After the whole fiasco yesterday, I needed a break. The Trickster's motives weren't fully clear. Although he mentioned Amanda, she wasn't the real reason for coming after me. He hadn't told me the truth yet. I still couldn't remember anyone from my past with this big of an issue with me. I mean, of course, a lot of criminals wanted me dead. The Trickster was different, though. He could've killed me already if he wanted to. All he did was play around so far.

With all these thoughts flooding my mind, it was a surprise how I managed to get sleep that night.

The next morning, the four of us met at the HQ. I filled in a clueless Robert and Louis, and faced an upset Henry.

"What the hell happened yesterday?" he demanded. "I'm guessing the Trickster threatened you, so tell me."

"He's holding the families of our three suspects hostage," I replied. "I'm not allowed to go near Mary. If I do, he might kill the hostages, or innocent people at random. He doesn't have limits. I think one of those hostages might be Jacob Coleman."

His brows knitted together. "You mean Mary's son?"

"I read through her profile on the way to the caretaker's house. When I asked her if her son was home, she was scared. She couldn't tell the truth. From the way she reacted, I think something might've happened to him. It's a safe bet to say he could've been kidnapped. She tried to say something before Trickster inconveniently interrupted."

"Fantastic."

"Well, at least we're alive." Louis gave me a nod. That was the closest he would get to thanking me.

Robert leaned against a table. "I guess I was right then. This is about you. You're the only one he contacts."

"I don't know what his motives are yet," I said. "But he's gonna do something terrible soon."

"So what do we do?" Henry asked.

"At the moment, nothing." I crossed my arms. "There's nothing we can do except play along and keep a close watch on things. He's bound to make a mistake somewhere along the line. We catch him then."

"Sounds like a shitty plan," Robert said. "We just allow him to do whatever he wants and hope something will come up?"

"Do you have a better idea?" I said, bluntly. "Because I'm all ears. We know nothing about him."

Henry looked suspiciously at me. "Or maybe you do. This whole thing seems personal. That guy knows you somehow. He wouldn't keep calling you otherwise."

"I don't know him." I huffed. "I tried to remember the criminals we encountered in the past. I don't remember anyone with that alias. Also, we don't know who killed the caretaker yet. Until the forensics have something on that, we got nothing."

Robert shook his head, pissed. "I want to kill him for blowing up my car."

Everyone was worried. Rightfully frustrated. We had no leads. All we could do was wait for the Trickster to make a move. I, most of all, hated it when I couldn't do anything. I despised having no control over a situation.

Martin threw his office door open, his tie over one shoulder, and shoved an intern aside as he hurried towards us.

"We need to go," he snapped. "That maniac's going to blow up a school bus."

There was only one maniac that came to mind.

"Where?" I asked.

"Roeside Elementary," he blurted. "We have to go get there ASAP. Someone called 911, threatening to set a bomb off at that school." He glanced at Louis. "You're coming. You're the bomb expert."

Louis nodded.

"Chief, you're getting worked up," I said.

Martin dismissed my comment with a wave of his hand. "I need you all to come right now. This is a priority. We don't have a lot of time before that bomb goes off."

"Alright, calm down." I held his arm. "We can reach there on time, alright? You need to keep it together. You can't be freaking out."

His voice rose. "The hell I can't! my son's in there."

Oh no.

An officer came running to us. "Sir, we have a problem. The suspect's gone."

Martin blanched.

I glanced at the officer. "That's not possible. That interrogation room's guarded. How did he get out?"

"I don't know, sir," the officer said. "He just... disappeared."

I lost my cool. "Nobody just disappears!"

"Aidan, calm down," Henry said. "It's not his fault."

"Toby was our only lead," I grumbled. "Now we're back to square one."

Martin brushed past me. "We gotta get to the school."

I mouthed an angry 'damn it' through my teeth and went after him. The stakes were high and the missions grew more dangerous by the minute.

We strapped on bulletproof vests before heading out. Our vehicles stood along the sidewalk outside the HQ. Since Robert's car blew up, he and Louis had to join us in Henry's Dodge Challenger Hellcat. I wanted to drive, but the three of them unanimously disagreed.

"Hell no," Louis said to Henry. "I've seen the way Aidan drives. There's no way I'm signing a death wish by joining you and Irish Wonder here."

"Seriously?" I said, raising a brow.

"I agree," Henry replied. "Which is why Irish Wonder won't be driving my car."

"That's fine with me. I'll take my bike."

"Is this important right now, you idiots?" Martin snapped. "Get in the damn car before I beat you to death!"

The chief got into another vehicle with two other officers. When we got into the Challenger, Henry and the other two stifled a grin.

I hid my disapproval behind a poker face. "Let's go already."

***

By the time we reached, the classes had ended, and the buses were leaving. All twenty of them. It posed an enormous problem.

Louis leaned forward to get a better look. "That's not good at all."

Henry glanced at me. "We got to stop them."

"We can't, with all the traffic ahead," I said. "We just gotta find the bus with the bomb under it."

"How exactly do we do that?"

"I'm thinking."

"Well, think fast."

