After they cuff us, Juan’s men shove all of us but Seth in the back of an armored truck. I assume Seth gets to stay with his dad, so we know not to fight back if we want him to be alive when we get there.
Though there are no windows, I can only assume we’re headed for SuperMart and the secret underground base. The longer we drive, the louder the gunfire gets. I wish I could see what the hell is going on out there, because it sounds like we’re driving right through the middle of a battle.
“What are we gonna do now?” Carlos’ voice is panicky.
Hector shrugs. “This is where we wanted to go anyway, isn’t it?”
“But not as prisoners!” Bea says.
I wonder if Hector might be on to something. Mr. Mitchell couldn’t give us the code without being suspected of helping us. But capturing us is a different story—he looks like he’s doing his job. I hold on to this tiny shred of hope. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll find a way to escape.
Then I think of what Seth would say to my theories—he’d tell me not to hold my breath when it comes to trusting his dad. And he’s probably right.
“I can feel you thinking,” Brady says to me. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
My stomach drops, which is the only way I can tell we’re going down. I imagine it’s some kind of steep ramp going under SuperMart. The truck skids to a stop, and our captors open the back door. Seth stands there with his dad, looking more furious than ever.
“This way,” Mr. Mitchell says as he points his gun at us. The other men seem to have gotten new rifles as well. “I wouldn’t try anything if you want to live.”
I tip my chin up. “Wasn’t planning on it. Right now at least.”
The smallest wisp of a smirk crosses his face, and I want to hope that means something good. We follow him to a fortified door I assume is the one on Lee Seol’s blueprints. Mr. Mitchell puts his hand to a security pad, and then it asks him to enter an I.D. code. He pushes Seth through first and the rest of us follow.
That would have been impossible to get through, I think as we walk down a stark hallway lined with doors. It looks more like a hospital than a den of criminals. Not that all dens are dirty, but this one seems overly clean. And then it clicks.
It’s a lab. Duh.
We round a few corners, and I try to keep track in my mind how the layout matches up with what we saw on the screen. It doesn’t work well. The only thing I know is who we’re headed for, and I’m not sure I’m ready for him. When Mr. Mitchell finally opens a door, I see The Phantom sitting at a folding table. His long hair is pulled back from his face, and he smiles as his thugs force us to sit in front of him. “Welcome.”
“Where’s my mother, asshole?” I know I should mind my words, but seeing him safe in his hole makes my blood burn.
He glares at me, but says nothing. Instead, he grabs a remote and points it at the TV on the nearest wall. When the image appears, my heart about stops.
It’s Mom.
She’s in a bed, weeping, and her arms are chained down so she can’t use her telekinesis. I can’t stop staring at the bandage over her forehead, which has dark spots of blood. Just how hard did he hit her? Must have been enough to knock her out so she couldn’t fight back.
“I would not throw insults if I were you,” The Phantom says. “Since I’m already this close to killing her. Must be hard to care about people.”
“Let her go,” I growl.
“I’d be glad to.” He holds out his hand. “Just give me the merinite first.”
In that moment, I wish I had it. Because I don’t know how else I’ll convince him and why does it matter now that Allie can reverse mutations? “I don’t have it.”
“You’re more foolish than I thought,” The Phantom snarls. “Did you honestly think you could save her—save this town—with your little band of greenie vigilantes?”
I don’t answer. In the silence my phone buzzes in my pocket, but I can’t exactly pick it up since I’m cuffed.
He stands, pounding the desk. “This is Juan’s town. It always has been. Are you so delusional you think you can take something from our syndicate? Let me make this clear—you’ve been allowed to live here by the grace of Juan. Not because we didn’t notice. Not because you’ve fooled us. And if you want to keep living here, you better start paying your dues.”
His words smack me across the face. How could I forget this world? How could I think getting free of Dad meant I could remain syndicate free forever? There’s no such thing as syndicate free, even when you think you are. The Pack is living proof of that.
I look down, a sense of defeat washing over me.
“It’s not Juan’s town,” Bea says in the silence. Everyone turns to look at her. “Does he live here? No. We do.”
This seems to spark something in Carlos. “Yeah! I don’t see his name on the sign. It’s just Madison. Not Madison: Property of Juan Torres.”
“Has he purchased the property deeds?” Hector adds. “Are any of his claims legal?”
The Phantom waves his hand, and each of them gets hit with the back of a gun. “You should not talk, otherwise I’ll have them pull the trigger next.”
The Pack tries to stay strong, but that threat makes an impact. We’re all one wrong move away from dead, whether or not what they said was true. The idea of The Pack dying…
My phone buzzes yet again, and I worry it’s something vital from Lee Seol. I wish I could grab it. The only thing I can do is buy some time and hope for an opening to answer.
“Just stop, okay?” I say, grasping for something that might distract The Phantom from his goals. “Look, I don’t have the element, which means I can’t give it to you even if I wanted to. I know Juan’s probably breathing down your neck about that, but can’t we strike some other deal?”
His eyes narrow. “Like what?”
I glance at Mr. Mitchell, who is as emotionless as ever. Despite that, I know why he did what he did. He’s just like Graham—happy to do the dirty work if that means the people he cares about are safe.
“Me.” It’s a lie, but maybe he’ll go for it.
“Excuse me?” The Phantom says at the same time Seth yells, “No!”
“You heard me. I’ll give you my dad’s secrets, even do work for you. Just let my mom and everyone else go.”
He snorts. “You think that’s enough? Not even close.”
“What about me, too?” Brady asks, and I try not to curse.
Seth’s eyes about pop from his head. “What is wrong with you guys? Stop offering yourselves up like martyrs!”
The Phantom shakes his head. “It’s sad that you think this would be enough to tempt me. The only thing you can do to fix this is to hand over the merinite—then we might let you live here in peace for awhile. Why is that so hard? You gave it to the Army. Surely you know they’re just another syndicate.”
I purse my lips, searching for anything else. My phone rings this time, though I know it shouldn’t be able to turn off vibrate on its own. The whole room stares at me as the pop tune repeats. “Sorry?”
The Phantom seems more curious than angry. “Your phone should be disabled down here.”
“What?” There’s too much worry in my voice. He definitely picks up on it.
“Who is able to call you down—?”
“Fiona! Where the hell are you?” A muffled voice comes from my pocket, but I can tell it’s Lee Seol. “We have a HUGE problem! You have to abort your mission now.”
“Get the phone,” The Phantom commands. A guard pulls it from my dress pocket and hands it to him. “Who’s this? How did you make this phone work?”
“Psh, you hired the wrong hacker, bitch,” Lee Seol says. “Is Fiona there?”