blows, and the lock gave way, cracking open.
I stepped forward, calling Kieranâs name. I was pissed about the money, but more than that I wanted some answers. Where were the smartphones? Why would he lie to me? When he heard my voice, Kieran whirled around. The hammer was still in his hand. He pointed it at me.
âYou keep surprising me, Bex. Not in a good way.â
âWhere are the smartphones?â I said.
âYou still donât get it, do you?â sneered Kieran. âThere never were any smartphones. I just used that as bait. I figured youâd only help me out if there was money involved.â
âBut why did you need to get in here?â
âItâs really simple, Bex.â Kieran laughed, high-pitched and sharp. His face looked pale and sweaty. âIâm in it for revenge.â
His smile snapped away like a light switching off.
âNow get the hell out.â He pointed the hammer at me. I wanted to ask more questions, but that wasnât going to happen. I put up my hands and backed away.
âAll right, Iâm out,â I said. âYouâre on your own.â I kept backing up until I saw Kieran turn toward the door. Then I clicked off my headlamp and crouched down behind one of the big pillars. And watched. It was hard for me to figure out what was going on with only the light from Kieranâs headlamp in the distance. But it was enough.
Kieran kept trying to shove the door open. Despite smashing the lock, it seemed stuck. Maybe it hadnât been opened in a while. Then I heard Kieran yell in frustration. He kicked the door until it finally cracked open. I watched him grab his backpack and push his way through the broken door. Now the ware-house was completely silent and dark. I crouched, trying to think this through.
I had a choice. I could follow Kieran, or I could bail. I could go right now, take off into the darkness. Leave all of Kieranâs problems behind.
But I couldnât let go of the feeling that I was responsible. Iâd gotten Kieran into this place. The way he talked about revenge didnât sound good. Against who? His dad was the only link to this place. Thatâs when everything came into focus.
I ran toward the broken door.
Chapter Fourteen
Kieran was going to do something crazy. Something to hurt his dad.
And I was the only one who could stop him.
I hit the broken door hard, shoving through it like a linebacker slamming another player. I stumbled into a hallway. A brightly lit, clean hallway.
This part of the building was definitely not abandoned. I realized that I must be in that small building Iâd seen earlier from the roof. The one that shared a wall with the warehouse. It was still a working office, with desks, computers. Security cameras.
Still running, I reached the end of the long hallway, where it split in two directions. On the right the hallway ended in a waiting area. Big floor-to-ceiling windows looked out into the night. To the left, there was a door labeled Operations and Security . A crack of light spilled out from inside. I wondered where the guards were, and how long it would take for them to show up. I figured we had a couple of minutes to get out of here. At most.
I gently pushed the door open. It was a huge office with a dozen desks spread across it. Racks of overhead lights were shining brightly. It took a second for my eyes to adjust. And then I saw him.
Kieran was sitting at one of the desks farthest away from me. His back was to me, and his shoulders were shaking. I couldnât tell if he was crying or laughing. âKieran?â I said.
He spun around in the chair. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were wet with tears.
Kieran looked at me and closed his eyes. âJust leave me alone.â
âLet me help you, man. Whatâs going on?â I took a step toward him.
âGet back!â Kieran said. Heâd gone from crying to yelling in a split second. âYou
P. J. Parrish
Sebastian Gregory
Danelle Harmon
Lily R. Mason
Philip Short
Tawny Weber
Caroline B. Cooney
Simon Kewin
Francesca Simon
Mary Ting