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The force of the explosion sent us both to the ground Through soed to cover my body with his

Debris rained everywhere My ears rang I thought I’d gone deaf until I realized the wolves were howling right next to my head

Nic eased offat the fla bomb"

"Bomb?" He leaped to his feet "What makes you think a boent What does that look like to you?"

"Gas explosion?"

"If we had any gas out here Electricity fired this place And last time I checked, electricity doesn’t cause fiery, explosive death"

He peered at his suddenly dirty shoes for several ticks of the clock, then offeredhi hiot up on s happened

I contes

The building was little uard was dead I wasn’t sure about the olves in the base the bodies after they’d been shot with silver left ashes, but would a firebomb kill a olf? I didn’t have a clue

A chill ca to do with the wind What if Billy were alive?

I swayed and almost fell What if he were alive and free?

Nic, who’d been creeping closer to the blaze, hurried to my side and clutched my elbow "Are you dizzy?"

I closed ht Not only did I have to worry about Billy, but one

"Elise, you’d better sit down again"

I shook Nic off, took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then took another

"My work," I lanced at the compound, then at me "You must have it backed up off-site"

True However, I didn’t knohere that somewhere was Only Edward did, and he was in Wisconsin

"You don’t?" Nic’s voice was incredulous

"Yes, of course But there were things in there I’lanced at the sky, conte the lopsided, three-quarter moon

Soon

Nic patted his pocket, and a bewildered expression crossed his face, followed al "Left my cell in the car"

Dazed, I followed hi lot He stopped walking, and I ran into his back

"Uh-oh," heto the side, I saw the probleuess that e, usually a car bouess he should know

"How many vehicles were supposed to be in this lot?" he asked

I glanced at the piles of fiery ot"

His lips tightened "Doesn’t really tell us all that et someone here who can Got a phone?"

"In my office"

"Great"

He scrubbed his fingers through his hair, leaving a few strands standing on end If he hadn’t been six-three and about tenty, he would have looked like a little boy with cowlicks As it was, I found ood for me

"This makes no sense," he continued "Why would anyone want to blow up a medical research facility?"

Since ere a lot more than that, there were quite a few people, and nonpeople, too, ould love to blow J-S headquarters to hell and gone Not just the building, either, but ents they could take out in the process

We didn’t need the FBI here Lord knohat else they h the rubble If I could get to a phone ahead of Nic, Edould take care of the cover-up