When we get to the parking lot, there’s a large military vehicle surrounded by a ton of soldiers. And for good reason, because Juan’s men are on the other side of the school gate, clearly livid about the government’s intrusion. Their yelling is in Spanish, and I can only catch bits and pieces. Mostly the swear words, since Senorita Gonzalez gets mad when people say them in class.
The soldiers wheel out big boxes, while a blond woman in a lab coat points and whispers commands. The Army taking over the school makes even more sense now: they need the science labs. This only gives me further proof that this invasion has something to do with the old factory. The government is after the exact same thing as any syndicate—the Radiasure formula.
Seth’s old, black truck is parked by the fence, and as we approach, one of Juan’s thugs breaks off from the crowd. My grip on Seth’s arm doubles as I recognize this man as the one watching me at soccer practice: pale skin, long hair parted down the middle, and so thin even the jaguar tattoos on his arms look malnourished. But for all his seeming fragility, there is a confidence in his eyes that tells me not to underestimate him.
He stops on the opposite side of the chain-link fence, staring at me with a smug grin. “Hello, Fiona,” he says with a strong accent I can’t place. “I wondered if they would let you leave.”
“Why wouldn’t they?” I say while Seth unlocks the car.
His grin grows wider. “Only the government would throw away the chance to use someone like you. This is why they will never get this country back in order.”
Seth tugs at my arm. “C’mon. Don’t talk to him.”
I’m not stupid—this is an obvious threat. My answer needs to be equally clear. “I’m not working for Juan.”
“We’ll see.” His eyes seem hungry, and I get the sense that he’d love to make me. “But for now, I—”
“You there!” A soldier calls. He’s on the other side of the gate with creepy guy, gun at ready. “Back away from the students. You are trespassing on federal property. Leave now.”
The guy turns his head, not at all impressed with the soldier. “Or what?”
“Sir, please vacate the premises before I have to shoot you.”
He puts his hand to the fence. “I don’t feel like it.”
The gunshot cracks through the air, and I scream. Not because Juan’s guy is dead, but because the bullet went right through him. I can’t seem to stop staring at his arm, which is now on our side of the fence. He steps completely through, laughing at the soldier’s shocked expression. “That tickled.”
“The Phantom,” I whisper. Maybe Graham was trying to scare me—but he was right. Juan’s second-in-command is here in Madison.
He turns. “Yes, Fiona. Are you scared?”
I can’t speak, can’t think. Seth opens the car door and says, “Get. In. Now.”
But I’m frozen in shock. What does it matter if I leave? He probably knows where I live, and he can walk in any time he feels like it. “What do you want?”
“We’ll talk later.” He walks toward the Army truck. The soldier talks frantically into his comm unit about the intruder. “Unfortunately, I have other things to deal with right now.”
“Guess I’ll see you later, then.” I get in Seth’s car, glad I can act strong even when I’m sure I don’t look it. Seth revs the engine and peels out of the parking lot. He doesn’t say anything, but by the way his breaths heave I know he’s pissed. “Go ahead and yell,” I say.
“Are you crazy?” His voice explodes out of him. “You didn’t have to talk to him! What the hell were you thinking?”
I sigh, my mind racing over the giant amount of information I’ve gained today. It’s funny how a few clues can open up so many horrible possibilities. “You can’t cower to people like that—it only makes them feel more powerful. I don’t want him thinking he has me running already.”
He shakes his head. “You should run. We should all get out of here.”
I glare at him. “Seth, stop.”
He parks in front of my house and leans back in the seat. “This isn’t supposed to be happening. We already did this shit.”
“I know.” Since we started dating, I’ve always worried what might happen if syndicate life caught up to me again, what it might do to the people I care more about now than ever, what I might have to sacrifice to keep them safe. “But I also think you know we can’t run.”
His look is desperate. “Why not?”
“Because life on the run is a life of crime anyway,” I say. “What did they ask you about that took so long to answer?”
He goes still, and the fear drains from his perfect eyes. He turns off the car, opens his door, and I follow him up my path without another word. Out here it’s not safe. Inside is barely better. We climb the stairs to my room, and I turn on music while he shuts the door. We sit on the floor in front of my bed.
“It was close, Fi. Way too close,” he whispers.
“How so?”
“It says in my school files that I’m a math savant, so the Major asked me if it was true and I had to say no.” He lets out a long sigh. “Then he asked what my real ability was and I said my vision was really sharp.”
My eyes go wide. “Did he call you on it?”
He shakes his head. “But he seemed to think it was pretty suspicious that I hid my real ability, asked me a lot of questions about why. All my reasons kept flagging as lies.”
“What’d he do?”
“He got pissed.” Seth squeezes his eyes shut and lies on the floor. I’ve come to recognize this as the I-used-my-ability-too-much-and-now-have-a-splitting-headache pose. “I finally passed by saying I wanted to major in mathematics in college, and they look down on you if you aren’t a savant, which is true.”
I lie down on my stomach, put my fingers to his temples, and rub in little circles. “Did they ask you about Radiasure?”
“Ugh, yeah. That’s where it got even worse.” His voice is grouchy, but there’s a smile on his lips so the head massage must be helping. “He’d made notes of Brady going running in the desert, and then you, so he asked me about our relationship and if we went any specific places.”
I stop. “Seriously? He asked me about places, too.”
“Yeah?” He grabs my hands and makes them do the circles again. “Mmm, better. But anyway, I felt like I shouldn’t tell him about going to the factory, you know? So that flagged as a lie, and he got worked up about what I was hiding in the desert. I finally said I take you to that little waterfall in the valley and was embarrassed to talk about my personal life. He bought that one, and that’s when he let me go.”
“Funny, I also used the waterfall. At least our stories matched.” Hearing Seth’s account confirms too many of my suspicions. “This is about that ‘real’ Radiasure formula rumor floating around the syndicate channels, the one not disclosed to the public.”
“I hate to admit you’re right, but there’s no other reason for all these people to show up here. Which means if they find what they’re looking for…” Seth pinches the bridge of his nose, the pain clear on his face.
“Rest.” I kiss his forehead. “You shouldn’t have spied on my interview.”
“I was—”
“Worried, I know. You need to stop. It’s annoying.” I rub his head until he dozes off. He’ll feel better after a break from seeing. Then I pull out my phone and call Miles.
He picks up immediately this time. “Fiona! What’s up?”
“Nothing good, I’m afraid.” I sneak out of my room so I don’t wake Seth, and tiptoe down to the kitchen to grab some Pop Tarts. “Juan’s right-hand man is in town, plus the Army just set up camp at my school and interrogated every student.”
There’s a pause. “I’m waiting for the punch line.”