Maybe the attack Benson was privy to was set to occur somewhere else, at some other time.
And yet every one of Lucan's battle instincts prickled with the certainty that something was off tonight. Something wasn't right, and he was willing to bet that something had everything to do with Reginald Crowe.
Onstage, Crowe's demeanor had sobered as he paused to express his shock and grief over the tragic loss of both Jeremy Ackmeyer and GNC director Benson. "Two great men, visionaries, both of them," he said, his voice carrying over the silent crowd. "One committed to advancing our world through science and innovation. The other devoted his life to ensuring a safer future for us all . . ."
Lucan tuned out the brief eulogy, instead watching as still more Crowe Industries guards were searched and released by Tegan and the other warriors.
Crowe, meanwhile, was gaining steam again. "To have lost two brilliant champions of our future at a time when we were gathering here to celebrate peace between mankind and the Breed only demonstrates the work still left to be done. Peace is our dream. Peace is our goal."
As the throng applauded and murmured their agreement, Crowe directed their attention to the center of the reception, where his glittering crystal obelisk shone like a beacon under the soft lights of the hall. "Tonight I give you a symbol of my vision for the future of our world. Tonight I propose a future of true peace. Not First Dawn, but a New Dawn."
Crowe's words put a sudden chill in Lucan's veins. He glanced at the obelisk again and noticed that the crystal orb crowning the sculpture had begun to glow with more intensity than before. Now the light inside the sphere pulsed with energy.
Holy shit.
It wasn't UV bullets they needed to worry about after all.
"Peace is our vision," Crowe was saying now, his gaze panning the crowd as he spoke. His eyes found Lucan and came to a stop. "Peace is our work. Pax Opus Nostrum."
Morningstar.
Crowe had smuggled it in right under their noses.
"Get down!" Lucan bellowed. He pushed Gabrielle into Dare's arms and motioned for them to move the hell out of the room. As all eyes turned to him, Lucan drew his 9-mm semiauto from under his suit coat and aimed it at the obelisk. "Everyone down now!"
The light within the orb was growing stronger by the second, threatening to blow.
"UV bomb in the orb," he shouted to the other members of the Order. "Get the Breed civilians out of this goddamned room now!"
The crowd started screaming, even before Lucan fired the first shot.
Chaos erupted, humans and Breed scattering in a stampede of confusion and terror.
The crystal orb cracked with his bullet's impact, but the light didn't dim.
The other warriors rounded up the dignitaries as best they could, the tangle of panicked bodies making it next to impossible to see anything but the rush of men and women, dodging in all directions as the gala dissolved into mass hysteria.
Through the fleeing crowd, Lucan spotted Crowe as he leapt off the stage and headed for the shadows in the back of the reception hall. He wanted to pursue the bastard, but all of his focus - all of his savage purpose - was fixed on destroying the tower of deadly art now glowing with greater strength at the center of the gathering.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
ALTHOUGH HE KNEW IT WAS THE LAST PLACE HE SHOULD be - and the dead last place he wanted to be with Mira alongside him - nothing could have stopped Kellan from heading to the peace summit gala once he realized there was a chance Ackmeyer's UV technology could be unleashed on the Order.
As he and Mira pulled up to the curb in one of the Order's vehicles, Kellan realized the situation was even worse than he'd anticipated.
Much worse.
Hundreds of people - humans and Breed alike - poured out of the GNC building and into the night, fleeing on foot, screaming in utter terror. Men in formal wear, women in shimmering evening gowns and high heels, scattering in all directions.
Sheer chaos.
"Oh, my God," Mira breathed, coming around the sedan to meet Kellan on the other side. She was dressed as he was, head-to-toe black combat gear, sidearms loaded and ready for action. The hilts of Mira's twin daggers, riding at her hips, glinted under the pale moonlight overhead. She stared at the scene of confusion, her expression slack with alarm. "It's already happening. Kellan, what if we're too late?"
He glimpsed several of the warriors ushering Breed dignitaries to safe ground, far away from the building. "We still have time. Come on."
Mira jogged after him, up a broad flight of stairs. They had to dodge the flow of escaping party guests, who crashed toward them like cattle swept up in a blind stampede. Kellan spotted an open side door, away from the mad throng pushing and shoving out of the main entrance. He took Mira's hand and ran with her, ducking inside the building with her.
The scene in the lobby wasn't any more sane. Thick with scores of fleeing people, it was almost impossible to push against the current. Kellan saw Rafe up ahead, his blond head and broad shoulders towering over most of the humans racing past him. The warrior glanced over and his aqua eyes flashed with intensity.