“Yes, sir!” Tagawa heads for the door, and now I’m officially panicking. What will they do to me? I dig my feet into the ground as Major Norton tries to get me into the principal’s office. Once I go in there, it’s all over. I have no idea if I can keep my secrets under actual torture.
Gunfire.
The Major freezes, and in the silence I can hear yelling outside. My heart skips with hope. Someone has finally come to get me! Is Brady out there destroying the school? Is Bea popping eardrums? Is Mom hurling cars at soldiers? It might be horrible, but I hope they are.
The office door bursts open, and a few soldiers come in, walking backwards with their guns trained on someone. When I see his wild auburn hair and angry face, I’m not sure I’ve ever been happier to see Graham. He grips the young scientist girl with one arm and holds a knife to her throat with the other.
“How about we make a trade?” Graham says.
Chapter 19
They throw me back in the cell and usher Graham and his hostage into the principal’s office. I can’t hear anything but mumbles, and yet my hope has never been higher. The Major needs that girl to make Radiasure—he won’t let her get hurt. I don’t know how Graham found out about her, but for once I’m kind of glad he’s an evil genius.
Ten minutes later, Graham emerges on his own and hands a paper to Tagawa. “Major Norton says she’s free to go.”
Tagawa snags the paper and reads it with a curled lip. Tossing it on the floor, he grabs the key and unlocks my cell. “Shoulda guessed your syndicate family would come for you eventually. Bunch of crooks.”
“Speak for yourself,” I spit back.
“C’mon, Fi.” Graham grabs my shirt from the ground and hands it to me. For the first time, I’m not scared when he picks me up and flies out the door. He shoots into the air before the soldiers outside can react. I shut my eyes and hold onto him tight. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, but him asking brings on tears. “Thank you. For coming to get me.”
He puts his hand on my cheek, all brother-like and concerned. “They hurt you?”
“The Phantom hit me when I refused his help to escape. They just starved me.”
He snorts. “Just? Because going without food for four days is nothing.”
“You know what I mean.” I venture a peek at his face, and it seems full of regret. Though I can’t quite place my feelings, I think I might see the brother Graham used to be when we were kids. And more than that, I’m surprised by how much I want him back. “How did you know to hold that girl hostage? Maybe I’m horrible, but it was pretty brilliant.”
He looks away, shrugging. “Did some digging. I’ve been taught to hit people in their weak spots for a long time. Kinda second nature, unfortunately.”
“I get that, about the second nature thing.” Thinking about everything that’s happened since Juan’s men and the Army showed up, it feels like going back to the crime life is as easy as slipping on a pair of sandals. “Right and wrong…I still don’t know which is which.”
“Not sure anyone does these days.”
“Guess so.”
“What matters most to me now is making sure the people I care about are safe and happy.” Graham squeezes me tighter. “Whatever happens, Fi, I hope you know I’ve only been trying to do what’s best for you. I’ve screwed it up a lot, but that’s the truth.”
“I know. It’s okay.” And I mean it—Graham and I will be fine eventually. With my eyes closed and that trouble so far below us, for a second I feel safer than I have all week. I breathe out the tension and let myself lean on Graham. “I’m so tired.”
“We’re almost home. You have to at least eat before you sleep.”
“Okay.”
The descent is as horrible as usual, but at least there’s nothing in my stomach to lose. Before Graham can grab the knob, the door flies open. Mom screams my name and then more people join in. It looks like the entire Pack is here, and I frown. “Wait, so you all let Graham go in there on his own?”
“He insisted!” Hector says.
Miles scratches his head. “He was the only one who could have done it with no consequences, since he’s already a wanted criminal. Plus, it saved Mom from breaking The Phantom’s deal, and it makes it look like you’re still working with Dad to boot.”
“Sometimes my shitty past pays off.” Graham sets me down, and I wobble. Mom and Seth are immediately by my side. “They starved her, Ma.”
Mom puts her hand to my face, and it stings. “Oh, sweetheart. Let’s get you something to eat.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Seth nudges me to the kitchen, where Mom already has plain crackers and a glass of water out. She must not trust my empty stomach to handle more. It sounds like everyone follows us, and I have to admit I appreciate the concern. “Did they torture you?”
“Um, no, but I got cut on my thigh trying to escape,” I say, just remembering he can see my wounds when no one else can. By the sound of his voice I wonder if it’s worse than I think.
Mom grabs the first-aid kit from the laundry room. “Where’s your cut?”
“I’ll do it,” Seth says, but then immediately blushes. “Um, if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course.” Mom smiles.
He opens the kit and grabs the cleaning cloths. “Where’s the wound, Fiona?”
“Here.” I take his hand and put it on my thigh where it stings, though I know perfectly well he can see it. He cleans it gently, feeling the cut more than necessary. As I watch, my heart feels like it’s about to burst I missed him so much. Maybe our secret isn’t always ideal, but right now I treasure it—no one else can understand what we share.
“It seems pretty long.” Seth rummages in the kit, pulling out some butterfly bandages. “It could scar.”
“Oh no, not a scar.” I take another cracker. It feels so good to eat that the pain in my leg hardly registers. I want to eat forever even though my stomach couldn’t take it.
“Sounds like you’re fine. Attitude is still intact.” He pokes my ribs, and I lean my head on his shoulder, happy to have him back just the way he is. But as much as I’d like to revel in this moment of return, there are more important things to discuss.
“So The Phantom paid me a visit while I was locked up.” Everyone’s faces fill with horror. When no one answers, I figure I may as well go on. “He wanted to help me escape, but I told him no. Then he roughed me up a little.”
“Oh, Fiona.” Mom crumples onto the counter.
“What else was I supposed to do? I would have been in his debt.”
“I know.” Mom pulls herself back up, rubbing her temples like I’ve given her an instant headache. “What did he say to you?”
“He figured the Army was keeping me because I really do know stuff, and he told me if I tell them I’m dead.” I try to grab the cracker box, but Mom snatches it away telekinetically. “It’s not a big deal because I’m never telling the Army anything after what they did to me. That Major Norton is a massive asshole.”
Carlos snorts, and everyone looks at him. “Sorry, I got this picture in my head and—”
“We know,” Bea says. “No need to explain.”
I sip at my water. “What have you guys been doing?”
“Besides trying to get you out?” Miles looks like he hasn’t slept much in the past few days, and I feel like it’s my fault. “We’ve taken turns trying to figure out that formula you didn’t steal.”
“Anything?”
Mom pulls the formula from her pants pocket, and I wonder if that’s been its permanent home since I got arrested. She points to a bunch of symbols I don’t really understand. “The key is this element: merinite. It’s a very stable liquid I’ve never seen on the periodic table, I assume because it’s top secret. It looks like when you combine merinite with this large compound it inhibits radiation.”