Fuck me. I held tight to Gunn, trying to decide if there was any way to find a sip or two of the antidote. I ran through a list of names, all of whom would be next to impossible to contact without Congresswoman Green's resources.
"It's okay now, Kennedy," he said, pressing his lips to my temple.
I shook my head. "He's going to die and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
"Let me see what I can do," a woman said from the doorway.
I let go of Gunn and spun around, surprise and relief consuming me. "Congresswoman Green."
12
Gunn
The elegant woman dressed in a sleek pantsuit and heels, glided over to the unconscious Azurite. "Is this AM215?" she asked Kennedy.
My girl nodded, pressing her hand to her throat.
"Strange. I've never seen it do that before." Congresswoman Green dug around in her bag and retrieved a small spray bottle. "Salt water combined with an alkaline solution. It neutralizes the mist."
"Are you sure saving him's a good idea? He tried to kill Kennedy," I said, not giving one shit about what happened to the scumbag.
"Don't worry. He'll pay for that lapse in judgement." She strode past us and saturated the man in the solution until the mist disappeared. Then she crouched and shoved two blue pills into his mouth. Even though he didn't open his eyes, his throat worked, indicating he'd swallowed whatever she'd given to him. She turned around and nodded toward the door. "Get him to the new lab. We have work to do."
A pair of average looking men wearing a uniform of white pants and polo shirts entered Kennedy's apartment and hauled the Azurite away.
"How did you know we were here?" Kennedy asked.
"We still have security set up everywhere at the old building. After operations made the call to let you know it's not safe, they watched you leave. As soon as Bolt and his goons showed up, they called me. I knew you'd end up here." She glanced at the bedroom. "Is there anything left?"
Kennedy shook her head. "The backup samples were destroyed in the struggle." She hung her head. "I'm sorry. We never even intended to come back to the apartment. Hell, I didn't think I'd even end up back in town, but-"
"Audrey sent you," the congresswoman finished for her.
"You know Audrey?" I blurted, wondering just how often the IDA leader kept us out of the loop. "How?"
The congresswoman turned to me, giving me a patient smile. "You are aware she has contacts in every Azurite controlled city, right?"
"Yes, but … I didn't realize just how much power some of them had, I guess," I said, a renewed respect for Audrey forming. That woman had balls.
"You're Audrey's contact?" Kennedy smiled. "Why does that not surprised me."
The congresswoman chuckled, then sobered. "I wish she'd told me you were the ones coming. I'd have warned her not to send you into the lion's den. Conditions here have … worsened."
"How so?" I asked, moving to stand next to Kennedy. Slipping my arm around her waist, I tugged her close to me, needing the physical connection more than I cared to admit.
The congresswoman's gaze flickered between us. "You must be Gunn. Kennedy has spoken highly of you." She held her hand out to me.
I glanced at Kennedy, warmth filling my chest. All those years apart with no contact and yet she'd spent time praising me.
She gave me a shy smile. "You were my past and my future. What else would I talk about?"
Had she just heard my thoughts? It didn't matter. My heart seemed to expand and it felt as if a shield that had been guarding it just melted away. Love-filled tenderness seeped from her psyche to mine, fortifying me, leaving me with an odd sense of contentment.
Her smile widened as she nudged me and nodded to the congresswoman.
Right. I'd left the congresswoman hanging. Clearing my throat, I clasped my hand in hers and said, "It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my girl all those years."
"I think it might have been the other way around, but thank you just the same." She released my hand and took off for the door, gesturing for us to join her. "Don't worry about the samples. I still have a few backups stored around the city. They appear to be safe for now."
We followed her out the door. Like me, she avoided the elevator and headed straight for the stairs. Once we were in the stairwell she added, "You need to disappear sooner rather than later. When Bolt fails to show up for his afternoon meeting with his father, questions are going to be raised. It's better if you're already well on your way."