Author: admin

And then suddenly- Silence. Everything stops like someone flipped a switch. No more bullets. No more shouting. Just the loud ring in my ears and the uneven thud of my heart. I keep still. Are they all dead? Please, God no. Surely the gunfire has drawn attention. The police must be on the way. The…

“Ten kids? Are you seriously blackmailing me right now?” “Do you want me to die?” he asks, like it’s a legitimate threat he’s prepared to carry out. “Jesus, Knox. Don’t joke about that.” He tries to laugh-actually laugh-but it comes out as a grunt of pain that makes my stomach turn and my heart clench…

Mateo smiles. “Look what we have here. I bet you weren’t expecting this, Knox.” No. He definitely wasn’t. Knox is staring straight into my soul, and I can’t tell if he’s about to strangle me or wrap me in five layers of bubble wrap and throw me in a locked tower. His eyes are hard,…

“Stop the car,” Jade says. Knox glances back. “Why?” “I’m going to my wife.” Knox drives until he finds a spot and pulls over. Jade’s already moving. He places the gun he was using for my lessons gently beside me, then opens the door. He’s gone without another word. Just… running. Knox undoes his seatbelt…

Her lashes lower. “They were in a basement. Four of them. All tied up.” “Four of whom?” She hesitates. Then, “Right. I didn’t tell you. Sorry. It totally escaped my mind. Mateo has Hunter, Soraya, Finn… and my sister.” I blink, unsure if I heard her right. “I beg your pardon?” “He has all of…

1 There’s no such thing as right or wrong to me. There’s only what I want to do and what I don’t. And I absolutely do not want to apologize to Mateo. I can feel the pressure around me. Eyes heavy on my face. Every breath in this room is paused, waiting on me. Even…

My phone vibrates with a notification. As I pull it out of my pocket, I see Aaron’s name. I swipe quickly until I’m staring at a video. It’s there. Visual confirmation. I raise my head. “You know how they always talk about people in glass houses not throwing stones, Mateo?” I ask. “I’m staring at…

“But I haven’t finished the story yet, have I? When I got into this country, I couldn’t contact anyone unless they contacted me first. I don’t know how my mom pulled it off, but somehow, she got my father to care about me enough to pull strings-to free Knox, a captive of the state-so I…

The camera zooms in, and I see them. Hunter first-his usually perfect hair disheveled. Then Soraya. Finn’s there too, slumped forward in his chair. And then Serena. Her face is pale and terrified, but when she sees the camera pointing at her, she lifts her chin in that stubborn way that’s so familiar it makes…

“Haven’t you been listening?” Mateo asks. “I have. And I’m trying to understand why you don’t just exchange blows with the man who actually hurt you. I’ve met him once. Why am I being punished for something I didn’t do?” He leans forward on his cane, tone condescendingly soft. “Because, pretty, I don’t want to…