Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“Trying.” I swallow hard, my gorge rising.
Wyatt stacks his arm on Evie’s, and Gretchen rolls around to my front, pushing the coffee table out of the way.
“We’ve got you.” Gretchen puts her palms on my knees. “We’re here.”
I glance up, still searching for whatever surveillance is buried in these walls. Then I realize it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s daytime. My friends will be long gone before anyone can report back to Gregor. Even so, I’m still careful. I don’t know how far Gregor’s reach goes.
“Juno isn’t well.” I can’t keep the tremor from my voice. I clear my throat. “She’s not… I don’t know if she’s going to be all right.”
“Shit.” Wyatt leans into me.
“It’s bad. Really bad. I can’t leave her.” My words tumble out. “She needs me, and she’s needed me for a while, but I stayed away. She told me to stay away. I shouldn’t have listened. I should’ve realized she was all alone there. Without me. Without someone who could help her, pull her back from the edge. She-she—” I snap my mouth shut as a sob tries to escape.
Evie rests her head against mine.
I wrestle myself back under control. Sitting silent for a while, I feel how empty my life is going to be without them.
“And Aang—” I have to stop again.
“Breathe,” Gretchen says. “In through your nose. Out through your mouth.”
Wyatt follows the breathing exercise. I join in. Then all of us are doing it. Slow and steady. My panic fades enough for me to go on.
“He didn’t have a chance.” I shake my head, trying to rid it of the image of his wide eyes staring at me. “The moment he went in, it was over. One of them.” I meet Gretchen’s eyes. “One of them has been there this whole time, pulling the strings. Understand?”
“Yeah.”
“Like a spider on a web.” I squeeze my arms tighter around my ribs. “It’s worse than anything I can say.” Not just because they’re listening. Because I don’t think I can voice what I saw.
“That’s enough,” Evie coos. “Don’t tell any more.”
“Fuck.” Wyatt sighs and wraps his other arm around me. “I’m sorry, Georgia. I wish I could do something.”
“I just need you all to get out safely.”
Gretchen takes my hands. “We don’t want to leave you here.”
“I know, but that’s what has to happen, okay? I can’t leave Juno.”
“Even if she’s caused this?” Gretchen asks gently, her voice free of judgment.
I hate that my answer is yes. But it’s still the only answer I have. I won’t abandon her.
“All right.” Gretchen nods, seemingly reading my answer on my face. “I understand.”
“I’m sorry.” I shake, trying to stop myself from crying. “I’m so sorry. I know this is wrong, all of it. I know Juno has done …” I can’t say it. If I do, I feel like I might die.
“Nothing for you to be sorry about.” Wyatt squeezes me tighter. “Nothing at all.”
I let them hug me, feeling their warmth for the last time. New friends, gone as quickly as they came. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“We’ll see you again,” Wyatt says, determination in his tone. “This isn’t goodbye forever, all right? Chill out with that.”
I hope he’s right, but I know in my heart he isn’t.
“Hello in there?” Gene’s voice creaks down the hallway.
“We’re here!” Evie calls.
My eyes water more when he appears, a sandwich in one hand. “Got this for you. Heard you were going to stay a while.”
“Yeah.” I only a sniffle a little.
“You sure we can’t get you to change your mind, Doc?” He puts the sandwich on the coffee table.
“I’m sure.” I offer him my hand.
He takes it, the usual tremor gone from his grip. “I don’t like it, but I’ve learned not to question you scientists. Have to let you go your own way, I suppose.”
Tears try to choke me up, so I hurriedly say, “You have to go,” then disentangle myself from them. “I don’t want you staying a moment longer than necessary.” I stand, forcing Evie and Wyatt up with me. “Go on. Get out of here. This penthouse is just for me.”
“I’ll have a nice meal ready for when you get to Atlanta.” Gene wraps me up in a hug, his arms strong around me.
Then Evie, smiling with tears in her eyes, gives me one more embrace. “See you soon,” she whispers.
Wyatt’s next. “I’ll work up a playlist for when you show up in Atlanta. Something with pizzazz.”
“Sounds good.” I squeeze him, then let him go.
“Try to keep them in line, would you?” I hug Gretchen.
“These two? Not possible.” She digs around in the bag on the side of her chair, then hands me a fresh syringe.
“What’s this?”
“You’re not the only one capable of whipping up a weapon.”
My eyes widen. “Is this the—”
“Yes. A ‘break glass in case of emergency’ sort of thing. I’ll be able to replicate it in Atlanta, and I figured you might need this sooner rather than later. Be careful. Okay?”