Grace reaches over and wraps her hand around mine. I look toward her, and she smiles. I do my best to smile back.
“Clayton was one. And I recognized the other one, but I don’t remember his name,” Cole says quietly.
“Guy’s a maniac, a total animal,” Bruno says. “You’re lucky you didn’t get yourselves killed.” I feel Bruno’s eyes rest on me from the rearview mirror, but I refuse to look at him. “Did he say anything?”
“Clayton told her Wilson wants her alive.”
“For what?” Grace asks. She leans forward in her seat while still holding on to me.
“Oh man … ” Bruno shakes his head and quickly glances in Cole’s direction. “Well, she does carry a lofty reward. After all, her dad built this thing. And Keegan was a revolt leader. They probably think she knows something important.”
Hearing Keegan’s name mentioned, even casually, feels like a searing hot knife through my heart. I can’t help wondering if Clayton’s words were true. Was I a threat to the regime? Had Dad or Keegan left me clues or told me something of significance?
Cole turns to me, his eyes raking mine, but he glances quickly away. “You think that’s it?”
“Sure,” Bruno says. “Why else would they want her alive?”
I’m silent. I can’t really think of any other reason. Nor do I want to think about it; my head’s so full of what-ifs that I’m unable to form a cohesive opinion on the matter.
“Oh, and get this: I’ve heard they want Sutton alive too, but the rest of us? We’re wanted dead or alive, preferably dead,” Bruno says as he squints and glances at Cole quickly.
“We have to protect Sutton,” I say.
“Of course we will,” Cole says before he turns to Bruno. “Man, what the hell’s going on?”
“We both know Wilson’s a sociopath. He thrives on having control over who dies and lives. And whatever he’s up to, it’s bad, really freaking bad.”
“The wanted posters are all over the place, even in the bay,” Grace says. “How long can we hide?”
“Till this ends, till Wilson’s dead and the Hole’s destroyed,” Cole says.
I watch as Grace lowers her eyes and gazes out the window. She lets go of me, and from the way she twiddles her hands, I’m guessing Bruno didn’t tell her he was wanted dead until now.
“This is my fault,” I say. “The situation we’re in, all of your lives on the line.”
“It’s not your fault, Lexi,” Cole says. “Everyone here made their decision without your influence. We’ve made our peace with it.”
Bruno turns off the paved road and onto sand. We all grab our door handles to keep from bouncing around. A slight breeze shifts the sand, blowing it over the hood. After a few minutes, Bruno turns onto another road, one blanketed in darkness, as he turns off the headlights.
“Where’re you taking us?” I ask.
“To a safe house,” Grace says in a quiet voice. “Sutton’s waiting for us. He’s pretty panicked right now.”
“How soon till we get there?” Cole asks.
“We’re already here,” Bruno says in a clipped voice.
Next thing I know, Bruno slams on the breaks, and the Jeep skids to a stop. When I look up, Sutton’s standing in front of a dimly lit cottage, staring at us all.
After we jump out of the Jeep, I make a beeline for his open arms.
“Oh thank God you’re alive,” he says as he wraps me into a strong embrace. Then he lets go and pulls Cole into a hug as well. “Come in, please. I want to know everything.” He steps back and motions us inside.
Once inside, I notice his red-rimmed eyes and the hollows beneath them. His hair’s flying in several directions. He takes a deep breath and places a hand on the wall, surveying everyone’s expressions.
Except Zeus, because he’s disappeared.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” he says.
“We were ambushed,” Cole says, “by three guards.” His hand wraps around my shoulder. “We took care of them, but there will be more, make no mistake about that.”
Sutton wipes sweat from his forehead and exhales. “What matters is you’re alive. I admit, I feared the worst.” He pauses as his words sink in. “The owner of this house was gracious enough to let us borrow it, but his family returns tomorrow. We don’t have much time … but there’s something else I need to share with all of you … something important that I’ve been working on.” My head snaps up. “It’s time to show you.” He digs into the side pocket of his coat, pulling out an envelope. His hands shake as he produces a piece of paper from inside. “Read this.” He hands it to me, and I read it out loud.