“I won’t,” I said, the words nearly choking me on the way out.
Sophia patted my back, released me, and turned to Trevor. “Say your goodbyes.”
Like a child doing as he was told, he dutifully stepped toward me. Then I was in his arms, and he was squeezing me tighterthan he ever had before. His body was shaking, telling me he was crying, and it had me tearing up. When had I ever seen Trevor cry? I couldn’t remember a time, and we’d known one another since we were twelve.
I sniffed back my own sobs, afraid if the gates opened now, I’d never get them shut.
“Say goodbye to Owen for me.”
“I will,” he said, the words strained.
“I love you, Trevor,” I whispered.
Then I pulled away.
Avoiding looking him in the eye, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door. His quiet sniffles taunted me as I flipped the lock and pulled it open, and even after the door had swung shut and I was on my way, they stayed with me. It wasn’t until I was halfway to the Health Department that I realized I’d forgotten my salad. Oh, well. I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep it down anyway.
I arrived at the Health Department building with two minutes to spare.
Vera looked morose when she checked me in, and even the other security guards seemed shaken. Ramirez, for the first time since I’d started coming here, was nowhere in sight.
The other women from the support group were already in the waiting room when I reached the third floor, all of them wearing masks, suitcases at their sides. Malika had a lightly used red tote, and like me, Ivy had a gray mid-sized suitcase on wheels, and while Ginger’s was slightly larger, it was much the same. Bette’s, in contrast, was hard sided, pink, and nearly as big as she was. It was so her.
She stood at my approach, groaning from the effort. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said, then had to swallow.
Like me, she was wearing a mask, but I didn’t need to see her face to know she felt the same way I did. All the bitterness, worry, and betrayal I was currently feeling was reflected in my friend’s blue eyes, and when I scanned the other women in the room, their expressions were mirror images of Bette’s. Even Ivy, who was more reserved than the rest of us, wore a pinched expressionthat hardened when Hilary, also wearing a mask, walked into the room. Poor Ivy. She’d never get to see her grandma now.
“Good, you’re all here,” Hilary said, her tone even more condescending than usual. She glanced at her phone, presumably to check the time, and her brown eyes crinkled in the corners like she was frowning. “The van should be here soon.”
“Where are we going?” Ginger, whose blonde hair was doubly frizzy today, asked, not even trying to conceal her anger.
Hilary focused narrowed eyes on the other woman. “A secure location.”
“Such bullshit,” Malika muttered, her words slightly muffled by her mask.
Ginger ignored her, too focused on Hilary. “You said that already. I want to know where I’m going. I want to know what’s going to happen when I get there.”
“You’re going somewhere safe, and you’ll be safe while you’re there. That’s all you need to know,” was our fertility counselor’s only response.
“She’s not going to tell us anything.” I narrowed my eyes on Hilary, taking in her expression as well as the suitcase sitting at her feet. “In fact, I’m not even sure she knows anything.”
Hilary stiffened, telling me I was right on.
Ginger let out a growl. “So, you’re as much of a prisoner as we are.”
“None of us are prisoners,” Hilary retorted, her face reddening behind her mask, emphasizing her freckles. “We’re lucky to be in this position. To have the government looking out for us during this trying time.”
“You can cut the propaganda bullshit,” Ginger snapped. “None of us believe it, so don’t waste your breath.”
Hilary’s brown eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything, a ding sounded, and the elevator opened. A second later, three masked Department of Fertility soldiers stepped out. Ramirez was among them.
All three were male, in their mid-twenties or early thirties, and all were armed with automatic weapons like they were heading to war, not here to take a group of fertile women to asecure location. Which was insane. Why were there three soldiers and why were they all armed?
“What the hell?” Malika said, echoing my own confusion.
Ramirez stood behind the other two men, his dark eyes wide and slightly confused. When my gaze met his, I tried to figure out what he was thinking, but it wasn’t easy with the mask covering most of his face.
