Everything is a lie.
So I open my eyes, turn, and walk.
“Freeze!” shouts Hanningan, but I call him on his bluff.
A bullet cuts through the air next to my head.
I don’t flinch, I don’t turn, I don’t react.
I walk.
I’m walking away because otherwise I would have to acknowledge what I feel, and I can’t.
14
LILIAN
PLAYLIST: HUMAN – CHRISTINA PERRI
When I wake up, my head is pounding. I look around, and Doug is right there beside me.
“Hey there,” he says before sitting on my bed. “Welcome back.”
“How long was I out?” I ask, my throat sore and mouth dry.
“A day,” he says, handing me a cup with a straw. “Surgery went well, and the bullet caused the least possible damage. Didn’t hit your lung and only scratched a major blood vessel.”
“Where is Ella?” I ask. “Is she alright?”
Doug tenses.
“What?” I ask as my body goes into full alert. The monitor next to me starts beeping, as my pulse races.
“She’s alright,” he says, then hesitates. "But—“ his voice trails off.
“But what?” I ask urgently. I am wide awake, and if he’s not giving me an answer right now, I need to get up and find out myself.
Doug holds his phone in front of my face. I watch Ella being stopped by a motorcycle and another person, handling them like a professional, and then Doug stepping in. My body feels icy.
“Where did you get that?” I ask and rewatch it.
“CCTV,” he says. “She blew her cover to save you.”
Her cover.
“Did she now?” I ask.
“She knew I’d figure out she’s not innocent Ella the moment she saved you from being shot. She used codelanguage.”
A part of me separates the longer I watch the replay.
“So, she’s a professional,” I croak out finally. “Why wasn’t she flagged on our background?”
“I don’t know,” Doug says. “She’s probably that good.”
“Fooling Zeus?”
“What other explanation is there?” he asks.
