Page 181 of Marks of Rebellion

"Naomi," Andre's voice booms through the phone, and Vanessa jumps.

I scoot closer to her and put my arm around her.

"Hold on," Naomi says.

"That money accelerates the plan. It wasn't supposed to happen for another year. They've gained more power," Vanessa insists.

"Oh my," Naomi gasps.

Vanessa's eyes widen. "Naomi, what is it?"

"Zoe's on the news. Hold on."

I grab the remote and turn on the international news channel and hit mute on the phone. There's a video of Zoe being mobbed, and she disappears into the sea of people.

A male news anchor reports, "As of this broadcast, the management team for Zoe Diego is not disclosing where she is or any other details regarding her whereabouts or health."

"That crowd looked dangerous. I hope she's okay," the woman on TV says.

"I think the bigger question is, where has she been all these months? She seems to have a history of disappearing and reappearing."

"Or maybe she's a ghost, since she seems to have completely vanished, without a clue as to where she's gone again."

The story changes to something else, and I turn the TV off, then hit the unmute button.

"Did you see it?" Andre asks.

"Yeah. Where did that happen?" I ask.

"Nuevo Laredo, Mexico."

"Isn't that near the border between Mexico and Texas?"

"Yep. And you know what that means."

"There's a high probability Dirk's with her."

Vanessa twists her fingers. "That would be good news. But I hope they didn't hurt her. That crowd was fierce."

"Vanessa, we don't know what's happening with the others or what they know. If we run this story right now, we might put them in more danger," Naomi insists.

"We have to stop this. If the President doubled the budget in the U.S., they've moved the timeline up."

Naomi sighs. "How long do you think we have until their plan is complete?"

"At this rate, maybe a year or less. But in the meantime, more and more power will fall into their hands. Damage will be done."

"We can't risk putting the others in more jeopardy. And they may know pieces of information we don't that are vital. I say we give it a few weeks and reassess. Give them more time to get to safety and reach out to us," Andre says.

"I agree," I blurt out.

Vanessa wrinkles her forehead.

I kiss her head. "It's what's best for the time being."

She takes a deep breath and slowly nods. "Okay."

We say our goodbyes and hang up.