Page 54 of Not Her Day to Die

He finds what he is looking for.

“Breaking news! FBI Agent Franz is presumed dead after damning evidence was anonymously submitted. A full investigation has already been launched,”blares through the speakers of his phone.“Agent Franz was on unofficial business in the small town that made waves just under two months ago when police brutality was called into question. While the official story then was an attempted murder-suicide, others online have begun to speculate that there is more to it than that. Stay tuned as we–”

Satisfaction lands. “We need to hurry. Before they decide to pin this on us,” Grayson grumbles as he makes his way to the passenger seat. “And you should really let me drive.”

“This is a national news station.” Axel tosses the phone to Grayson. “They aren’t playing the video we sent in, there’s still time.”

“I still don’t understand why she had todie,” Grayson says.

Axel opens the garage flipping the truck into reverse, the tires squealing as he slams on the accelerator. “Don’t you?”

He shifts the truck into drive and speeds down their neighborhood road. The sky is dark except for a sliver of moon and the stars that shine brightly above them.

Stabbing reminders of what is at stake.

“My heart still hurts,” Grayson whispers, his attention shifting out of the truck and upwards. “What if we’re too late?”

Axel grips the steering wheel tighter. “We won’t be.”

25

October 6th

Something has happened.

I am still in the locker room; no one has yet returned for me. My hand is wrapped tightly around the key. The white thread tangling us together. I had tried to set it back down, but Iphysicallycouldn’t.

Now that it is in my hand, it is here to stay.

And instinctively I know that I have to follow through with this. That I will need to ignore my crippling anxiety, the dread that slithers and crawls across my skin, the fear that sours my stomach.

My ear is pressed to the door that leads outside this room. Earlier, there was a guard stationed there, evidenced by only his heavy breathing, but now, there’s a commotion.

Stomping, yelling, sirens. Chaos.

And in the middle of it, my guard left.

He still hasn’t returned.

I hold my breath and wait. And wait. And wait.

I do not allow myself to think about Darius. About what we were forced to do. About the look in his eyes as he thrust into me for the first time.

The regret.

But I understand. He waited one hundred lifetimes to give me a choice. To choose him with the knowledge of all the loops and everything that occurred. But then that choice was taken from us both.

Stolen.

More time passes, and there is only silence. My guard still has not returned, so I use my free hand to jiggle the knob on the door.

It’s locked.

Next, I attempt to use themasterkey that is attached to me.

It works.

My heart pounds as I slowly, carefully twist the knob. Peeking my head out the door, I cast my attention left and right.