Chapter 33

With nerveless fingers I twist the key

again, and this time the lock disengages. When Alden reaches the

gate, he slides it out of the way. “Shit, man,” he drawls, clapping

me on the back. “You found him, didn’t you? I knew you

would.”

“Alden, what’s going on

here?”

Soldiers are all over the place; the

wind raised by the helicopter still blinds me, but I see our men in

green everywhere at once, and the guards are on the ground, the

fencing is being torn down, this place is being destroyed.

“Alden?”

He laughs at me. “Max said to find

you,” he explains. “So I did. Or rather, I found someone who knew

where you were.”

He points at Nuri, who waves jauntily.

Sloan sees the military presence and lowers his gun. Taking a step

or two backwards, he glares at me before he turns and runs down a

nearby alley. Nuri follows, the two of them disappearing like

dreams in the light of dawn.

At the look of confusion on my face,