I checked my watch—only three minutes for us to get to the van and get out. I looked at Solomon, who returned my gaze, his face ashen.
We didn’t have to say it—it was readily apparent that we were in deep trouble. I knelt and started going through the items in my bag. Solomon dropped down beside me, his expression inquisitive.
“Here,” I whispered, thrusting a bundle of rope into his hands. “We’re going to tie the rope to that vent there, and then, when I give you the signal, you’re going to rappel down. I’ll buy you some time.”
He studied me for a long moment, and then shook his head. “No, I’ll buy you the time. You have people to get back to.”
I growled in irritation. “So do you. Besides, they’ll want me more than they’ll want you,” I said, meeting his gaze with a hard one of my own.
“What are you going to do? Stand on the edge and announce ‘Hello, my name is Violet Bates, come and get me’?”
I frowned at the dismissive quality of his voice. “It’ll get their attention,” I argued.
“You’ll get as far as, ‘My name is—’ and catch a bullet.”
“I can’t have your death on my hands,” I hissed at him, standing up.
“Well, that isn’t your choice to make, Violet. We’re a team. We need to—”
Whatever Solomon intended to say was lost in the explosion. The force of it shook the building, and instinctively we fell to the floor, curling our bodies into fetal positions to absorb the impact tremors. We stared at each other, waiting until the roar had slightly diminished.
I heard frightened shouts from the wardens below, and I stood up, running over to where a bright glow could be seen. Smoke plumed, filling the air with the smell of fire. Below me, the wardens were running around, panicked.
I scanned the area of the warehouse and spotted two lone figures loping away from the scene toward the van. There was a flash of gold as one of them paused, looking back, and I realized it was Owen.
But where was the laser? I looked at his hands but saw nothing. Was it possible that they had decided to abandon the mission?
Solomon came up beside me. “There’s a path that’s clear to the south. If we hurry, we can make it back to the van in time.”
I whirled and gave him an incredulous look, unable to process what he was saying. “Owen doesn’t have the objective,” I said.
He looked over my shoulder and his face tightened. “He’s also missing a man—I don’t know if it’s Amber or Quinn, but if he had to abandon them in the warehouse, then the mission is over.”
A fresh wave of panic bubbled up to the surface. “No! We can’t just leave it there! We need it—Viggo needs it!” I grabbed his forearm, my fingers digging in tightly. “The wardens, they’re distracted—we can just—”
Solomon yanked his hand out of mine. “No, Violet. We can’t go get it now. The wardens are everywhere, and even more will be coming.”
I shook my head, refusing to see reason in his words. I backed away slowly, pulling my gun around my body and putting it between us like a shield. “No,” I said. “There’s still time! We can do this.”
He took a step forward, his hands raised. “Violet… please… see reason. We need to go, now.”
Tears were beginning to form in my eyes. My vision blurred and I blinked, trying to keep the panic growing inside me at bay. I thought of Viggo’s face, and it grounded me. I knew what he would do: He would go in after it anyway. I had to do the same. For him.
“You… you go back to Owen. You tell him to wait. Buy me time. I’ll go get the laser and I’ll find a way to get it to you.”
Solomon took another step closer and I backed away from him. “Please, Solomon,” I said, my voice breaking.
He paused and looked at me. Really looked at me. I couldn’t imagine how I looked in his eyes—probably like some insane woman about to commit suicide. I didn’t care—he just needed to know that I was serious about what I was saying.
“All right,” he said reluctantly, and my knees buckled in relief. “If you’re going to go, I think there might be a clearer path at the rear of the building. I’ll rappel down with you, give you some cover, and then I’ll get to Owen and tell him to wait, okay?”
I nodded emphatically. “Yes. Thank you, Solomon.”
He gave me a tight nod and moved toward the rear of the building. I followed him, bending down to scoop up the rope from where Solomon had dropped it during the explosion. He was already by the ventilation shaft, digging through his pack.