“Zo, update?” Nico says.
“Wish I had one,” Zoey says.
My heart climbs higher into my throat with every second that passes without hearing from Griffin and DJ. Benji bites on his thumbnail.
Griffin’s voice bursts through the speaker.
“Got eyes on him,” Griffin barks. “On the lower level.”
I watch Zoey’s screen like it’s going to show me something other than audio levels spiking in jagged green lines.
“Copy that,” Zoey says into the mic.
“Subject on the move,” DJ’s voice crackles through. “I’m?—”
A boom echoes through the speakers so loud I flinch.
“Daisy?” Zoey grips the mic and pulls it close to her mouth. “Griffin? What was that?”
Static hisses like someone’s crumpling aluminum foil into the microphone.
“Daisy Jane, do you copy?” Zoey tries again.
The audio levels flatline.
Zoey plugs and unplugs devices and does a bunch of technical things on her computer that I don’t understand, but judging by the way her jaw keeps getting tighter, nothing’s working. “Griffin?Daisy?”
It feels like someone’s wrapped steel bands around my ribs and is cranking them tighter with every second that passes. My mind cycles through images. Griffin unconscious on the floor. DJ on the pole. Morrow standing over both of them with that same empty smile he gave me.
“Benji, we have to go in,” I say.
Bob jumps off my lap, spinning around to look at me, awaiting instruction.
“No fucking way are you going anywhere,” Nico says over the speaker.
“I could sense where he is and find him,” I say.
“Then what?” Nico asks. “You’re going to lead an extraction?”
“I can lead it,” Benji pipes up. “I know it’s my first time, but if DJ and Griffin need me, I can do it.”
“All I’m going to do is listen,” I say.
“Eden,” Nico pleads, and suddenly it feels like it’s only him and me in the car.
“DJ and Griffin could be in trouble,” I say.
“What are you even doing there?” Nico says. “You should be at home, resting.”
“You’d prefer Benji go in alone?” I ask.
“We don’t know yet how your ability works,” he says. “You’ve had barely any experience. No real practice.”
“At least Benji wouldn’t go in blind,” I say, glancing over at Benji, who gulps. “If you were here, I’d say you should go in, but you’re not, and this is better than him going alone. We go in teams of two for a reason. Please. Let me try.”
I hear Nico exhale, long and shaky. “Benj?”
Benji straightens like Nico just appeared in front of him. “Yes?”
