Fucking fuck!
I start walking toward her. I need to get her out of here.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I look down, trying to make my way through the crowd.
Amir.
He never comes to parties. He doesn’t drink. Doesn’t smoke. As straight as an arrow. That’s why his phone call is even more unusual.
“Something must be important if you’re calling at this time,” I say, fighting my way through the busy dance floor, my eyes on Kat, who stares down at her feet, so vulnerable that I want to set this fucking place on fire.
How does everything get progressively worse?
“Archer, something happened,” Amir says loudly on the phone, though it’s hard to hear because of the music. “I need you in the Center.”
“What happened?” I push someone out of the way a little too forcefully.
Fuck them. All of them. That’s why I don’t hang out with this crowd anymore—they are like vultures.
Everyone cranes their neck to find Kat in the crowd, then look at me.
“Archer, are you there?” Amir practically shouts. “Archer, I need you at the Center. Right now! There’s been a terrorist attack…”
I stop in my tracks.
“And?”
I don’t like the word. It might be another war. There is one brewing right here, on the dance floor. I need to take Kat away and talk about this before she breaks someone’s face or thinks I had something to do with it.
“Andwhat, Amir?” I snap.
The music starts blasting with a heavy techno beat, deafening me. I close my ear with a forefinger, trying to hear him better.
“Archer, please!” Amir’s urgent voice shouts on the other line. “Right now! The Center! I texted others!”
Others?
Marlow almost slams into me, grabbing my shoulder. “Did you hear the news?”
I cut the call and look around, but Kat is suddenly nowhere to be seen. “The picture?”
Marlow’s eyes are wide with shock when I look at him. “No! We’ll deal with that later. The terrorist attack!”
“Whatterrorist attack, Marlow? Can someone fucking tell me?” I shout through the music, frantically turning around. “Where’s Kat? I need to find her asap.”
“Archer! Kat can wait! There’s something else!” Marlow practically screams, turning me around. “It’s bad. Let’s go. We need to get to the Center. Right now!”
I see Qi Shan and Axavier fight their way through the crowd toward us.
Music is blasting. It’s in these moments that shit hits the fan. And my heart starts pounding to the heavy drum of techno.
Axavier yanks me by my arm. “We need to go to the Center!” he shouts, dragging me away.
“Whatisit?” I snap but follow because my crew is suddenly on the go. I keep looking back, trying to find Kat in the crowd. “Marlow, I need to find her.”
“Later, Arch!” he shouts pushing me.
What the fuck?