6:37 a.m.
I’d returned to my room at ten past twelve. Over six hours ago.
Where were they?
What had they been doing?
Are you still alive, Jethro?
Are you safe?
I hadn’t slept. I hadn’t relaxed. How could I when they were out there, sneaking beneath sleeping cameras and saving men who in Cut’s mind were dead?
The dresser was back across the door, firmly wedged and protective. But that didn’t stop my growing panic as each hour traded night for day and the chance of getting caught increased.
“What do you mean Jasmine’s missing? No, she isn’t. She’s here...in the bathroom. And no, you cannot see her.”
I groaned, pacing at the end of my bed. That would fail. If she were in the bathroom, she’d need her chair to move around.
“She’s taking a nap; I don’t want to disturb her.”
All Cut would have to do was bang on the door and ‘wake her up’ to realize there was no nap to disturb.
“God, this isn’t going to work.”
Please, hurry!
The last of moonlight turned to sunlight, glinting off the silver rims of Jasmine’s chair. I had the strangest feeling of not being alone. As if the inanimate object was somehow alive, as if it had a presence in the room—the ghost of Jaz, leaving her impression with me even while she ran escapades withmy brother.
What are you doing?
Has it gone to plan?
How much longer will you be?
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I hated being left behind, left to worry and fret and create insane theories on what’d happened without me.
I would’ve given anything to be with them.
He’s not dead.
He’s alive!
Joy effervesced.
I held a hand against my chest, forcing the happy bubbles to disperse. It was too soon to celebrate. Too soon to believe he was safe. In some awful way, I didn’t want to jinx it by believing in the best when the worst might still happen.
Time continued onward, turning my fear into depression.
What if Jasmine underestimated her plan to save them? What if they’d waited too long? What if? What if?What if?
Looking at the clock, I bit my lip as the hour hand struck 7:00 a.m. No one in Hawksridge was an early riser, but Jasmine was playing with fire. She had to get back andsoon. She had to return my brother.
I paced the thick carpet. Every creak of the ancient house warming in the early winter sunshine made me jump. Every crank and glug of old plumbing sent my heart racing.
She has to have made it.
She has to have saved him.
