Because I remembered something Brio said at dinner when we were over there. About how the movies got it wrong when people got knocked out. That at most, it lasted a minute or two, no longer. So they couldn’t have gotten too far with her. Maybe if I was quick enough, I could catch up to them.
I grabbed the box, yanking it off the top shelf where my uncle told me it was. After showing me what was in it. And doing a quick overview on how to use it.
Just in case, was what he said.If I’m not here, I’m trusting you to do whatever you need to do to protect your sister.
As far as I could tell, Char wasn’t home.
But I had a feeling those instructions went for Alara too.
“Hey, your sister is—” my uncle answered, sounding tired.
“Chris,” I yelled, cutting him off.
There was the shortest of beats.
When his voice came back, it was cold and low.
“What happened?”
“Guys took Alara. When I woke up, they were already here. When I came out of my room, one had her by the face—”
“Fuck,” he hissed.
I whipped off the top of the box, grabbing the gun, amazed, as I had been the last time, at how heavy it was.
But I felt a calm wash over me as I held it.
“Okay. Listen. I’m five minutes from home with Char. If you can—”
“I’m not home.” It was a lie, technically.
But I was already rushing out of the apartment.
“What? Where are you?”
“Two guys. One at least six-two. Bulkier. With a rose tattoo on his forearm. The other was shorter, average. Both had blue eyes.”
“Liam, don’t be stupid. Wait for me.”
“They can’t be too far ahead of me,” I said, cradling the phone between my shoulder and ear as I went into the elevator so my hands were free to check the magazine of the gun.
“Liam,” Uncle Chris said, dead serious. “Did you just cock a gun?”
“I’m gonna find her.”
Then, knowing he was only going to keep lecturing me, making me doubt myself, I ended the call and silenced my phone.
He could track it once he got Charlotte safe.
I wasn’t wasting a minute when Alara was with those guys.
I rushed out the front door and down the steps, pausing on the sidewalk, scanning the streets.
Then another memory surfaced.
Alara mentioning a hacker friend.
She said she would bring them there.
