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I kiss down her body, stopping at her stoination She said she isn’t pregnant

But she lied—about hurting Atlas or about being pregnant or both?

Liesel grabsme fiercely under the water “Hate me! Hate me for real I need it to be real” She bites down ondesperately forto be cruel But I see her clearly for the first time I may not know all of her secrets, but I know her heart Everything she’s ever done is to protect her son

She’s the opposite of cruel She is beauty and strength and all good things in the world I’ht differently of her I just don’t knohy she’s so desperate to add me to the list of people she wants to protect Why does she thinkto hurt me?

I decide we aren’t leaving this rooives me an answer

My phone starts buzzing in my pocket

Strange

I don’t answer I need her I need answers

It eventually stops buzzing, only to start right back up again

I groan and grab a nearby towel before picking up my phone It’s an unknown number; a tactic Beckett would use to contact me

“Hello?” I answer as soon as I see the number

“I fucked up,” Beckett says

“What happened? Are the kids…?” Safe? Alive? Dead? I can’t think any of the words out loud But theout of the shower, dripping ith a towel and barreling toward me

I put the phone on speaker so we can both hear

“Phoenix took Rose and—” Beckett says