Page 16 of Barinov

My stomach twists into a billion knots.

“Miami, maybe?” Cade mutters under his breath. “I mean she said they had an ocean view.”

“Plus,” I add. “It’s where her twisted life with her sick brother began.”

“Lex,” Tex warns.

“Thirty seconds!” Knox says louder.

“Miami,” Cade says, his hazel eyes locking with mine. “Type it in, Knox.”

“If we are wrong,” Knox says.

00:00:15

Knox types it in.

He hesitates.

00:00:02

He hits ENTER.

The timer stops.

The screen flashes once.

And turns to red.

Chapter 4

CADE

Home

1 day since Bella’s kidnapping.

Red.

It saturates the screen like a seeping, scarlet wound that won’t close. A warning for a catastrophe already in progress. The hue lingers and then fades to black.

The video snaps back in focus.

Bella is half curled on her bed, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her hands are pulling at the collar around her throat, manicured nails splintering at the ends as she claws into it. Her body convulses, causing the chain around her leg to rattle and clank. Every broken sound that comes out of her stabs straight through my soul.

I gasp, bringing my hand up to my mouth. “What’s happening to her?” I choke out.

“Knox,” Tex answers without taking his eyes off of the screen. “You were right. Looks like they changed it.”

“To what?” I ask frantically.

“Shit,” Knox mutters, leaning forward. His eyes are locked on Bella’s shaking body. “Electrical pulses of some kind.”

“Let’s hope that’s all he added,” Tex adds, wincing as Bella’s screeches increase.

“Let’s hope?!” Lex roars. “She’s getting fucking shocked!”

Knox cringes. “I know, but he’s right. If they modified the collar even a little then there’s no limit to what it could do to her. They could shock her and reroute the chemicals into her bloodstream. Or just blow it.”