Night Speed by Chris Howard

Author:Chris Howard [Howard, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-02-25T22:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

Rush hour means the square is crowded with coffee jugglers in sweaty suits, headphone heads, and bagel munchers. People thumb texts and scroll screens, too late and too bored and too busy to look at the girl by the fountain rummaging in the top of her forest-green backpack, checking on her drugs and her gun.

No one sees the time bomb in their midst.

No one hears the tick-tick of my heart.

The fountain glitters right in the center of the square. Beyond it, the New York National Bank’s walls are polished steel, and the sun makes the building come alive, turning it silver and gold. As the fountain’s mist clouds my vision, it’s almost as if I’m on tetra already, seeing the surging splendor of the Fourth Dimension.

I can’t wait for the rush to come.

JB dropped me off two blocks away. The minivan—Ishmael—is a Chevy the color of chickpeas, and it’s off to pick up Aces, seeing as she’s the first one to rush so she’ll be the first one going to ground and reaching her meeting point.

Staring at the doors of the bank, my heart thumping the countdown, I’m reminded of how Tucker and I would wait in position together, our watched pots never boiling, and I imagine him here, rubbing my shoulders, telling me I’m not alone.

Imagining it makes me even lonelier, though. And my shoulders grow even tenser.

An alarm beeps once on the watch JB gave me—it’s time for the first breakneck to enter her bank, which means somewhere across the city, Aces is striding through a set of glass doors, her snazzy helmet strapped on, the tinted visor flipped down. Vespa is about to order people to the floor with a wave of her gun or perhaps a shot at the ceiling. She’s ready to disarm security guards; scan for hazards and potential heroes. Ready to grab her cash and bite the bullet.

When I imagine the flavor of tetra on my tongue, my mouth waters. My blood sings.

The second alarm chimes twice on my watch—Rapunzel’s turn, whoever she is once she suits up and hits the release. I wonder if she moves like she’s dancing when her rush comes on, her heart a bass drum kicking at a thousand beats per minute.

The third alarm hits. Ethan’s turn. But I don’t try to imagine who he is when he’s breaking, nor how careful he will or won’t be when he makes his escape. I must focus on here. Now. It is almost time.

I flex my shoulders, stretch out my hamstrings. Left ankle feels pretty good, wrapped up in an Ace bandage, and these sturdy Nike high-tops offer decent support. I reach into the top pouch of my backpack to pull out my dose, and I can’t help smiling, a tremulous thrill in my belly.

This bullet’s a dark red color and the casing is different from the ones I’m used to. Feels lighter. The release at the one end is white, a red T the only lettering on the whole thing.

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