Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3)(74)

"The warehouse?" Rogan asked.

"It's properly anchored and the steel walls will bend rather than break apart," Heart said. "Technically, it's rated to withstand 170-mph winds. Practically, it depends on who you talk to. If you ask steel building manufacturers, they'll tell you stories of people who survived F-4 in one. But nobody knows what will happen if Sturm spins off a tornado and then holds it in one place."



       
         
       
        

If Sturm did that, our warehouse would crumple like an empty Coke can.

"We need a shelter," I said.

Heart nodded. "There are issues with that. The ideal shelter would be sunken into the floor; however, it would require engineering and careful construction to do it properly, because the shelter has to bear the weight of the warehouse and soil. That will take time, which we don't have. The other option would be to construct a reinforced shelter within the warehouse; however, the warehouse is filled with heavy vehicles. When picked up by a tornado, they will become airborne projectiles, which have a high probability of crushing any shelter within the warehouse."

"So our best option is to run to your basement," I said.

"Yes," Rogan and Heart said at the same time.

"Great."

"Sturm and I are both offensive mages," Rogan said. "Defenses are our weak point, so whoever throws the first punch has the advantage."

And we couldn't throw the first punch. We had no proof and no probable cause. Neither could Sturm, for that matter, not if he was hoping to keep his public image intact. It would be an unprovoked attack either way. The question was, who would snap first.

"We're installing an early warning system," Rivera said. "He can create a tornado out of thin air, but he can't mask the drop in air pressure and change in the air movement. We'll have several sirens ready."

"I'll brief your mother this afternoon," Heart said.

My phone chimed. It was a text from Leon. Fullerton is here.

"I have to go." I jumped off the chair, carried my cup to the sink, rinsed it, and stuck it upside-down into the dish rack. Rogan reached out and I let him catch me as I walked by.

"What's the plan today?" he asked.

"I'm going to keep digging. The clock's ticking, and we need to come up with the ransom by tomorrow."

"Where do you expect to go today?" He'd asked the question very carefully.

"I'm going to meet with Fullerton at the warehouse now, and then I'll go to the hospital to speak with Edward. Depending on what he tells me, I may be out in the city longer. I'll have to play it by ear. I will be home in time to get ready for my dinner with Garen."

"About that thing you asked," Bug said. "Three, but only one offers an unobstructed view of the street."

He was talking about the cameras facing Memorial Drive. Curiouser and curiouser.

"What's that about?" Rogan asked.

"I'll explain when I have something solid." If I explained it now, he might tell Rynda, and I wanted to be one hundred percent sure before I dropped that kind of bomb on her. "I'll know more after I talk to Edward." 

"Do you want to take backup?" Rogan asked quietly.

"No. I can't run around Houston with armed guards, Rogan." Especially if they were his armed guards.

"It's better to have protection and not need it," Heart said, sounding reasonable. "What's the harm in taking a couple of people with you?"

"She doesn't want to be seen with my people," Rogan said. "She's being watched. House Baylor must emerge as an independent House, not a vassal."

Heart looked at him. "I thought that was settled."

Rogan shook his head, barely. "No."

"My apologies. I misunderstood the situation," Heart said.

What were they talking about?

"I'll take Cornelius with me," I said. If I could pry him away from Zeus.

Rogan's face told me he didn't like it.

"My grandmother isn't going to try anything in broad daylight, not after you took Dave apart. Sturm gave us forty-eight hours. I'm trying to find the thing he wants. It isn't in his best interests to impede me, and I doubt he'd let Vincent out of his sight now. Trying to grab me off the street is risky and wouldn't make sense. He already has all the leverage he needs. Bug will keep an eye on me and warn me if anything weird comes up."

All the words I was saying made total sense, and they were bouncing off Rogan without making any impact. I had to redirect this before he thought up some creative ways to keep me safe and hamstring my investigation in the process.