Page 101 of Mr. Match

“They have her sister, Victoria.”

“What?” I say, turning quickly to Mariel. “Since when? I just saw her yesterday. She—”

“They got to her years ago, Katya. Think,” Mariel says, tapping me on the head with one finger. “Put the pieces together, darling. They have had her since before you came here. Before you ran. She is the one who ratted out your parents.”

“What are you talking about?” I stand up so fast, my chair falls backwards. “That’s a lie.”

“Sit down.” Mariel snaps, looking warily around the coffee shop. “Now.”

I do as I’m told. I sit down, but my mind is racing with all the mistakes I might’ve made and my heart is galloping with fear. They cannot have Lily. It can’t be—

“Katya,” Mariel says, taking my hand. Her palm is warm. It feels very soothing on my icy fingers. “We can still save her if”—she stares hard into my eyes, holding my gaze until she’s sure she has my attention—“if we do this right. She’s away right now. Those Antimony girls have left that house. She’s with them.”

“Where did they take her?” I ask.

“It’s not important. What is important is that she’s not at the house right now. And a letter with her name on it was delivered to her dorm yesterday. The letter states she was not accepted as an initiate into the Antimony Association.”

“She wasn’t?” I’m so confused. “But they seemed to love her—”

“Katya,” Mariel says. “Stick with me here, sweetie. We’re laying traps, right? If she was accepted she might be implicated in what’s about to happen.”

I take a deep, deep breath. “What’s about to happen?” I ask, my words barely a whisper.

Victoria’s phone buzzes on the table, just as mine buzzes in my pocket.

We both have the same panicked look on our faces.

“Read them,” Mariel says.

We pick up our phones and read our texts.

“‘Come to the Antimony House,’” I say. “It’s from Lily.”

“It’s not from Lily,” Mariel says, looking at Victoria. “I already told you, they took her out of the city. What does yours say?”

Victoria lets out a deep sigh of relief. “It’s West. He says to stay right where I am and he’ll be here in thirty minutes.” Her happiness fades quickly as she realizes what Mariel just said about the sender of my text. “It’s not West either?”

“It’s West,” Mariel says. “You stay here and do what you’re told for once. Do you understand me, Victoria? If you want your son to be safe, then you will stay here. Katya, on the other hand, is leaving.”

Outside there is an explosion.

People start screaming, hysterical. Frantic to get out of the coffee shop at first, then they realize it might be safer in here and begin to push towards the back.

“What’s happening?” I ask.

Tori is already across the room, grabbing up Ethan from the Christmas card table and hugging him to her chest.

Seconds later, like they knew it was coming, police sirens are everywhere. The screaming of fire trucks follow shortly after.

“What the fuck was that?” Tori asks, making her way back to Mariel and I, who are both still sitting at the table, staring at each other. I guess Tori isn’t so concerned about her language at this point, since she is clutching little Ethan to her chest when she says it.

“That,” Mariel says, “means it’s time to go.” She passes me a bulging yellow envelope one might use for inter-office mail at work, and then stands up, adjusts her coat, and says, “I’ll see you shortly, Katya,” before turning away and walking out the back door.

Phase four, I think, tucking the yellow envelope into my coat.

Phase four starts now.

Chapter Forty-Five - OLIVER