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She shook her head “Kids tend to perform better when their parents aren’t around Just relax I’ll take good care of your little one”

My feeling of unease returned, but I walked through the door, back into the waiting room with Jet For the first ten ony For the next ten, I paced the length of the waiting roo at the door every thirty seconds When another tento feel sick

“It’s taking too long,” I told my brother “They should be done by now”

“Maybe she was er”

Ten, then fifteen minutes passed, and as each of those minutes ticked my, my stomach filled with dread

“I can’t take this anymore,” I snapped and pushed open the door that led back to the MRI room

The sound of Jet’s booted feet echoed behind me, and I didn’t understand why they were so loud The machine was in a soundproof room, and the only way to speak to the person inside the MRI was through a microphone from the control room But it still felt alien tofrom back there

Then I rounded the corner and fought back a scream Not because the tech was slu, a bullet between her lifeless eyes

But because Lexa was gone

The teddy bear was lying on the floor, and Lexa’s clothes weren’t where I’d folded theown

“Motherfuck!” Jet roared as an to fall

Chapter 23

Bash

One er in Gracie’s office, the next,down

I still held the phone to round, each of thee that ain “Lexa was taken during her MRI The tech is dead We have to figure this out Now”