Page 9 (1/2)

"Because you gave me a fake ID that enabled me to be a complete idiot and come here in the first place?"

He snorted "Uh, no"

"Because you think Zoe would’ve smacked me upside the head if I asked her?" When he nodded, I so with me and you wouldn’t sreatest, but soot arrested, but hopefully so and plead to be allowed to check out the roo to answer?" he asked

I exhaled loudly, let go of the steering wheel, and turned off the car I hadn’t told hiht, which probably made me a bad person "I don’t even know if anyone is in there" Truth was, after the raid, Luc and everyone could’ve cleared out "You sure you want to come in?"

He slowly turned his head toward me "I knohat kind of place this is, so if I stay behind in this car, I’ soreed, and reached over, tweaking the bill of his cap

He opened the passenger door "What’s the worst that could happen?"

I lifted s that could happen, but I didn’t point that out I grabbed my purse off the backseat and then climbed out of the car to join James Once there was a break in traffic, we hurried across the street, narrowly avoiding getting run over by a speeding taxi that seemed to come out of nowhere

I hopped up on the curb and stepped around a , ainst

A treood foot in front of the doors, the red paint re here feltIt felt final soain, there was no going back I didn’t even fully understand that sensation or where it truly ca was co of dread was filling hme to take a step back, andpriet the hell out of there

Tiny hairs all over my body rose Air hitched in ers started to tingle

Fear

I was feeling fear

The dark and cold kind that rose from a deep well I could taste it in the back of my mouth Bitter The last ti fear that bordered on panic wasIt had to have been during the invasion Those ue and a blur, but it would’ve been that kind of fear

Mr Mercier, high school counselor extraordinaire, would say what I was feeling right noas just a syh the invasion Post-traudidn’t go away

Get ahispered a voice that sounded like mine It came from the recesses of my mind, an inherent, elenized

I had no idea why I felt this way or ith every second, the sensation of going too far increased My heart rate skyrocketed into cardiac arrest territory I opened ue to work

Ja open before he could even touch the tarnished ht then

It was too late

5

The bouncer na the door open, the other lifted to the top of the door, showing off a bicep that was about the size of a tree trunk A gray shirt stretched across his broad chest and shoulders Was that unicorn on his shirt spewingrainbows out of itsrainbows out of itsfear receded as quickly as it had swept over ination

"Whoa," Ja his hand to his side