Chapter 25: Explosion 2
Kyle stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest as the deafening explosion tore through the air. The shockwave rattled the building's structure, and he could feel the floor beneath him tremble as if the very foundation of his carefully laid plans was cracking.
This wasn't supposed to happen, Kyle thought, his mind racing. I knew working with the rogues was risky. I knew they were unpredictable, but I didn't expect them to be this reckless. A bomb so close to the building—this is beyond anything I anticipated.
He glanced around, his eyes darting between the chaos unfolding around him—people screaming, rushing for cover, the frantic security personnel trying to maintain some semblance of order. The Lobby was a mixture of panic and disbelief, the once-controlled atmosphere of the opposition party now a battlefield.
I thought I could control this, Kyle continued to berate himself. I thought I could use them, play both sides—lure Edward into a trap, have him right where I want him. Then, the rogues would strike, and I'd have leverage. But now... now I'm just as much a pawn as they are.
His grip tightened on his phone as he searched for answers, but there was nothing. No message from Coco. No explanation. Just the deafening silence that followed the explosion.
What was that? He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just witnessed something far bigger than he ever imagined. This wasn't just an attack on the ruling party. This was an assault on everything—his plans, his power, his future.
Did rogues go Rogue on me?
Fear gnawed at him, but it wasn't just the blast that terrified him. It was the realization that his involvement with the rogues had brought him dangerously close to losing control of the situation. I can't die here, he thought. I've come too far. I've sacrificed too much to fall at the hands of some criminals. No. This was never part of the deal.
A flash of clarity pierced his panic. Edward's here. If I can get to him... If I can make it out of this mess, I still have a chance. I'll clean this up. I'll fix it. But first, I need to survive this.
Kyle's eyes darted across the room, panic bubbling in his chest as he scanned for an escape route. His mind spun into overdrive, calculating his next move. Stay with Edward, Then figure out who to blame. If anyone's going down for this, it won't be me.
A voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. "Kyle, go to the safety area!"