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The curtain moves to one side, but it’s impossible to tell who’s behind it.

“I want to make a deal!” I shout.

I reach the gate, and I place my hand on the latch and push it open. The hinge groans loudly, echoing in the quiet street. I walk into the overgrown yard, my awareness heightened to every sensation, the humidity clinging to my skin, and the swampy stench seeping into my pores.

The front door opens, just a crack. An invitation to come inside.

I inhale. Exhale. Try to still the panic rising. This is it. The moment of reckoning.

As I wade through the ankle-high grass, a startling thought enters my mind.

If I die today, someone might actually care.

It’s that thought that gives me the final burst of courage to push the door open and enter.

Seventeen

Mick

I stalk back into the front bedroom and wave Samantha’s note in the air, interrupting their conversation. “She’s gone, and she took my phone with her.”

Caleb grimaces then turns his back. “…roger that. We’ll check in again in two.”

Jake and Adena freeze before sending me furtive glances. Oh, I get it. Nice. Real frickin’ nice.

I screw the note up in my fist and toss it against the wall. “Youlether go?”

Adena is the first to admit it. “She gave us everything we needed to trace the account holder.”

I shake my head, pressing my finger and thumb to the bridge of my nose. “They’re going to shoot her.”

Jake says, “Not if they want to know how she was able to track them down. She’s bought us time, and if she gets inside we’ll be able to see Brooke.”

Caleb turns to face me, pulling the headphone away from his ear again. “This is precisely what she’s good at. Deception and distraction.”

Fury fires through my veins. “You people are unbelievable. I told her you were going to keep her safe—and you’ve thrown her into a snake pit.”

Adena growls. “We didn’t. She came up with this idea.”

My jaw slackens. “Why? What did you threaten her with?”

Caleb frowns. “Nothing, man. She volunteered.”

The floor seems to shift beneath me, the air too thin to breathe.

Volunteered?

That doesn’t make sense. Why would she walk straight into danger like that?

I rake a hand through my hair, trying to get a grip, but the pieces aren’t adding up. None of it fits. Unless?—

No. She wouldn’t do it for me. Would she?

“She volunteered,” I echo, barely recognizing my own voice. “This is a suicide mission.”

Adena exchanges a look with Caleb. “She’s wearing a camera, and she’s giving your sister the best chance of survival. Thanks to her, we’ll be able to find out who we’re dealing with.”

Caleb nods. “And with the directional mic Adena placed, we’ll hear what’s happening.”