the crystals. The key is in the stones, not the computer malware. I just know it.
Father mutters to himself but drives to Aquarius and parks underground. I’m out of the car in a flash, trying not to fall on my face. My feet hurt, but I don’t care. I run to the elevator and he barely catches up to me.
“Where are we going?” he snaps.
“To the servers,” I say. He presses the button and we plunge into the earth to the main hub, where I run to the center of the servers, feeling so cold that the skin on my legs prickles.
“You want to charge the crystals now?” he asks as we blast past three guards who look at me like my hair is on fire. Maybe it is. It’s a snarled mess and I don’t care. I have to look ridiculous in the hospital scrubs with my dad’s jacket. The bruise on my face pounds as if I hit it again when I was shot. Did I land on my face?
I open the glass box holding the basketball-size aquamarine. “I can charge them later. Right now, I need help.”
He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Help doing what?”
“Lift this for me. I need to take it.” The stone glows the way it does every time I come near it.
He holds his hands up. “You’re not taking that anywhere.”
Scarlett and Quinlan burst through the door.
“We saw you arrive in the security feeds. Why the hell aren’t you in the hospital?” Quinlan snaps, looking as if he hasn’t slept in weeks.
“I need help,” I say to him. “Please pick this up. I only have one good arm and the stone is too heavy.”
Quinlan looks from my father to me. “What is going on?”
I frantically turn to Scarlett. “Scarlett, I have to help Thorn. I need this stone.”
Scarlett shrugs and reaches for the crystal.
My father grabs her arm. “No, you’re not taking this away. We’ll be helpless.”
My feet are freezing. “Either we take that stone, or I never charge it again. I mean never. I’ll let the whole place go under.”
My dad steps back. “You’re bluffing.”
“No, I’m not.” I meet his stare directly.
He shakes his head. “The servers will cease to function.”
“No, they won’t,” Scarlett says, running over to the supply cabinet. “We don’t have anything that size in here, but we have enough crystals to put in the center for, what, a couple of hours?”
Quinlan lifts a shoulder. “Maybe. I wouldn’t let it go any longer than that. We need the solid core in that one stone.”
“I have to do this.” I try to lift the stone out.
Quinlan swears and lifts it out for me. “Where are we going?”
“My apartment.”
“So you can get dressed for the ball?” Scarlett says helpfully.
I gulp. “Yes. Also, I have one more stone to get.”
THIRTY-NINE
Thorn
I’m freezing to death. There’s no question about it. I can’t feel my legs and my left arm is completely frozen over. My fingernails are blue and it feels as if my heart is slowing, the warm blood bouncing off frozen walls.
Though I wear a suit every day, for some reason a tuxedo feels restrictive. I fight the urge to tug on the stupid tie as I barely keep myself upright near the bar, my masquerade mask serving to hide my scar. The mint at the back of my tongue is doing its job, so at least there’s that.
Justice stands at my side, an odd energy pouring off him. He wants to be back at the computers, trying to cure the garnet, and I don’t blame him. So do I.
I see Sylveria and her daughters across the ballroom, walking along the rows of silent auction items that range from new computers to skydiving lessons.
The ball takes place at the Natural History Museum and Estates. With its vast property, there’s plenty of room for security, and so far, the event has gone perfectly smoothly. The main ballroom opens out to a garden area and outdoor lounge where people have already gathered now that the rain has finally ebbed and it’s a rather nice night.
