AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Snow sidled closer to the little girl and put her arm around her. “It will be okay. He won’t get hurt.”
“I wish I had my watch. They got me to come and then took it. Then Daddy could have tracked me with it, but they threw it out.”
Snow felt hopeless. She couldn’t see how they could get out of this. She wished she had something encouraging or comforting to say to Kassie, but no words came, so the two of them sat together, holding onto one another.
She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but her eyes had drifted closed. She’d fallen asleep. She shook away the dregs of sleep, attempting to orient herself as much as she could. Kassie had splayed her body across the couch cushions with her head in Snow’s lap, and she continued to snooze, her arm hanging limply off the side.
Snow bit her lip. She wanted to try the door again and search for something hard to break it down with. Maybe there was somewhere they hadn’t checked yet. As it was, she didn’t want to move and disturb the sleeping girl.
Muffled noises came from outside the door. Kassie stirred, pushing up away from the couch and inhaling sleepily. “What’s that?” she asked.
“Shh,” Snow said. “I’m not sure.” Her voice was raspy from just waking up, and her stomach growled in hunger. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before.
The sounds grew louder. Someone fiddled with the door handle, and the door burst open. HMW’s producer strolled through, this time wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and pointing a gun directly at Snow.
“Eloise?” Snow said, rising to her feet. She offered a hand toward Kassie. The little girl took it and joined her side, pushing against her as two others entered the room behind Eloise.
“That’s who it was. That teenage guy and the girl,” she whispered so only Snow could hear.
“Tys?” Snow said in surprise. She didn’t recognize the young woman standing with her hand in his, but she was pretty with shoulder-length dark hair like Eloise’s.
“You didn’t even give him a chance,” Eloise said.
“He’s your son?”
“He’s my boyfriend,” the young woman holding Tys’s hand interjected. Her voice was nasal, and the bitterness made her sound petulant. “He had as much right to be on that show as anyone else, and you cast him off without granting him so much as a date.”
Tys folded his arms and puffed out his chest, tilting his head to one side.
Snow was speechless. Why was Tys on the show if he had a girlfriend? Unless…
He’d done it for the money. If that was the case and he’d been the one sending the threats, then why had he sent one to her before he’d even been voted off?
“And who are you?” Snow asked.
“Hannah. Eloise is my mom.” She folded her arms as if daring Snow to argue with her.
“You—” Snow’s glance flicked to Eloise. “You’re behind the threats?” She couldn’t wrap her head around this. How was it possible? Eloise had been in on it the entire time, all while pretending she cared when Snow had presented the letters she’d been receiving. No wonder Eloise had gotten so angry when Snow had defied her and announced the threats during her interview.
Eloise said nothing. Just lifted her chin in silent affirmation. “Why would you attack the show you work for?” Snow asked. “Why attackme?”
“Hannah applied to be on the show as well. But you were the one who was selected.”
So this was about vengeance? Her gaze drifted to Tys and the other young woman who was holding a food tray in front of her. Were they the ones dressed in black the day Snow had been shoved in the pool? That would explain why the Elir’s security cameras caught sight of him there that day.
“You could have talked to me,” Snow said. “You didn’t need to go to these lengths.”
“I thought you were nice,” Kassie added.
“It’s not just about Tys and Hannah,” Eloise said. She gestured with the gun, and the young woman behind her stepped forward with a tray of what looked like a bagel with some cream cheese on it. Snow’s stomach growled. She didn’t usually eat bread, though. This fodder would have a conniption fit with her insides.
“Not hungry?” Hannah asked.
“I can’t eat it,” she said. Eloise knew—she’d brought this on purpose to taunt Snow. She’d overseen many of Snow’s meals before. The thought made Snow sick inside. Eloise could have had her poisoned or hurt at any other time.
“Guess you should have thought of that,” Tys said.
Eloise brushed him off and readjusted her arms as if the gun she held was getting heavy. “You know, this conflict with you, it’s nothing personal,” she said.
