Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird #12)(98)

He tilted his head again. “Food?”

“The night you took Nathan on a wild chase and you left him at the lake,” I said, my anger growing inside of me an unable to help myself. “We were there watching the food being swapped. Students have called in sick. We’re pretty sure it was a set up.”

“I was following McCoy,” he said. “He’s with Hendricks.” He leaned in, but his voice modulator was just as loud. “But this doesn’t change anything. He’s lost McCoy, but he’s after you.”

“You mean them?”

“I mean you,” he said. “He wants to use you. To get to them. To get them into a heap of trouble they’ll never be able to weasel their way out of.”

I strained at my wrists, at the binding, trying to separate them. “How?”

“Like how I got to you. Only he’s more stupid than your Academy.” He clamped a hand around my wrists to get me to stop. “I came to tell you so you won’t make this mistake again. And so they won’t, either. Maybe now they’ll avoid using you like a pawn and leave you the hell alone.”

He turned away from me, heading for the door.

“How does he listen?” I asked him. “Tell me. How does he know what we’re doing?”

He paused without turning back to me. “Once a gutter rat, always a gutter rat,” he opened the door, letting it slam behind himself after he left.

Before I could call after him, the lights came on, blinding me for a minute. I covered my face against the brightness.

I was alone in one of the study rooms. With my ankles and wrists bound, I wasn’t sure about jumping off the desk in an effort to get away.

The others would find me soon. I hoped.





Fishing for a Rat




It didn’t take long, less than ten minutes, before the door opened again and Mr. Blackbourne popped his head in. Once he spotted me, he opened it wide. “She’s in here!” he called out.

“Hi,” I said, a little more defeated now. I’d calmed down a lot and was way more annoyed than I was afraid. All this just to tell me Hendricks was watching and wanted to use me to get to them. And who knew if it was a lie or not?

He came over to me, checking out my face at first and then the bands around my wrists and ankles.

Nathan burst through the door next, finding us and checking me out. “What the hell?”

“He just wanted to talk,” I said. While Mr. Blackbourne took out a pocket knife to use against the bonds, I told them about what he said. “I don’t know what he might have meant at the end about gutter rats.”

“I think he meant Mr. Morris,” Nathan said. “Did we tell you about him being the one driving the Jeep up to the school?”

My jaw dropped open, and I rubbed at the red marks the bonds had caused while I was waiting. “No. He did?” I paused. “Wait, Volto said he wasn’t working with Hendricks. So how does Mr. Morris, who does work with Hendricks, get the Jeep?”

“That’s a question we’re trying to get answers to,” Mr. Blackbourne said. He took up my hands, inspecting my wrists, flipping my arms over so he could check the other side. “Did you get tasered?”

“No.”

“Did he do anything else?”

“No.”

His eyebrow lifted, the steel in his gaze a bit wild. He shook his head slowly. “I’ll never understand him.”

I jumped off the table and stood beside them. “I’ve stopped trying. But I don’t know if we should trust him anyway.”

“Still, protocol has changed as of now.” The power in his voice sharpened and he turned to Nathan. “I know you won’t let this happen again.”

“Nope,” Nathan said, his jaw tightening and his blue eyes serious. “Never.”

“Then you’re both grounded until Hendricks is found.”

“Grounded?” I asked.

“To each other.” He took his phone out of his pocket and brought it to his face. “And you’re not staying at Nathan’s. You need to be with people at all times. The diner. At the Lee house.”

“We’re still having a thing with Erica,” Nathan said. “I’m not sure...”

“Solve it,” Mr. Blackbourne said. He turned the full of his gaze at him, and it could have been steel bullets firing out from his eyes. “Or find another solution. I don’t want to give Hendricks the same opportunity to get to any of you the way that Volto has.” He pointed toward the library and beyond. “It’s not just you. It’s everyone from this point. Public view only. Areas Hendricks or anyone else working for him won’t dare trespass.”

Nathan pressed his lips together and nodded.

I said nothing but agreed with this decision. If nothing else, Volto proved we’d been vulnerable, even if we were together. Hendricks had who knew how many people working for him. Volto managed to get a partner to help him get me. Three or four people working with Hendricks could outnumber two too easily.





Be Terrified




On our way through the halls, we reconnected with the others, who continued to stand by the doors. Volto was inside with his friend. They wanted to find him.

Meanwhile, Nathan and I were sent off. We ended up in Silas’s car, and Nathan silently drove toward Sunnyvale Court.