His brother shot. Nothing but net. The chains rattled and settled. "I get food at that corner market anytime I want."

"Not me." He wanted to hurl even thinking about standing beside that building in case someone realized he'd dis respected another gang's tag. Kevin's tag, and now Kevin was dead. "The old b.i.t.c.h that runs the place has it out for me."

"Then pop her. Don't let her get away with dissing you."

He stayed quiet, swatting at a bee buzzing around his head. Memories of his blood-in to the gang made his hands shake and made him long for his inhaler even though he managed his allergies with meds these days.

"You weak with the women?"

He couldn't stop himself from checking out the window where he could see Shay Ba.s.sett opening another box of pizza. He looked away fast to scoop up the rebound and make sure she didn't feel him eyeballing her.

At least her big-a.s.s bodyguard had left after his good citizen tour of the place. Was she s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g the guy? The big dude with his shaved head and no-fear eyes looked like a major player. Must be nice to twitch her tail and have all that protection. "f.u.c.k no, I'm not a p.u.s.s.y."

"Are you sure you're not some kinda mama's boy?"

The mention of his ma sent the pepperoni pizza tumbling around in his stomach faster than the annoying bee that kept flying by. "I said no."

"You know what a real man has to do to keep his people safe." He held out his fist.

He b.u.mped fists with his brother, FEAR across their knuckles.

Marked for life. However long that would be.

Anger burned up his throat until he chucked the basketball at that f.u.c.king bee. No life. No choices left for him-or Shay Ba.s.sett.

Soon, really soon, she would pay the ultimate price for messing in a war where she didn't belong.

Sitting at the flight controls, Vince flinched as the basketball soared near the camera image. d.a.m.n, that was a close call with the thug arcing the ball at their remote-controlled nanosensor "b.u.mblebee." He adjusted the alt.i.tude.

The small plane housing the mobile command center was parked at a small local airport, conveniently located near Shay's gathering. Berg, Jimmy, and Smooth sat at screens, monitoring the different angles of video feed and sound. He could have the plane airborne in minutes for alternate sensoring, or he could zoom out on his motorcycle straight to her if things erupted.

Good thing Shay had been cool with him wandering around the center, making it all the easier to plant the nanosensor. Not a surprise, actually, that she'd cut him loose to roam, since the woman only put up with him as long as groceries needed unloading.

How much longer would the FBI agent insist on keeping Shay in the dark? Especially now that all signs indicated she was innocent.

Eventually, she would have to know. What would she think about hearing she'd been observed? Hopefully she would understand the need to keep her in the dark initially. But he suspected otherwise.

He'd heard the zeal in her voice when she'd spoken about the teens and the danger they faced daily.

Working the joystick, he scanned the outdoor basketball court, recognizing the activities director standing with a trio of teens he'd met earlier. So far, everything in the Eli dude's background check appeared clean. Nothing they'd heard tonight indicated otherwise.

Actually, nothing they'd heard from anyone offered up clues. They would scrutinize the feed again after the event.

He tapped a series of b.u.t.tons on the controller, easing the bee up a bit higher. Satisfied with the alt.i.tude, he programmed the sensor to fly a lazy circle over the court and an outdoor food stand. A few more taps, and he had the pin-size camera on the nano-bug centered up in the area he wanted to watch. Sweet. Technology rules.

The suck-up who liked Shay's "kicks" helped himself to three slices of pizza while his friend, the F-U kid, stuffed an abandoned cell phone into one pocket and a snack-size bag of chips in the other. The camera was so good Vince could make out the label. He remembered well never feeling full enough, too prideful to admit it, and gut determined to do anything to gain control of his life.

Vince adjusted the flight so it followed some of the kids in b.u.t.toned-up polo shirts and baggy jeans inside. A sweep of the room showed Shay restocking the drink table. He tweaked the focus until her face filled the screen.

Smooth tapped the b.u.t.tons up and down the edges of the screen. "Your zoom looks a little close to me."

Vince scrubbed his hand over his do-rag, civilian clothes and no shaving a definite perk to this low-profile a.s.signment. "Just trying to hear what she's saying."

"Uh-huh. And you're also swearing off doughnuts." Smooth backed off the zoom with the tap of a b.u.t.ton, switching his screen to another view of Shay.

"Easy there, dude," Berg warned. "We don't want to fire up the big guy."

"Does he have a prior claim? I never would have guessed from all the time he's spent watching her."

"h.e.l.lo, dirtbags." Vince waved a hand. "I'm here."

"Sorry about that," Smooth said without a hint of contrition.

He needed to nip this in the bud. Rumors spread like crazy with his gossip hound pals. They had so much cla.s.sified information to hold secret that they went to the opposite extreme in sharing every detail about each others' social lives. "No claim, but I do know Shay Ba.s.sett. We were in high school together." He couldn't bring himself to call it a brother-sister connection. "I owe her father more than I can repay. He's the reason I'm in the air force today."

"s.h.i.t," Jimmy snorted, workout clothes rustling as he twisted in his seat toward Vince. "Who started piping in the violins?"

"Screw off, my friend." d.a.m.n, he even sounded like the thug tonight. "How about just take it down a notch."

Jimmy grinned. "Like you did when I met Chloe?"

"I was just yanking your chain." He'd gone easy on the guy, considering what a sap Jimmy was for his conductor girlfriend. "It was obvious you were gone on her from the second you met her a couple months ago. Things are different here."

Smooth typed in commands to scroll through video feed. "Then you won't mind if I make a move."

"Of course not." Shay was an adult. She could pick and choose her own dates. He was cool with that. Totally. "She's older than you are."

Smooth whistled while fine-tuning his camera view. "All the better."

