He gives me an epic pout. “What? You don’t want me around or something?”
“I do!” But he’s so avoiding something. I hope he’s not staying here because he’s worried about us. I’d hate to be more of a burden than I already am. “I just—”
The doorbell rings. So instead of confronting my brother I get up to answer it. I didn’t think The Pack would be here so soon, but maybe they’re more eager to know how I got the formula than I thought. When I open the door, I’m met with two men in uniform instead.
“Fiona McClean?” one of them says.
“Yes?” My blood pumps faster. Something is wrong about this.
The man holds up a paper. “You are under arrest for stealing Army property. If you do not comply, we have been ordered to take you by force.”
Chapter 15
“What? You can’t do that! Where’s the proof?” Miles is up from the couch and already by my side, but my eyes are on Mom. Luckily, the open door blocks the soldiers’ view of her, and I’m not wearing glasses or hair things to show where I’m looking. Her face sets into surprising innocence while she folds the formula and slips it into her pants.
“There were footprints found,” one of the soldiers says. “We have to take her in for—”
“That’s it? How do you know they’re not old or someone else’s?” Miles has moved in front of me, as if he can stop this from happening.
“We’re following orders, sir.”
“Let me see the warrant,” Mom says from behind me. She takes it from the soldier, reading it intently.
All I can do is stand there in shock. My first impulse is to run, except that would make me look even guiltier, wouldn’t it? The idea of being dragged to the makeshift military base, thrown in a cell, and questioned about what I did last night isn’t exactly how I want to spend the rest of my weekend. And Major Norton…he’ll see right through any lie I tell.
“This looks pretty flimsy,” Mom says with a sigh. It’s definitely not the first time she’s seen an arrest warrant—Dad just usually gets his women out of them. She turns to me. “But we have to follow the law and clear up the misunderstanding, Fiona. Let’s go.”
I gulp, trying to quell my fear. Laws. How could I forget about those? “Okay.”
“We’ll figure this out,” Miles says as the soldiers come forward with handcuffs. “I promise.”
I don’t answer—all I can see are the cuffs. The soldier looks over me with a confused expression, probably because he isn’t sure where my hands are.
“Are those really necessary?” Mom asks.
“I’m afraid so, ma’am.” He finally decides to reach for my shoulder first, and my skin crawls as his fingers run down my arm. He latches the cuff and goes for my other shoulder, but I can’t take it.
“I’ll do it myself.” Snapping the other cuff around my wrist, I feel sick. Mostly because this is exactly what I deserve for what I did. I’ve become so used to getting away with things that I honestly believed this wouldn’t happen.
I really hate when Seth is right.
Mom stays by my side as the soldiers guide me to a big truck covered in a cammo pattern. The back is windowless and seems to be fortified just for prisoners with abilities. By now, my neighbors have come out to see what’s going on, and all of them stare at us with faces that say, “Not surprised.” This doesn’t bother me—I’m used to it—but what does bother me is The Phantom standing on the sidewalk, right by my house, smiling.
He clucks his tongue. “Looks like someone was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be.”
“You did this?” I say. Of course he did. A simple warning note isn’t syndicate style. There’s always a scare tactic involved.
“You set her up!” Mom looks so angry I worry she’ll actually attack him. “That was way out of line.”
“Was it?” The Phantom pops a Radiasure pill in his mouth, and I can feel the soldiers tense behind me. If Graham is right about Radiasure making it so he can take other people through walls, too, I don’t want to know what he’s planning for my mom. “If I were you, Lauren, I wouldn’t step foot on that military base—I told you this was your warning. I’m sure you know all the things I could do with your daughter instead of putting her in an Army cell.”
Mom, despite her best efforts, shrinks at the threat. “Asshole.”
The Phantom shrugs innocently. “I’m just a concerned, law-abiding citizen.”
“Bullshit!” I yell, pissed that he’s forcing my mom to stay behind. How am I supposed to do this without her?
“Hey,” one of the soldiers snaps at me. “No more talking.” They take me to the back of the truck, while Mom’s tears begin to fall. The Phantom’s laugh fills my ears, and I’d give anything to kick his skinny ass.
The locks on the back of this vehicle are ridiculous—three huge bolts that each need a separate code. The door opens with a puff of air, like it’s pressurized inside. When I look into the dimly lit space, I’m surprised to find someone else already in there, hunched over and squinting at the sudden burst of light. One look at his size and blazing red hair, and I know who it is.
Brady.
Now I’m even angrier. It’s one thing for The Phantom to mess with me, but with my friends?
“Fiona?” Brady says as the soldiers shove me inside with unnecessary force. They shut the door, and the locks wheeze as they’re reset.
“I’m gonna kill that guy.” I kick the side of the truck, wishing it was The Phantom’s head. Somewhere in my mind I know my rage is disturbingly high, that my need for vengeance could easily get out of control. But I don’t care. “What’d they accuse you of?”
Brady doesn’t look at me, seeming embarrassed. “Destroying private property.”
“Ugh! That land isn’t private!” I sit across from him on the narrow bench. “This is ridiculous. They just want an excuse to leech more information, and The Phantom gave it to them.”
This doesn’t seem to improve Brady’s mood. “You should have seen everyone, Fi. They were freaked out. Bea…she was on the verge of tears.”
These words extinguish all my fight. “I’m sorry, Brady. It’s all my fault.”
He shakes his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Don’t flatter yourself. You didn’t force us to do anything.”
“Whatever.” I lean my head back on the wall, thinking. “We shouldn’t talk anymore. Who knows what they’ll try to use against us, and we don’t know who’s listening.”
“True.”
The ride doesn’t take long, and when they open the door I’m surprised to find we’re at the school, not their little base at the factory. Truth be told, I’m kind of bummed—I was hoping to at least get a peek at the dig site Seth described. Maybe that’s why we’re here instead.
Since it’s a weekend, the school is abandoned save military personnel. Brady and I step out of the truck, and immediately five more soldiers surround us as if we’re thinking of fighting back. They take us to the office, where they’ve put up bars in the small copy room’s doorway.
How they think this would hold any respectable criminal, I don’t know. Even I could get through drywall.
After they take off our handcuffs and lock us in the cell, a soldier says, “The Major will be here soon.”
“Super.” I settle in on the floor. The area has been stripped of the copier and shelves, with only a few blankets and a bucket for I-don’t-want-to-think-about-it in the far corner.
“Soon” must be a term for “sometime in the future” in military speak, because Brady and I sit in that room long enough for my butt to start aching. I fold up one of the blankets to sit on, hoping that will help. It’s brutal to sit in silence, especially since I would prefer to pass the time joking around with Brady.