19. Enemies on All Sides

Sydney knew something wasn't right the instant the CIA agents tackled Seah to the floor. She could feel the hairs prickling on the back of her neck.

He was supposed to have taken the hall to the right,she thought. The intel they'd been given was that Seah's escape route was the building's side entrance, where his car was waiting.

But right before the agents tackled him, he had turned abruptly to escape out the main entrance. There were no cars out the main entrance—the only people allowed there were security guards. He would have run headfirst into an onslaught of police.

Why would he do that?

Sydney had stared at the man on the floor as handcuffs went on him, a frown on her face. Unless he wasn't operating alone, she thought. Someone else was here.

"What is it?" Winter had asked her.

"Something's not right," she'd replied.

But she couldn't articulate it in the moment. She was just trying to figure out why Seah had changed his route, why when he lay on the floor, his eyes had turned wildly to the main entrance, as if expecting someone out there to intervene and help him.

The sixth sense in Sydney's mind had tingled so violently that she'd turned back in the direction of the dining hall. Had rushed there with Winter on her heels.

And then—had seen the president go down, had seen him collapse as the people around him jumped to their feet, screaming. Over by their own table, Gavi had darted upright and cupped her hands around her mouth in horror.

Had he been killed? Sydney had caught a glimpse of the president's hand over his chest, blood streaking his skin, seen his eyes roll up as security swarmed over him. It was enough of a glance to sink her heart.

Enough for her to see that the shot was fatal. That the man was dead.

Sydney faced Winter and Tems. "Go," she said harshly, then nodded at Winter. "You need to get Gavi out of here."

Winter was already moving. She caught the slightest hint of him nodding at her over his shoulder before he rushed off to Gavi, pulling her arm as she stood frozen by the sight and guiding her along with the stream of panicking guests toward the front entrance.

Tems was already turning back, his expression stricken. Within the minute, the entire building would be locked down—and they would be trapped. Security guards were already rushing past them as they flooded into the dining hall, while others at the front entrance had scattered across the front courtyard to search for anyone who might be connected.

Sydney's mind whirled as they ran. There was no question that the man was supposed to be behind it, that he was meant to be the one to carry out the assassination. They had thwarted that attempt. But Seah had clearly been working with others, and someone else at the party had fired a shot at Rosen.

But there was no time for Sydney to untangle it any further, nothing they could do for the president now. They had to get out and find Niall.

Tems reached the end of the hall first before he halted and started doubling back.

"Try the east wing," he said breathlessly. "They've already locked this one down."

They turned without hesitation and followed him. All around them were startled guests, many trying to find a way to escape the mystery shooter—but security at every exit blocked their steps. As they rushed past, Sydney could hear snatches of other languages as the guards apologized to various heads of state and politicians, telling them no one could enter or leave the property right now. Those guests, in turn, shouted heatedly at the guards, some pushing against their raised rifles.

The situation was quickly devolving.

The static in her earpiece abruptly came to life.

"We're coming," she said breathlessly.

"Hurry it up, Jackal," Niall answered. His voice sounded tight, with the kind of efficient calm he always seemed to display when things went terribly wrong.

"Two minutes!" she called back.

Suddenly, Tems halted before reaching the hall they were supposed to take. He swore.

"Soldiers at the end," he said.

Sydney glanced down the corridor to see the first few guards arriving at the far side of the hall, their guns drawn as one of them shouted orders. "Change of plans," she muttered, then veered sideways, heading now toward the back exit.

"What's happening?"

Gavi's breathless, panicked voice suddenly came into range, and Sydney turned to see Winter rushing up with her beside him. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated in terror, and for the first time since Sydney had met her, she didn't look composed and ready for whatever situation she might find herself in. Her arms shook visibly.

"Was that the president?" she went on, her voice pinched with fright. She glanced at Winter before looking back at Sydney. "Was that a gunshot? I saw blood—"

"Take our car," Winter interrupted as he threw his jacket around her shoulders and guided her toward the main entrance. "Go now, before the situation deteriorates."

She turned wild eyes on him. "Just me?" she exclaimed. "What about you?"

He shook his head. "Too many prying eyes. I'll find my own ride. Go now. I'll call you."

He flashed Sydney a look, and the two of them exchanged a knowing glance. Winter couldn't go back yet with Gavi, not when there might be a sniper out in the bushes looking for him and Sydney. Sydney nodded at him, and he led Gavi to the parking attendant waiting at the main entrance, who ushered her down the stairway.

She looked back again at Winter, bewildered and terrified, before she disappeared from view.

Winter waited until she'd gotten into her car, then rushed back to Sydney and Tems. "What now?" he said in a low voice.

"Winter Young!" someone exclaimed.

Sydney glanced up to see one of the prime minister's aides running toward her.

"Convenient," Tems snapped, shooting Winter a hostile glare.

Winter returned the glare before he gave the aide a polite nod. "What's going on?" he asked, as if he were unaware.

The aide looked pale as a sheet, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. He pointed back into the dining hall. "There's been a shooting," he said breathlessly. "I suggest you get to somewhere safe, sir. Follow me."

Winter stopped him before he could start dragging all of them back down the wrong hall. "I need a quiet place to get hold of my manager," he said. "Can you tell me how I can get to the nearest bathroom?"

The aide blinked at him, his eyes still wild with panic, then nodded and pointed in the direction of the back entrance. "Then I suggest you get to the front, sir," he said. "The guards are stopping everyone, but tell them it's urgent."

