think Top has been either in power or isolated for so long, he underestimated Morehead’s thirst for supremacy.”
“The other two goals?” I asked. “Memories and Laurel?”
“He’s on target with those. The thing is, I couldn’t tell her how I did it—how I regained my memories. I could tell her it was Laurel, but that would only make her more determined to kill my wife.”
“There wasn’t any drug or pharmaceutical involved, was there?”
Mason shook his head. “No, just a blue-eyed stare and a woman who saw through me.” He smirked. “Fucking blew me out of the water. The more I saw her, talked to her, got to know her, the more I wanted.”
As he spoke, I thought of Lorna, my wife and his sister. “I want it all.”
“Patrick’s back,” Mason said, watching a subdivided screen. He, Garrett, and Romero, entered the elevator. Garrett and Romero would end up on 1. We had determined our most vulnerable spots. One was it. It was the floor most frequented by others. The other was the direct elevator to the penthouse. Though it was rarely used, and never by any of us, it existed. I had control of its ability to ascend and descend as well as stop it and operate the doors. Nevertheless, it remained a possibility.
“They’re fucking getting close with the power grid,” I said.
“The generators will kick on,” Mason said. “And Morehead knows that. She’ll know her window to bypass our security is limited.”
“Ten seconds if we’re lucky,” I said, “and thirty to forty if she is.”
Forty seconds seemed like a fucking lifetime when it came to what she could do. And though we hadn’t discussed him, Jettison too had been trained by the Order.
“I have confirmation of Jettison two city blocks from the garage entrance,” Mason said.
My stomach twisted.
“Fuck,” I looked at the surveillance. “Sparrow just entered the tunnel.”
“Jettison is literally seconds behind.”
“Lock the garage entrance and call Sparrow and Patrick.”
Lorna
Half an hour earlier
I wasn’t sure how jovial we appeared leaving the cars, walking across the tarmac, and climbing the stairs to the bird plane. I’m sure it had some official name and make and probably numbers. We all referred to it as the bird plane. Painted on the outside to resemble a giant sparrow, it was big, luxurious, and ostentatious.
Bypassing the front room with the round table, most of us made our way to the center section and found seats for takeoff. The last person in the Sparrow parade was Madeline. Patrick carried Edward’s car seat as he followed her up the stairs. It was a few minutes later when Patrick entered the area with the rest of us. Since all the chairs were facing the huge television screen, he had our full attention as he took the car seat to a chair near the windows and strapped it in, as it had been in the car.
“I’ve asked Christian to carry Edward,” he said, “but if he has business, would one of you? The weight of the car seat exceeds what Maddie should lift.”
Ruby’s hand went up. “I’ve got him.”
Patrick went to her and cupping her cheeks, tilted her head forward, and placed a kiss on the top of her hair. “I’m not giving up my hot chocolate.”
Ruby smiled. “Get us back home, Dad. Mom and Edward need you.”
“You don’t?”
She sniffed. “I do, too.”
My wide eyes met Laurel’s and then Araneae’s as they filled with tears and a sob bubbled up in my chest. Pushing it all away, I called out as Patrick started to leave. “Hey, Patrick.”
He stopped and turned. “Lorna?”
“We all do.”
Instead of addressing my sentiment, he said, “Christian is in the cockpit with Marianne.” With a nod, he disappeared toward the front. It was another few minutes when Madeline entered. We could blame it on hormones or postpartum issues, but whatever the reason, she was having a difficult time. Red blotches covered her neck and cheeks as she dabbed her nose with a tissue and went to the seat beside Edward.
Ruby unbuckled from where she’d been sitting and moved over by her mother and brother.
I couldn’t be sure how much time passed. Keaton came and went, promising us all breakfast once we were at a steady altitude and offering everyone a bottle of water, complete with his standard dehydration and flying speech.
By the time we left the ground, my head ached and my stomach twisted.
We climbed higher and higher until we cleared the cloud deck and bright sunshine streamed through the windows. I wanted to think of