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Reagan is beginning to look nervous. She bites her bottom lip and looks around. “I… I don’t know… Those ones over there, I think.”
She points to a line of trees behind the school. They’re still technically growing within school grounds but they’re far from any of the buildings. Even the playground.
“Don’t worry,” Shura says, moving a little closer to me. “Lazar will be with her. Stay here with the kids, okay? I’m gonna go check the grounds.”
I manage to wait a few minutes before my fear starts drowning out my sense of reason. “Josh, Reagan, go inside and stay there, okay? I’ll be right back.”
Then I start running towards the line of trees, hoping to God that Caroline will pop up behind one of them.
Please, please, please.
But the feeling burgeoning in my chest isn’t in the least bit encouraging. Every time I’ve felt this kind of heaviness, it’s been accompanied by very real problems.
The time Josh was taken.
Running into Remmy at that club.
Seeing my parents at that fancy restaurant.
“Caroline!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “Caro—”
And that’s when I see something through the trees. Except it’s nothing good. The wired chain-link fence that rings the outer perimeter of the school has been torn apart, leaving a gaping hole large enough for a grown man to walk through.
“No,” I gasp, rushing forward. “No, no, no, no…”
There’s no way this was an accident.
“Caroline!” I scream again.
A couple of birds rustle out of the overhead branches and I whip around. Something catches my eye. My gaze lands on the shape and I gasp. I also take a startled step back.
And that’s how I end up on my ass in the leaves, staring at the lifeless body that used to belong to Lazar.
I choke on my own saliva as I fumble to retrieve my phone from the front pocket of my jeans. My vision is blurring fast behind my tears but I still manage to find his number. The call drops before it even connects.
I try again. “Come on, Kirill…”
But this time I get only an automated voice message. “The person you are trying to contact is not in reach.”
“Dammit!” I scream.
But despite my frustration, I have the foresight to enable my live location and send it to Kirill. I’m not entirely sure why I do it. It just makes me feel better to know that he can find me as long as I have my phone on me. Especially because I’m pretty sure I’m going to jump right through that hole and start hunting for Caroline myself.
“Aunt Emma?”
I jerk to my feet the moment I hear Josh’s voice. I turn to the side and realize that Reagan is with him, too.
“I told you two to stay inside the school!”
“But—”
“No buts! It’s not safe! Go back—”
Before I can finish my sentence, I notice Josh’s eyes go wide. He opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, something envelopes me. The world goes dark. Strong, muscular arms grip me from behind and the more I struggle, the harder I get manhandled.
I’m aware that, somewhere close, Reagan and Josh are struggling just as hard as I am.No, I want to scream,don’t hurt them! Just take me instead.
But I can’t find my voice. I feel weak. Tired. Strangely removed.
