After pulling into Octavia’s lot, I park near the front stairway to her place. Jerking my phone up, I text Shane.
Erik: Something feels off. If I don’t text again within 10, head my way.
I drop a pin on the location.
Then I call Arya again. It rings and rings before going to voicemail.
34
ARYA
My phone’s ringing, but it’s in my purse in the back seat.
At Tavi’s request, I pull around to the back, so she can grab some empty boxes from under the stairs. It’s dark now, so I wait. I want to be sure she gets in her place safely.
Tav disappears under the steps, re-emerges with the boxes, and waves to me before she starts upstairs.
As I reach into the back seat for my purse, my eyes catch movement near a transformer. Turning farther, my gaze locks on a piece of fluttering fabric caught on the edge of the metal. I stare. Then a sliver of an unnaturally white face appears just above it.
My whole body jerks with shock.Oh, my God.
I turn my head sharply and look up to check on Tavi. She’s halfway up to her floor.
Beyond her, on the second story and just barely in sight, is a man with a white, smirking horror movie mask over his face.
Fuck!
I throw the car door open and call Tavi’s name.
She doesn’t react.
My hand unlatches my seat belt, and I jump out of the car.
“Tavi,” I scream, darting around the car to rush up the steps. This time she stops and turns to look back at me. I wave for her to come down.
My expression and frantic tone convey the urgency, and she hurries toward me. Her face drops as she sees something behind me. I turn in time to see the masked guy from the transformer area get into the driver’s seat of my car. For a moment, my mind can’t process what’s happening. He’s stealing the Mercedes?
No, he’s taking away our best escape.
For a second, I’m frozen as the car pulls forward. It rounds the curve and disappears, and the world darkens.
My head turns in time to see at least a half dozen men running toward the staircase—and Tavi and me. In a heart-stopping clench of fear, my stomach drops. Tavi races down the steps, and I grab her arm as soon as she’s within reach.
The punch of adrenaline and shock screams one word in my mind.Run!
The back of the building is a deserted area, so it’s the worst place for us to be caught. I drag Tavi forward with me into a dark narrow corridor whose other end I hope opens to the main parking lot.
Footfalls behind us cause more adrenaline to pour into my veins. My heart hammers so hard it feels as if it’ll burst.
I sprint forward and out the other end, looking around frantically. The lot is full of parked cars, but there are none with people inside that I could signal.
Tavi emerges from just behind me, and we run forward with no clear purpose.
Seeing headlights, my heart leaps. Then I realize it’s my own car.
“Pound on doors,” I shout, pointing toward a pair of main floor apartments.
“Arya.”
