I nod even though she can’t see me. “I’m listening.”
“There’s a list,” she starts.
The words don’t register all at once. They hover, abstract, like something said on the news that belongs to other people in other places.
“What kind of list?” I whisper fearfully because my brain is still reaching for normal explanations.
“A kill list. Names of Americans connected to the Somalia peace talks. Media. Security. Diplomats. Anyone who was present when Barre was taken out.”
My stomach drops—cold and fast.
“Addison, why are you telling me this?”
There’s a pause before she drops a bomb on me. “Because your name is on it.”
The room tilts.
For a moment, I can’t hear anything but the rush of blood in my ears. Julian shifts against me, sensing the change, his fingers curling into my shirt. I press my hand flat against his back, grounding myself through him.
“That doesn’t make sense. I’m not— I wasn’t— I’m nobody.”
“That’s not how they see it. You were there. That’s enough.”
The silence stretches, thick and suffocating. I stare at the wall across from me, my eyes landing on nothing, my mind racing ahead despite my efforts to keep it reined in.
“How many dead so far?” I ask.
“A dozen or so.”
The number lands like a physical blow.
“Your name is on the list, too?”
“Yes, but I’m at the embassy and security’s tight. I’m safe here, at least for now.”
“For now,” I echo.
“I didn’t want to scare you, but I couldn’t not tell you. Especially with Julian.”
At the sound of his name, something in me hardens. Fear sharpens into something more focused, more dangerous.
“We’ll go to the authorities. FBI. Homeland Security. Someone. Anyone.”
Addison exhales. “We tried. DOS, FBI—anyone with a badge, but their members are on the list too, Kate. Some of them are dead.”
My grip on the phone tightens. “That’s not possible.”
“I wish it weren’t. Protection’s compromised. Whatever net they thought they had? It’s full of holes.”
Julian lets out a small sound, half-awake now, and I sway instinctively, rocking him even as my mind fractures into a thousand worst-case scenarios.
“So what are you saying?” I ask. “That we just… wait?”
“No,” Addison counters firmly. “I’m saying you run.”
“Run where?” I snap, panic creeping in around the edges now despite my efforts. “I can’t just disappear. I have a baby. I have—“
“I know,” she cuts in, her voice fierce. “That’s why you have to take this seriously. They have addresses, Kate. They know where you live.”