We had to wait until the last of the buses left the school. They split up at the main road.

Henry's police scanner crackled to life, and Martin's anxious voice sounded. "We need to stop those buses."

Henry picked up the transceiver. "We can't."

"Wait," I said. "We need to make sure his son is safe. There might be a good chance that the bomb's wherever he is."

"Yeah," he said, then spoke into the radio. "Chief, what bus does your son take?"

"Number 19," came the reply.

Henry replaced the transceiver and accelerated, trying to catch up with the buses. I checked their numbers as we passed by, keeping an eye out for nineteen.

"How do you know that the bomb's there?" Louis asked.

"Trickster's obviously behind this," I replied. "Why else would he pick this school, of all places, where Martin's son is?"

As we reached the main road, I scanned the buses till I spotted the one we were looking for.

"There it is." I pointed at it.

Henry rounded the corner and picked up the pace. We had to catch the bus before it took another turn. He slowed down for no one, snaking his way through traffic, driving the same way I did when I chased Mary. I bumped against the door when he veered to another lane to overtake a vehicle.

I shot him a look. "How's your driving any better?"

He scowled. "Do not start with me."

"I miss our car," Louis said.

"Seeing stars, Louis?" I smirked.

"Screw you."

"Hey, you're the one who didn't want me to drive."

"We figured Henry wouldn't be... I don't know, a lunatic?" Robert said, bracing himself against the door. "Should've known that insanity runs in both of you."

"You guys wanna focus on the mission or my driving?" Henry interrupted.

A lot of vehicles came in the way. Traffic always seemed to be our disadvantage. On reaching a junction, the lights turned red. The bus slowed to a halt, along with the rest of the traffic. Henry slowed, cursing as he tried to find a gap in between.

"No, no, no, come on!" he exclaimed.

We found ourselves stuck in a labyrinth of vehicles, while the bus was way ahead. Every second we delayed meant the bomb got closer to exploding. I had no choice but to get there on foot.

I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"What're you doing?" Henry asked.

"What does it look like?" I hurried out of the car. "We need to stop that bus!"

I ran along the narrow gap between the columns of vehicles, without waiting for the others.

On reaching the bus, I rapped on the door. "Open the door!"

The bald, startled driver flinched. "What the—?"

"NCPD! Open the door!"

His muffled voice sounded from inside. "Are you crazy?"

In times like these, I wished I had my badge. The driver, like all other drivers so far, simply thought of me as another madman. The children in the bus peeked out of their windows to look at me. I recognized one of them—a little boy with brown bangs covering his forehead.

David. Martin's son.

The others ran towards me. The lights turned green at that moment, and the bus began to move, along with the other vehicles.

"No, stop!" I yelled.

He didn't listen. Before the bus picked up speed, I broke into a run and got in front of it. The startled driver braked, and the bus stopped an inch away from me.

Henry ran to me. "What the hell? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Get him to open the door," I said. "Show him your badge."

He flashed his badge at the driver, and the latter finally opened the door. The vehicles behind the bus honked incessantly.

I got onto the bus and said, "Take a right turn then pull over near the sidewalk."

"And why the hell should I do that?" the driver said.

Henry went to him, speaking in a tone only audible to him. "There might be a bomb in this bus, sir. You need to do exactly what we tell you."

Maybe his jowls wobbled as he nodded shakily. He took the turn and slowed to a halt near the sidewalk.

A bus full of kids stared at me. I coughed awkwardly. "Alright, everyone, I need you to get off the bus because it's gonna blow up."

It was like I'd flicked the switch to pandemonium. Screaming, yelling, I think someone was crying.

Henry backhanded my arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I don't know, I've never dealt with kids before!"

He sighed and turned to face them, bellowing, "Enough!"

Everyone froze. Even the crying girl stopped mid-sob.

"This is just a routine safety check. Nothing serious. Everyone pick up your bags and move out of the bus, one by one. Understand?"

His calm, friendly, authoritative voice did the trick. Each one was slightly optimistic as they scrambled off the bus. At least they stopped screaming. All left, except one kid, right at the back.

Henry made his way to him. "Hey. It's alright. Come on."

David refused to budge. He sat there, shoulders tightened, lips trembling. We kneeled next to him.

"David, right?" Henry smiled. "We're friends of your father. We're here to take you to him. He's waiting for you. Come on, it's alright."

As he reached for his arm, the kid shrunk back. "No! He said it'll blow up!"

The two of us exchanged worried glances. David referred to his backpack, but when I proceeded to check it, he refused to let me.

"It's okay," Henry said, as reassuring as possible, "We're here to help. I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen."

Despite the child's reluctance, my partner kept at it. He tried to calm him until finally, the boy allowed me to unzip his bag. Carefully, I opened it just enough to spot an active bomb inside, with a timer counting down at three minutes.

Henry closed his eyes, muttering, "Damn it."

Louis entered the bus. "Hey."

"Where's Robert?" I asked.

"He's outside, with the children. Come on, we need to find the bomb. Get the kid outta here."

David stared at me with a tear-streaked face and a petrified gaze.

"We can't," I said. "The bomb is with him."