Page 16 (1/2)

Ignoring the biting gravel, Scarlet jogged around the corner Oak leaves spun on the wind The hangar and barn and chicken coop all stood silent in the buffeting dawn There was no trace of her father

"He , or--" Scarlet’s heart skipped "My ship!"

She ran, ignoring the rocky drive, the prickly weeds She nearly plowed into the hangar’s door but rasp the handle and yank it open just as a crash shook the building

"Dad!"

But he was not inside the ship, preparing to fly off with it as she’d feared Instead, he was standing on top of the cabinets that ran the length of the far wall, reaching into the overhead cupboards and tossing their contents onto the floor Paint cans, extension cords, drill bits

An entire standing toolbox had been tipped over, flooding the concrete with screws and bolts, and twoan assortle straw gardening hat shoved into a corner

"What are you doing?" Scarlet strode toward him, then ducked and froze as a wrench sailed by her head When a crash didn’t follow, she glanced back to see Wolf gripping the wrench a foot fro in surprise Scarlet spun back "Dad, what--"

"There’s so open another cupboard He snatched up a tin can and tipped it over, ed on the floor

"Dad, stop! There’s nothing here!" She picked her way through the mess, ed rocks outside "Stop it!"

"There is so a metal barrel under one ar the plug out froh he was also barefoot, the jumble of nails and screws didn’t appear to bother hiot to be here Somewhere … but where…"

The air filled with the pungent fuine lubricant as her dad tipped over the barrel, letting the yellowish grease gurgle and spill out over his rabbed a hammer off the floor and held it overhead "I will hit you, I swear it!"

He finally looked at her with that same haunted madness This was not her father This ent, all the things she’d ader This ht drizzle

"Dad Put down the barrel Now"

His lips trembled as his attention shifted away, focused on the sth away fro," he murmured "She loved her ships"

"Dad Dad--!"

Standing, her dad heaved the barrel into the backof the ship A hairline fracture cobwebbed out on the glass

"Not my ship!" Scarlet dropped the ha her way over tools and debris

The glass shattered with the second hit and her dad was already hauling hirabbed hied him out of the ship "Leave it alone!"

He thrashed in her hold, his knee catching Scarlet in the side, and they both fell onto the floor A canister bit into Scarlet’s thigh but all she could think about was tightening her hold on her dad, trying to lock his swinging arrabbed the broken glass, and a gash in his side was already turning cri to find it I’ to--"

He cried out as he was lifted away fro to subdue hi her dad to his feet She let go, panting One hand went to rub her throbbing hip

"Let go ofhis head, her dad snapped his teeth at the air

Ignoring his struggles, Wolf bound his wrists with one hand and stretched the other out toward Scarlet

No sooner had her palm sunk onto his than her dad’s screams renewed

"He’s one of them! One of them!"

Wolf yanked Scarlet to her feet and released her, using both ar father Scarlet almost expected to see foam at the corners of her dad’s mouth

"The tattoo, Scar! It’s them! It’s them!"

She pushed her hair off her face "I know, Dad Just calm down! I can explain--"

"You can’t take ! I need more time! Please, no more No more…" He dissolved into sobs

Wolf’s eyebrows drew together as he peered at the back of her father’s drooped head, then he grabbed a thin chain around his neck and pulled, snapping it

Her dad flinched and, when Wolf released hiawked at the necklace hanging fro fro any jewelry, other than the a out the ring hadn’t served its purpose and leaving hi the charht It was no larger than Scarlet’s pinkie nail "They’ve been tracking hi as well"

Scarlet’s dad hugged his knees, rocking

"Do you think they’re listening right now?" Scarlet asked