Page 140 of Wyatt

“He’s in the crowd,” RJ said. “Tate sent him out there to look for Damien Gustov. And I’m looking for him from here.”

He wanted to scream. Instead, “I need to go onstage right now, Tate.”

“Yeah. I agree. You go onstage. Distract him. I’ll get Kobie.”

“Alan Kobie? The bomber from San Antonio you had me check into?” RJ looked past Tate to the crowd. “He’shere?”

Wyatt sent Tate a look, but he didn’t have time. “Hurry up.”

“What is going on?” RJ said, but Tate turned and headed down to the end, slipping into the crowd.

Wyatt looked at the card. Drew in a breath.

No, his worlds weren’t mutually exclusive. Clearly they were connected, one feeding the other, making him whole. But the only one that really mattered was the one with Coco.

Then he took the stage.

He’d been in press conferences all over the world, spoken in live interviews on ESPN, had given hundreds of interviews, but suddenly his hands slicked and his stomach hollowed as the crowd roared.

He heard his name shouted and smiled, waved. He couldn’t help but glance down at Kobie.

The man held the phone up.

He couldn’t make it out, but he’d already ticked off two minutes in his brain.

“Thank you for being here,” he said into the mic.

Just read the card.Kobie was mouthing the words.

“I need to say something about Senator Jackson.” He pulled the card out from his pants pocket. Took a breath.You’re my hero. I trust you.

“I was given this information just recently, just…a few minutes ago, actually, but it’s important that I read—”

A shot pinged off the podium. Wyatt ducked.

Screams.

“Shooter!” The shout rose from somewhere in the crowd.

Another shot. The security agent behind him went down.

Chaos erupted, people screaming, running for the exits.

Wyatt spotted Kobie in the crowd, his eyes wide.

Kobie took off running.

Oh, no—no—

Wyatt leaped from the stage.

Two minutes.

14

Two minutes to the rest of his life.

Their story wasnotgoing to end up with Coco in a fire bomb.

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