A growl started low in Vince's throat before he even realized it.

Jimmy clapped him on the back, eyes still on the screen. "Dude, take it easy. You just got punked."

A phone rang over their headsets, coming from the sensor feed. He followed the sound in flight until it got louder, louder still, bringing the nano-bee to the welcome table manned by the woman with a cane.

Vince pressed the seal of his headset firmer against his ear. "Hey, Berg, can you crank the volume? I'm going to fly closer in so we can figure out if that call's anything of interest."

"Wilco," Berg answered, his fingers tapping in commands that increased the chatter over the headphones.

The microphones on the bee were good enough to pick up the conversation, easily hearing the person on the other line as well. Years spent flying aircraft gave Vince plenty of experience weeding out the chaff in order to listen to what he needed to hear.

The woman at the reception desk nudged aside her clipboard and picked up the receiver. "Cleveland Community, this is Angeline. How can I help you?"

"I want to speak with Shay," a young male voice answered.

Vince straightened, making d.a.m.n sure the record feature on their control center was working as advertised.

Angeline snagged a pencil, tucking the phone under her chin. "She's busy right now. Could I take a message and have her call you back?"

"I have to talk to her," the teenage voice snapped back, cracking in prep.u.b.escent urgency.

"If you will just give me your name and number, I a.s.sure you she will call back."

"Maybe I just should have called the suicide hotline."

All background noise faded in Vince's mind as the woman's face shifted, serious, professional.

"Don't hang up, young man. I'm on a cordless phone so we can keep right on talking while I find her. Okay? Stay calm and I will find her."

"You'd better, because I don't have much time."

Angeline nodded to an older guy beside her-her husband maybe?-and he helped her to her feet. She clutched a cane and moved with commendable speed for a woman with a b.u.m leg. She shouldered aside teens, and apparently her presence commanded respect, because none of the scary-as-h.e.l.l-looking kids said a word in complaint. "I can see her across the room. Only a few more seconds."

"You'd better move faster, lady, or you're gonna be sorry."

"Hold on. I'm giving you to her now." Angeline covered the mouthpiece. "Shay, there's a young man on the phone, asking for you. I think he's the one you've been worried about."

Shay dropped the bag of pretzels, s.n.a.t.c.hed the phone, and stepped back by a water fountain out of the fray. Even from two miles away, Vince could see the thoughts race across her expression. The worry. The fear.

"This is Shay."

"Do you remember me?" the young male asked.

"Of course I do. We talked the other night, and I know you don't want to die."

"I'm not going to die today."

"That's good." She sagged back against the silver fountain. "I'm glad to hear you say that."

"If you're not extra careful, Shay, this might be the day you die."

Vince straightened in his seat, pressing a hand to his headset to seal in the sound.

"There's a bomb in the building."

SEVEN.

The fire alarm shrieked in Shay's ears, echoing through the cavernous gym.

"Everyone stay calm, exit carefully. Stay calm, exit carefully," she repeated, urging teens toward the front entrance. She sure could have used some of Vince's muscle right about now.

Her heart pounded as loudly as the feet drumming away in barely controlled chaos. She spun on her heels for a quick run back through the center. A sidestep kept her clear of Officer Jaworski's line of sight just beyond the door. He would undoubtedly want her out.

Tough. She wasn't leaving until she could be certain all of her charges were safe.

Jaworski's voice blared over the bullhorn with tinny-sounding commands for order. While she wanted to avoid him for now, thank heaven he was on site to keep the peace outside.

"It'll be okay; it'll be okay," she chanted on each gasping breath.

Clearing the center wasn't going as quickly as she'd hoped. At least she could finally hear police sirens wailing at the full moon outside.

Shay sprinted through the entryway back down the empty hall, her gym shoes squeaking along tile. She opened one door after another, an exam room, another, her office.

All empty. And where the h.e.l.l had she left her backpack? She couldn't waste time searching.

Pressing a hand to the st.i.tch in her side, she dashed into the girls' bathroom, and d.a.m.n it, third stall down, she found feet clad in a large pair of dusty kicks.

"Out, out, out! Bomb threat."

A gasp sounded from inside the stall.

Two more feet slid to the ground, feminine ones in strappy sandals so small the other shoes took on an even larger-masculine-look.

"Out." She pounded on the stall right by scratches in the paint.

Rickie's a d.i.c.khead.

This place sux.

For a good time call . . .

"Open up right now, or I swear I'll take it off the hinges."

The door creaked wide to reveal a red-faced pair of Apocalypse teens.

Caden, wearing his too-cool shoes, b.u.t.toned his saggy jeans. "What's the big deal? Somebody just tripped the fire alarm again."

True enough, that happened often, but still. "Someone called in a bomb threat. We have to leave."

"s.h.i.t," he barked with a surprise that seemed real enough for her to cross him off her list of suspects.

The scrawny girl went paler than the porcelain john behind her. Another suspect down. If memory served, the girl was Toni, a teen she suspected suffered from either anorexia or drug abuse.

Toni tugged down her tiny spandex skirt. "Come on, Caden. I've got my mom's car. I'll finish you off there."

How cla.s.sy. Shay hated most of all that they reminded her too much of herself with Tommy. Losing your virginity in a smelly bathroom stall really didn't make for much of a treasured memory.

Neither said another word as they brushed past, taking their sweet time. Hesitating in the door, Caden clicked his tongue ring against his teeth in a gross display.

Shay resisted the urge to shout out her frustration as she pointed down the hall toward the glowing Exit sign. "Use the back entrance. It's closer."

She would check the rest of the rooms while following them. Only a few more seconds, and she would be free. Not that she was worried. The place really wasn't going to blow up. It couldn't. She was just following routine.