Page 91 of Property of Bones

“Yeah,” I add with a sugary-sweet smile at Tank before looking away. “Brothers.Stay out here and keep yoursistersafe.”

I don’t look back. I don’t need to.

I canfeelTank’s glare boring a hole into the back of my head.

“You’re trouble,” Abby laughs under her breath as we walk down the hallway. “And I love you for it,” she adds, squeezing my hand.

“What is it the bikers say?” I grin. “I’m your ride-or-die, right?”

She laughs, a real one this time…bright and warm like the sun breaking through storm clouds.

“Yeah,” she says, eyes misty but glowing. “You really are.”

“Damn straight,” I wink. “Now let’s go talk to the lady with the degree so we can prove you’re already smarter than half the people walking around with no trauma and too much confidence.”

The therapist leads us into the room with a warm smile and a clipboard in hand.

It’s… nicer than I expected.

Not sterile or cold like most offices. It’s bright. Calm. A large window wall opens out onto a private patio, where sunlight spills over desert plants and a view of the Palm Springs landscape stretches all the way to the mountains.

“Wow,” I breathe, stepping closer to the glass. “Okay, so it’s not a rainforest or anything, but dang. That’s beautiful.”

“Right?” Abby murmurs beside me. “Hard to believe a place this peaceful is used for trauma counseling.”

I nod, eyes still on the horizon. “Maybe that’s the point.”

The therapist gestures toward a cushy couch and a couple of chairs. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll just grab a few forms from my desk and we’ll get started.”

We’re barely seated when the patio door behind us slides open with a whisper.

I turn, expecting a staff member.

Instead, A man in black steps through the open door, smooth and silent. Before I can even react, he lunges forward and plunges a needle into the therapist’s neck.

She gasps, a soft, terrible sound, then crumples to the floor.

“Abby” I shout, turning to grab her hand.

Too late.

Another intruder is already on her, jamming a needle into her neck before she can even scream. Her eyes go wide. She tries to fight, but her limbs go loose and heavy.

“No!” I scream, leaping at the man trying to drag Abby from the room.

A third man grabs me from behind, arms like steel. I twist, kick, elbow…but I feel the prick at my neck and the world begins to tilt.

Everything blurs.

Abby’s face.

The therapist’s body.

The sunlight glinting off the patio door.

And then…

Darkness.

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