Nena weighed her words carefully, trying to keep her emotions in check as if she were on the job. But this wasn’t any job. This was personal.
“What do you want?”
“You to come alone.”
“This has nothing to do with you.”
Oliver ignored her, rattling off an address Nena committed to memory.
“And come alone,” he finished seriously. “No team. No Elin. No one but you, or—”
Dread squeezed the air from her throat. “Or?”
“Or history repeats itself. I’d say it’s time for a little family reunion, don’t you agree?”
The line went dead before she could get her question out. What did he mean, family reunion? Wordlessly, Nena returned the phone to Elin. She sat back on her haunches. Ice-cold tentacles of fear wound their way through every nerve in her body. Nena cursed herself for not knowing what to do next. It was her job to know. But everything was coming up blank.
Cort wheezed, “What about Peach?”
The question woke her up.
Nena wiped at her eyes and looked down at her fingers, surprised they came away damp. Now was not the time to sift through the tumult of feelings, not when there was work to do. “They have her,” she said, getting to her feet.
Cort’s eyes widened at seeing a gun in her hands. “Nena, what the hell?”
“I need to go after them before it’s too late.”
Elin tore her gaze away from the floor. Her face was riddled with guilt and shame, eyes rimmed with tears as infrequent to her as they were to Nena. “I am so sorry,” Elin whispered, the enormity of the situation threatening to split her in two. “I should have known. I’ve failed.”
“You haven’t.”
“I can’t lead the Tribe if I can’t trust my own instincts, my judgment of character. I can’t. I fucked up.” The tears pooling in her eyes spilled, failure consuming her.
Nena glanced at her watch. She looked away, thinking. Looked back at her sister, conflicted. What was the appropriate thing to do? For the second time that night, she chose to comfort someone else.
“We are a team,” Nena said.
Cort interjected. “We need to call the cops.”
“No cops,” both women said automatically.
Elin tore her gaze away from him, her face wrought with worry and guilt and terror.
“I need to go.” Nena turned to leave.
Elin scrambled to her feet, her outstretched hand stopping Nena. “Let me go with you. I can reason with Oliver. Maybe I can offer him whatever he wants.”
Nena shook her head. “It’s not about what Oliver wants. It’s always been about what Paul wants, and it’s nothing you can provide.”
“Nena,” Cort said again from the floor. He struggled to get up, but the wound in his side was too severe, had weakened him faster than they’d anticipated. The dark area of his shirt had grown larger. He crumpled back down, falling into unconsciousness.
Nena fought the urge to tend to him, to touch him. She thought of the night they’d spent dancing and being a normal couple. But she knew if she stopped a second to be the Nena he knew and not the Echo she needed to be, she wouldn’t leave his side. And she had to, to save Georgia and end this thing with Paul.
To Elin, she whispered, “Get him medical attention. This time you actually do have to call the cops, if a neighbor hasn’t already. Come up with a story for them. When I find Georgia, I’ll bring her home.”
Elin pointed at Cort. Leaning toward Nena, she asked, “And him? What do I tell him?”
“Tell him whatever it takes to get him on board. Tell him”—Nena looked down at him as well, wondering how he’d feel once he knew who she really was—“tell him he can ask me anything he wants, and I will answer when I return.”
Elin’s lips quivered. “If that little girl dies because of me . . .” She was unable to finish.
“Whatever happens will not be because of you.” Nena hesitated. “And it will not be because of me either. Everything that’s happened—is happening—is because of Paul.”
70
BEFORE
Several months after I purchase my little house, two things happen: my home is renovated and fitted to suit my needs, and my parents come to visit, meeting Keigel.
My house is a calming sea-blue color, reminding me of the oceans of the tropics. It has a security system fit for a bank, complete with motion sensors that could detect an ant traipsing over a blade of grass. There are hidden cameras everywhere. A privacy fence closes off my backyard, so I can sit out there in my oasis without the worry of spectators. The carport is now a fully enclosed garage.