I’ve watched that trouble brew in her eyes long enough to know it’s not going away.
“Don’t do it,” I warn her.
Buta grin grows on her face, and a device emerges in her hand like magic.
The screen lights up just as an eerie scratching sound comes from the front door. I throw my body at the phone—excessive, but effective. I grab the device and shove it down my bra in one swift move.
“Ew! I can’t believe you put it there,” Bella’s face puckers like she’s about to puke.
“Desperate times, Bella. These are desperate times.”
“You’re so dramatic.”
“Me?”
“Girls,” Soren snaps.
Right, the whole danger thing.
Speaking of… why isn’t he doing anything? The scratching sound comes again, and I wait for an army of gun-wielding men to burst through the door and find us. But nothing is happening.
The handle jiggles, and Soren rushes to the door, pressing his body against it and ensuring the deadbolt is latched.
If I could see who’s out there… wait. I can.
I crawl out from under the counter.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Soren whispers.
There’s a painting just off the main door, and I tip it up. I motion to the hidden monitor and flick it to life, accessing the door feed.
It’s still working, despite the power outage, but it looks different. The words,Live Transmission Off,flash across the top half of the screen. What does that mean?
Below the words is a man dressed nearly identically to how I found Soren earlier tonight playing with the doorknob. I can’t see his face with his beanie pulled low; only tufts of blond hair are visible at the sideburns, and he’s trying to pick the lock.
Soren was right. We’re in danger.
“Do you know this person?” Soren asks.
I shake my head, my chin giving away the slightest quiver in admittance of my fear.
Soren pushes in front of me, playing with the security system.
“What are you doing? That thing is super high-tech; I lock myself out all the time.”
He looks over his shoulder at me. “And yet they pay you to keep track of their daughter?”
I muster my best scowl, but he doesn’t see it.
As I watch the screen, the alarm in the hallway blares. The man turns, keeping his face covered as he sprints to the elevator.
“You just alerted the police!” I smack Soren’s shoulder.
“Haven’t you been trying to do that all night?”
I bite the inside of my cheek and find a very interesting spot on the floor to examine. “I’m not supposed to call them anymore.”
He puts a finger under my chin, lifting my face to meet his. “Explain.”
