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“This is Tess Burke,” the woman on the other line said.
Ella and I locked gazes. Aria’s mom.
“Would you mind putting me on speaker phone so you can all hear me?” Mrs. Burke asked.
Ella did so immediately.
“The whole car can hear you now, Mrs. Burke,” she said. She held the phone between Shai’s and Charity’s seats and Ella and I leaned forward.
“Aria’s mom,” I saw Shai mouth to Charity.
Charity nodded but kept her attention on the phone. Not even sounds of breathing could be heard as we all focused on the conversation.
“I know you ladies are the best at what you do. Susie assured me of that before she placed Aria on your team,” Mrs. Burke began.
None of us responded. Shai’s blinker sounded loud in the silent car.
“I don’t want you to think that I doubt that in any way, shape, or form. If Aria has to be—” Mrs. Burke cleared her throat, her voice still wavering as she went on “—missing, then I’m glad it’s you going after her. I’m sure you all care about her. To know Aria is to love her.”
We exchanged looks, and it was clear that we all agreed. Aria was already one of us.
“But I need you to know this. Aria is the light of her dad’s world. He can’t lose that light,” Mrs. Burke continued, her voice growing stronger and more earnest.
I worked hard to control the emotion threatening to overcome my composure.
“Also, she’s a big sister to three girls who need her. They’d be lost without their Aria. And . . . she’s my baby. Bring my baby home, please,” Mrs. Burke pled, her voice cracking on the last words.
My throat was too clogged to speak. I looked desperately to Ella and Shai, hoping one of them could reassure Mrs. Burke.
“I promise,” Shai said. Ella and I glanced at each other, knowing she had just offered Mrs. Burke the one thing we were never supposed to give a victims’ family: false hope.
As of that moment we knew nothing but the address of a laundromat. Aria could already have been . . . I didn’t let my mind go there. But things weren’t looking good. We shouldn’t be giving commitments we might not be able to keep.
And yet looking at the determination on Shai’s face, I knew she wasn’t just saying the words to placate a sorrowful mother. She was committed, not only to Mrs. Burke but to herself, to find Aria.
So I was too.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Burke managed in a broken whisper before ending the call abruptly. None of us minded. It wasn’t a time for pleasantries.
Ella slipped her phone back into her pocket and I focused on the GPS. One more turn until the street the laundromat was on. So far I didn’t hear sirens and I threw up a prayer of gratitude. But I leaned forward, as though that would help me see around the buildings that blocked our view.
The car shifted quickly as Shai skidded around the corner without slowing. I hung onto my seat to keep from sliding, my eyes riveted to the windshield.
No flashing lights, no police cars, no barricades. We’d arrived first.
I allowed myself one sigh of relief before focusing on the task at hand.
Because now the real work began.
TWO
aria
Even before my eyes opened,I knew I was in trouble. With an effort, I kept my heartrate slow and steady. I had no idea how I was being monitored, so I couldn’t afford to show that I was awake.
The men with the masks. The men who'd stored women underground, completely at their mercy like trapped animals. Men who were . . .
I shut off those thoughts, not allowing panic to overtake me. I’d been trained for this. I had to focus.