"Thank you," Winter nodded. Then the aide sprinted away, his encounter with Winter forgotten.

Sydney let out a breath. "Bathroom?" she said.

"When I went in there, they had small windows above the sink," he replied.

She nodded at Winter. Then they were off again. Sydney could hear Tems's grumbling even as they ran.

"The soldiers will be onto us before we can get out," he said.

"Name a better escape route, and we'll take it," she shot back.

The corridor to the bathrooms was quieter than those for the exits. As they turned and saw the two narrow bathroom doors, Sydney heard orders being barked out from a soldier in the dining hall. No one was going to leave this building for hours, at least—already, news about the US president's death must be filtering out to the rest of the world. They had little time to reach Niall, even less time for him to take them to the airfield.

Sydney reached the bathroom door first and shoved it open. Sure enough, a small, narrow window was situated above the sink, partially obscured by the green canopy of a fat-leaved tree.

She shot Winter a look as they ran to the sink. He looked like he was hanging back, as if he might not come.

"You can't stay here," she breathed. "Not by yourself."

"Claire will be calling immediately when she hears about what happened," he replied. "She'll panic if she can't get ahold of me."

"And she'll panic even more if you get yourself killed here. Have you forgotten who you are?" She nodded at him. "Come with us. For now. Please. I can't keep you safe if you're on your own. And Gavi already took your car."

He hesitated, and in that hesitation, Sydney realized that he was afraid to jeopardize her life, that he thought his presence might compromise them. Then the image of him being sniped from a tree flashed through her mind, of him being here without so much as a bodyguard to protect him while there were assassins on the loose.

"Come with me," she said again, her voice low and pleading.

Winter paused a second longer. Then he followed in her wake.

With little effort, Sydney jumped onto the sink's porcelain rim and grab the bottom ledge of the window. Her fingers ran along the bottom of the glass, then curled into a fist.

"Cover your eyes," she called to the boys below.

Then she stripped off her suit jacket and bundled it thickly around her hand.

She punched the window as hard as she could.

The glass shuddered and cracked. She punched it again, and this time, she felt the glass give away against her hand, raining down in pieces. She knocked a few more of the shards off before she removed the bundled jacket from her fist and flattened the clothing against the jagged bottom edge of the window.

When she glanced down to check on the others, Winter nodded for her to go first.

The side garden that they managed to crawl out into was still empty, but Sydney could hear the soldiers shouting at each other at the front and back gates. Shit, she swore to herself as she eyed the gate. They'd need to scale this fence to get to the other side, where she could jury-rig a car for their escape.

"I'll boost you," Tems muttered as he emerged behind her through the window. Winter followed shortly after, grabbing Sydney's jacket as they went.

Sydney shook the glass shards from her jacket with one efficient flap and pulled it back on. Tems hurried to the gate and knelt there, hands ready. Sydney ran toward him. Her shoe landed in Tems's hands, and she felt his boost lift her as she reached for the top of the gate. She grabbed it with one hand.

The exertion sent a ripple of pain through her lungs, but she ignored it and hauled herself over the edge.

Immediately, her gaze settled on a parked car across the street, with an official license plate. A Singaporean government car. Inside, she saw the giant, unmistakable silhouette of Niall waiting for them.

Somehow, the familiar sight of him sent a rush of adrenaline through Sydney. At least he'd made it here—all they had to do was reach him. Maybe he would have an update from the CIA about what had gone wrong, something she knew they'd be in heated discussions over once they were in the air. No doubt he and Tems would have a shouting match about the mission—not that it would matter now.

Not now that the president was dead.

But she didn't have time to dwell on it. Niall must have spotted them at the same time, because the car lit up and reversed in their direction. All of her focus now zeroed in on the car, and she broke into a sprint at the same time as the rest. Maybe she couldn't solve this mission alone, or even with Winter and Tems—but with Panacea, they'd get to the bottom of this. They would find a way to solve the chaos that was about to engulf the world.

Then—

—from the corner of the palace, right out of sight—

—a second car came speeding straight at Niall's.

Sydney only had time to skid to a halt before the second car smashed, full-speed, into him with a deafening crash.

The force was so great that Niall's car flipped into the air, landing on its roof with a crunch of breaking glass and metal.

A scream tore out of Sydney's throat. "Niall!"

At the same time, Winter started bolting for the car. "Get him out!" he shouted.

Inside the car, Sydney caught a glimpse of Niall's clean-shaven face, dazed and dripping with blood, his body hanging upside down in his seat, held in place only by his seat belt. His head turned slightly in their direction, and his eyes found Sydney.

Sydney's horrified gaze met his grim one. Somehow, in this split second of a moment, she suddenly felt herself turn back into the person she was at fifteen, arriving at Panacea for the first time with Niall at her side, him vouching for her during the orientation, then her graduating from her program, Sauda saying her name, Niall handing her a folder and shaking her hand.

You're going to cause some good trouble, kid,he'd told her with a smile.

"Stop! Stop!"

It was Tems. He had caught up to Winter and yanked him backward, forcing him off balance so that he stumbled to the ground. Tems flung his other arm out sideways at Sydney. "Get down!" he screamed. His eyes locked in helpless desperation on his former mentor—

—and then on the second car, devoid of a driver.

Sydney halted, right as the car exploded.