Page 1

PROLOGUE

Forrest

I stared at thepão de queijothat Grandma Morena made for me and my cousin, Yolanda, and wanted to puke. The delicious cheese rolls should have made me feel cozy. Itwas my favoritebreakfast, made of sweet potatoes and flour—grandma’s secret recipe she never shared with anyone except my mom. Mom used to make them for me before she died in a car accident.

I’d never refused to eat them until today. After that murder my friends and I witnessed yesterday . . .

The fear that something horrible could happen to me, my grandma, and Yolanda sat like icy blocks in my gut. Grandma and Yolanda were my only family. I couldn’t let anything happen to them. Sleep was out of the question last night. I was dead tired, but wide awake. I’d probably crash around noon.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Grandma Morena placed a hand over my forehead. “You sick?” she asked with an accent that had gotten better over time.

“I’m fine. Just not hungry.” I swatted her hand away.

Arching a suspicious eyebrow, Yolanda gulped her orange juice and placed the glass back down. “He got dumped by a girl.” She kicked my leg under the table.

“Shut up.” I kicked her back. She had a way of causing trouble at the most annoying times.

Grandma Morena whirled around with twohands on her hips, glaring at me. “What did I say to you? No relationships while you’re in high school.” She waved a finger at me. “Focus on your schoolwork, boy. Girls will come later.”

Yolanda smirked, and I gave her the evil eye.I’ll get you back.

Though there was a hot girl in my science class,I wasn’t in any relationship. Yolanda didn’t know it, but she just helped me out. Letting my grandma believe I had a girl problem was easier than having to tell her the truth—which I couldn’t anyway. I didn’t have to admit or deny anything. It wasn’t my fault if she believed Yolanda’s lie. I just had to maneuver around that obstacle carefully.

My brain was too worried about those men coming after me and my family.

How were my friends coping with this shit? Yesterday at Remington’s house, Grayson, Royce, andArrow were all shaken. Who wouldn’t be after seeing someone die? Watching it on TV was different from real life. My body went into a zone I had no control over. It was as though I were playing a video game and some unknown force yanked me into a portal consumed with panic and fear.

But today seemed worse. It was as if my body had more time to let the frightening image sink into my mind. The reality of the murder appeared more vivid. The sound of the gunshot had ripped through the air, sending chills down my skin. I had wished everything were just a dream, and that when I woke up this morning, my life would return to normal. But this was no dream. This wasn’t a video game that I could replay to get a better ending.

“Yolanda’s always making up crap,Vó. Don’t listen to her,” I said, satisfied that I’d just given the truth, which masked the lie hanging in the air. Rising, I shoved the untouched pancake into a sandwich bag, saving it for later. “I’ll have this for lunch,Vó.”

Grandma tilted her head, eyeing me with suspicion, probably weighing whom to believe.

“Yolanda is the one with a boyfriend,” I said, trying to swing Grandma’s attention elsewhere.

“He’s my study partner for our science project!” Yolanda’s quick denial shoved her to the forefront.

“My rules apply to you too, girl.” Grandma pointed at her. “School first. Feed your brain. It’s important. The other stuff will come later.” She whirled and started on the dishes.

After the dangerous escape from Brazil, Grandma had made sure I understood the value of freedom and education, which weren’t offered to everyone in the world.

Yolanda got up from the kitchen table and handed an empty plate to Grandma. “Forrest flirts too much with the cheerleaders. They call him the hot nerd.” Then she rambled off various scenarios I didn’t even remember.

The house phone rang, and my body jerked. Who would call this early in the morning? I stared at the phone for a while.

“Can someone get that? My hands are wet.” Grandma looked over her shoulder.

“I’ll get it.” My heart pounded as I got up from the table, walked over to the desk by the wall with recipe books, and picked it up. “Hello?”

Silence greeted me, followed by static noises. I slammed the phone back down in its cradle.

“Who was it?” Grandma asked.

“Just static.” I squeezed my hand into a fist so no one could see it tremble.

“Goodness. When will the utility company fix the damn landlines in this neighborhood? This has been going on for a week now. They’d better give us a refund on the bill this month.”

That knowledge gave me some relief. Last night, I was wary of every little sound in the house. I was afraid those men had discovered where I lived. Even my neighbor’s car engine startled me.