Page 93 of Captured Immune

Ouch.She’d rather trust a bunch of strangers in uniforms than me. Add that to the growing list of things she’s said that will tear me apart at night. “Arella, the Royals have people planted all over the system. We can’t trust anyone! Now come on. We’ve gotta go before they get here.” Seizing her unwounded arm, I tug her toward the exit.

She jerks her arm back and stands her ground. “No. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

I press the heels of my palms against my temples. “Please, please, tell me you’re joking right now.”

“I’m not. Staying around you is dangerous.You’rethe one they’re tracking. Not me. Wouldn’t it make the most sense for me to get as far away from the thing they’re tracking as possible?”

I toss my arms up and let them flop to my thighs. “Fine. Let’s say we do that. Where are you gonna go? It’s not like you can run back to your apartment, or Javina, or your grandparents. They’ll find you there. And once they do, who’s going to protect you?”

“They won’t find me. I’ll hide.”

I scoff. “Where?”

“I can’t tell you! What if they capture you and torture you for that information?”

I screw my eyes shut and pinch the bridge of my nose. She’s being difficult on purpose, and the only thing it’s accomplishing is wasting time. “You’re not telling me where because you don’t know of a place to go.”

“Okay, maybe that’s true. If it is, it’s not much different from your nonexistent plan, except my plan is better because mine doesn’t involve sticking around the thing they’re tracking!”

I hate that she’s mostly right. The only thing she’s got wrong is that, while I might be dangerous by association, I’m also the only person in this world who’s willing to die to keep her alive. She’s safer with me than she is without.

I debate throwing her over my shoulder, chucking her into the car, and driving away. Save her first, answer questions later. She can be mad at me all she wants. At least then she’ll be safe. The Royals could be here any?—

Pop!

From right outside the gas station, three people’s emotions enter my head.

22

ARELLA

Trey may be tryingto protect me, but I wouldn’t need his protection if I hid somewhere by myself, then got help from someone the Royals weren’t tracking.

I thought once Trey realized I was missing, he’d drive away to look for me, and then once the police got here, I could be safe with them. Not once did I think the cops were Royals too. Is the entire government system infested with bad guys?

Pop!

Trey’s eyes go wide. He grabs my hand and drags me back toward the supply closet I was just hiding in.

“Arella, I swear to fucking god if they get their hands on you again, I will lose any sanity I have left. So please just do what I say, get to the back of this closet, and don’t come out for any reason. Got it?” Without waiting for a response, Trey shoves me into the closet and shuts the door.

I’m drowned in darkness. The only light coming in is from the tiny crack under the door.

From the other side, Trey whispers, “Get under that desk and hide, or they’ll kill you too.”

Earlier, I got a glimpse of the inside of this tiny supply closet. It’s full of boxes, mops, and a vacuum. None of it looked organized, and there’s no way I can get to the back without making noise. Besides, I can’t see anything. So I stay exactly where I am.

It’s silent for a few seconds, then that bell above the door rings.

“You check the bathrooms,” a woman says off in the distance. “Bruce and I will go this way.”

“Yes, ma’am,” a man says.

Seconds later, the office door handle clicks.

“Locked,” a deep voice says. I picture the voice belonging to a seven-foot man with huge arm muscles and a thick chest.

The woman scoffs. “Seriously, Bruce? You’re a Porter. Since when has a locked door ever stopped you?”

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