Countdown

'Yeah, it's wrong.'

My breasts rubbed against his chest, and he inhaled sharply and let out a low groan. 'Dammit, Kira.'

I leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, 'Jonathan told me that you're the one who killed my family.'

He tensed and pulled his face away so he could stare into my eyes. His were wide. 'What?'

'You heard me. Seven years ago when you were a Kerometh addict.' A tear slipped down my cheek and fell into the empty air beneath us. 'You broke into our home in the dead of night and shot my mother, father, and sister. And you would have killed me, too, if the cops hadn't arrived.'

He shook his head. 'No, Kira-'

'Shut up. Just shut up. That's why they picked me to be your partner. Because they knew what you did to me. They knew. Jonathan told me-'

'Jonathan's a fucking liar,' he spat out. 'He's one of them. Don't you see? He's lying to you. I didn't kill your family. I swear to God I didn't.'

'And I'd believe you? Why would I believe you?'

'You have to believe me.'

'I don't have to do anything.' I shook my head and slid past him, going hand over hand, pulling myself clear of his body. 'I can leave you here. I don't have to save you, as long as I save myself. You can die and I'll live.'

Something in his expression shattered. 'You're the only one who's given me the benefit of the doubt in years. Please don't take that away.'

I just held on to the platform and closed my eyes tightly, trying to stop any more tears from spilling.

He craned his neck to look at me. His eyes glistened. 'Kira, I've done bad things. I'll admit that. I've killed before. But I haven't killed anyone who didn't deserve it'

'Maybe you have a lousy idea of who deserves to die.'

'I swear, Kira, I didn't kill your family.'

'How would you even remember? If you were in the middle of a Kerometh fury, then you wouldn't be thinking too clearly.'

There was deep anguish in his expression as he strained to keep me in his gaze. 'I've never taken Kerometh a day in my life.'

I brought the back of my hand up to wipe at the tears on my cheeks and frowned so hard that it hurt. He'd never taken Kerometh before?

'There are three minutes remaining in this level of The Countdown.'

I'd read Jonathan. I knew he was telling me the truth.

The truth, I thought. How did I know for sure it was the truth? Because he read as being an honest man? Even honest men could lie when they had to.

What else had I felt? Guilt. Jonathan felt a deep sense of guilt, but I didn't know why.

Maybe he felt guilty that he was being forced to lie to me about Rogan. If Rogan had killed my family and left me as an orphan who almost had to sell her body to get enough money not to starve to death, then I hated him.

But if he didn't do it… if he was innocent…

I couldn't know for sure. Not now, and not with less than three minutes to go in this level. I didn't have enough time or the ability to concentrate to touch him, to read him, and even if I did would that tell me anything? I'd gotten a great read on Jonathan, but that only left me with more questions. More confusion.

Unless … unless Jonathan believed what he told me was true. Just because he believed it didn't necessarily make it true, but it would explain what my flex had told me.

Dammit. I didn't know.

I let out a cry of frustration and started working on Rogan's wrist bindings until they dropped away. I watched them fall, the ropes getting farther and farther away as they got closer to the street. I felt dizzy suddenly and tried to get up to my feet, but my hand slipped on the wet platform. It had started to rain. I hadn't even noticed until now.

Rogan gripped my wrists and held me in place just before I fell off the platform. We waited, facing each other on our knees until the platform stopped shaking. I stared into his eyes as the rain fell around us, soaking through our clothes.

'I would have fallen,' I said, willing myself not to look down again.

'I know.' His eyes were moist, and not just from the rain. 'You're the only one who's ever believed in me, Kira. Please believe me now.'

'Two minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.'

He didn't wait for me to say anything else. He slowly and carefully got to his feet. He held a hand out to me, and I took it and stood up.

'Let's go,' he said.

I nodded and swiveled carefully to face the other building. I took a step, and then another step, and then another.

'Fifty-nine.. fifty-eight.. fifty-seven …'

'Don't think about the countdown,' Rogan breathed from behind me into my now damp hair. 'Don't think about the rain. Don't think about anything but surviving.'

I swallowed hard. 'I think I'm afraid of heights.'

'So am I.'

I almost laughed at that.

I took another step, and another. A camera whipped past me at a breakneck speed and I stopped. I felt Rogan's hand at my back to steady me.

'You're doing great, Kira. Just keep going.'

'Five… four… three …'

With a last step I touched the roof. Another step and I was on it completely and jumped down off the ledge. Rogan landed next to me. I turned to face him and felt an odd sense of relief that we'd both made it to the other side in one piece. Streams of rain hit the rooftop around us.

He reached out as if to touch me, but then pulled his hand back. 'Kira, I-'

'Congratulations to Kira and Rogan on completing Level Four of The Countdown successfully. This was also a reward level, so we hope that you will enjoy what we have in store for you next.'

I braced myself for the blinding pain that usually preceded being struck unconscious by our implants, but instead I could hear a helicopter approach. My wet hair whipped around on all sides. Rogan grabbed my arm to pull me closer to him as the helicopter landed next to us.

Three men in white coats jumped out. They held guns. I couldn't hear anything because the sound from the helicopter's propellers was too deafening. The men in white were yelling something and waving the guns. I turned away and tried to run, but one of the man grabbed me around my neck. I fought him, but he dragged me to the helicopter and pulled me inside. I couldn't see where Rogan was. I yelled his name but couldn't even hear my own voice.

The helicopter lifted off from the roof and flew into the dark, stormy sky.

CHAPTER NINE

I heard Rogan yelling my name from the near distance as the blindfold covering my eyes was ripped off and I was pushed into a room. The door slammed shut behind me.

A gun was on me. 'Strip,' the voice behind it said, masculine, gruff, and his eyes slithered down my body.

My gaze darted around the room that, other than being totally white, had no other distinguishing features. 'You're going to have to shoot me, asshole.'

White Coat smirked. 'Don't you want your reward?'