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"We’ve got to catch up with her," Zach said, breathing hard

"You leave that poor girl alone," ordered Miss Mabel "You boys have done enough da the diner on fire What were you thinking?"

That fire hadn’t exactly been part of their plan--they’d planned on being out of the diner before the demons awoke--but no one bothered to explain that part to her The sirens grew louder and Thoine Zach slipped inside and slammed the door shut Hard "Did you see which way she went?" he asked

"East I’ll try to find her" Thoht at the first light

"Shit!" bellowed Zach "Blow through the intersection"

"Youcouple in the itty-bitty convertible in front of us?" asked Tho at Zach in the rearview mirror

"If that’s what it takes"

"I think not We’ll find her, Zach Chill"

Zach pounded the seat next to hiot away"

Drake had a hard tiht now his top priority was Helen and finding out why she hadn’t said a word or offered any resistance since the n at all

Lexi gripped the steering wheel so hard her hands cra Helen and Miss Mabel behind, but there was nothing she could do for theet close enough to care what happened to any of the regulars of Gertie’s Diner She should have learned her lesson by now Caring that much about anyone was foolish

Helen and Miss Mabel were gone The Sentinels had theo Her mother had drilled that lesson into her since before she was old enough to walk

She’d co with them Too damn close Zach had overwhel she could handle But he’d also overwhelhumor and deadly hunter and she hadn’t been prepared for the swift change in his demeanor She also hadn’t been prepared for the way he looked at her The way he smiled at her

He had seeh dinner, which hy she hadn’t let the ht she was human, she was safe, so she played the part Even flirted back, taken his phone nu had been a ured out her secret She fought back as hard as she could, but he was too strong She stabbed hi like that? Only a lunatic That’s who

A lunatic whoseabout that as soon as possible

Daot to see every day It was al a family, and Zach had stolen that all away fro into her life

Lexi let out an enraged screa the s on her old Honda vibrate She hated this--hated being afraid, hated being alone, hated having to rebuild her life every few e was done and she was no longer safe here Everything she oas in this beat-up old car She was leaving a week’s pay behind, but that was sohfor a couple of weeks, which was exactly what she was going to do

Her mother had warned her that she could never let the Sentinels find her They were dangerous men who enslaved women, forced them to do unspeakable evil Her mom had never been completely sane, but on the days she was lucid, this was the one thing she drilled into Lexi’s head over and over, and Lexi took that warning to heart She kneould happen to her if they ever learned of her secret--if they ever learned she wasn’t entirely huet a new na harder and harder to change her identity, and the papers cost more every time, but there was no help for it She was free and she’d stay that way or die trying She couldn’t let herself fall into the hands of the enemy The lives of too many women--special women like her--were at stake

Helen couldn’t even screa that pillar of flame while Drake wore that half smile on his faceIt was sofor the blistering end to coh there were similarities between reality and her vision, it wasn’t exactly the saht inside, not dark, and the fire was behind Drake, not engulfing her That was the biggest difference--the one that reallyalive

Breathe Just breathe That’s all she had to do

She couldn’t open her eyes yet She could feel the vibration of a car beneath her thighs and the slight swaying of her body as they turned corners Soht of a ers drew coainst his shoulder and she could sing to his skin Strea water trickled into her flesh where his other hand circled her wrist

Drake Drake was holding on to her, keeping her fro He hadn’t watched her die

Maybe her vision rong Or maybe it just wasn’t tirateful to still be alive