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Please don’t all be sticking together in a group again, he prayed as they ran. Their only hope was to use guerrilla tactics and hide in the mob, picking off the angels one by one. They’d be massacred otherwise.
Almost as soon as Alex thought it, he spotted Sam’s broad shoulders and blonde hair. He grabbed Kara’s arm and they ducked into the throng. Reaching Sam, Alex found him gazing up at the sky, blue eyes narrowed.
“Where’s the rest of the team?” he demanded, raising his voice above the shouts.
Sam leaned close, bellowing in his ear. “Don’t worry! I’ve got ’em posted all over. We’ve got our phones on vibrate too, so you can call us in when you need to. The designated meeting spot is over by the Palacio, near the main doors. ”
Relief made Alex’s muscles weak. “Good work,” he called back. “Really good work, Sam; I mean it. ”
Sam was squinting up at the sky again. “Yeah, it’s this asshole lead I’m stuck working under – guess maybe he taught me a few things. ”
Alex clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, we’ll fan out too,” he said to Kara.
She nodded. Her eyes met his as she slipped away into the crowd, and he saw the same thought that was in his own mind: without the security information, their attack on the Council might now be doomed – but at least they could do something about what was happening here. Alex’s jaw tightened. More than that, taking some kind of action might stop him from going insane right now.
Hidden by the battling crowd, Alex chose his moments carefully – only firing when he had a clear shot and trying not to get sucked into the fray. Soon he’d brought down three angels; as he aimed at a fourth it burst into glittering leaves of light. Nice one, he thought to whoever had gotten it.
“Alex!” called a female voice.
Willow? His pulse thudded as he spun in place. But the woman struggling her way towards him was around thirty years old, with shoulder-length brown hair. For a confused second Alex couldn’t place her; then his muscles stiffened. Christ, he’d never expected to see Sophie Kinney again – would have been just as happy not to, the way she’d left Willow to die in Denver. What was she doing here?
With a flash of radiance, an angel dove at someone right behind her. Alex quickly took aim, and felt dark amusement as Sophie stopped short, eyes wide – she apparently thought he was about to blow her head off. He pulled the trigger; the creature vanished into fragments. Sophie gave an alarmed cry as the rush of energy from the kill swept past. It affected you like that at first. Then you got so used to it you barely noticed any more.
“An angel,” Alex explained as he closed the distance between them.
Sophie gulped, nodded. “Yes, of course. ” She glanced nervously at the boiling throng around them. “Alex, I need to talk to you. ”
Before he could reply, frenzied screams broke out, along with a pulsing, hissing noise. People shoved past, drenched and running. Alex grabbed Sophie’s elbow, moving them hastily with the flow. More police had arrived, and they’d brought water cannons – jetting, merciless blasts that were knocking people off their feet, making them scramble away on all fours. In a matter of minutes, everyone still here was going to be arrested, and probably handed over to the angels. Jogging now, Alex veered towards the Palacio Nacional; through the dispersing crowd, he glimpsed Trish and Brendan, already heading that way. As he and Sophie ran, he pulled out his phone and punched a few buttons, calling the rest of the team in.
“I’ve rented a truck – it’s parked nearby,” panted Sophie.
He brought her aura into view, scanning it. No sign of angel burn. “Good,” he said shortly. “We’ll need it, to get through these streets. ” And under everything was the constant heartbeat of Willow, please be okay – please, please. . .
As the team gathered, Alex frowned to see Wesley clutching his left forearm. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Wesley’s face was an ashen grey. “An angel was reaching for my life force. I shot it, but I think it tore away a little bit over my arm or something. ”
Alex’s heart sank as he and Kara glanced at each other. He knew doctors could do nothing – Wesley would regain the use of his arm as his aura tried to heal, or he wouldn’t. It was how Cully had lost a leg. He tried to quell the immediate voice that told him this was his fault; that he shouldn’t have had the team out on their own yet.
Wesley’s expression had gone hard, watching them. “What?” he demanded. “It’ll be better in time for the attack, right?”
“If we’re lucky,” said Alex. Their late-night conversation in the range came rushing back; hiding his doubt, he clasped Wesley’s good shoulder. “Seriously, it could be totally fine – we just need to get you back so you can rest. ”
“Alex, I have got to take part in the attack—”
He broke off as Trish drew closer, her face creased with concern. “Wes, are you okay?”
Wesley nodded, his expression softening a little. “Yeah, I’m fine. ” Like everyone, he got along well with Trish; Alex wouldn’t be surprised if he’d even told her about his family having angel burn. She touched his arm, unconvinced.
“Man, that’s gotta hurt,” said Sam, wincing. Then he noticed Sophie, and scowled. “Who’s this?”
Looking back, Alex saw the police had arrived in full force now, and were sweeping through the square. “CIA,” he said. “It’s okay, we can trust her. Come on, we’ve got to get out of here. ”
Sophie’s poise had returned, so that now she was as cool and businesslike as he remembered. “My truck’s parked nearby – let’s go. ” She led the way, hurrying across the square.
Liz glanced around as the team followed. “Wait, where are Willow and Seb?”
“I don’t know,” bit out Alex, walking in long strides. “Hopefully still alive. ”
Liz started to say something else and stopped, looking stricken. Kara cleared her throat. “Hey, is Miss CIA who I think she is?” she asked, obviously changing the subject.
Alex had told Kara what had happened the day of the Second Wave – how Sophie had left Willow at the cathedral with no escape plan. “Yeah, that’s her,” he said grimly.
Sam was still glowering with suspicion. As they reached the street, he hauled Alex to one side. “That’s who? She’s not another half-angel, is she?” he hissed.
And despite everything, Alex almost laughed. “No, Sam. She’s not another half-angel. ”
It took us over half an hour to walk to Tepito by back streets. The sandals pinched at my feet; I ignored them and walked even faster. When I peered over my shoulder, I could still see a reddish glow in the sky over the centro; hear the incessant blaring of sirens. Once there was a distant explosion – a burning car, maybe. My breath clutched at the sound; for a second I almost went faint, seeing again the bodies in the cathedral. Seb glanced at me in concern, his fingers tightening around mine. We hadn’t stopped holding hands since we’d started walking. Distantly, I supposed I should pull away, but there was no way I could have brought myself to, right then. If it hadn’t been for the warmth of Seb’s hand, I’d have gone crazy.
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