Page 87 of The Executioners Three
“Enough,” Divya snapped. With shocking strength for someone so small, she grabbed Freddie by the collar and hauled her to her feet. Then Divya dragged Freddie into the hall.
“You need to take a chill pill. What thehell,Freddie?”
Freddie’s nostrils flared. She knew her best friend was right. She knew she was pushing too hard.Just like Mulder. Just like your dad.Laina had been through some serious stuff, and yeah. She needed some relief.
But Laina was also the only person who might be able to fill in some of these gaps in Freddie’s brain—and there were alotof gaps. A lot of dots that needed connecting. A lot of truths still out there to be found.
Before Freddie could apologize, though, and explain why she’d pushed Laina so hard, a familiar refrain split the air. Freddie rifled out Sabrina and found a local number lighting up the screen.
“Hello?” she answered while Divya continued glaring.
“Is Theo Porter available?”
“Uh…” Freddie’s brows drew tight. “May I ask who’s calling?”
“This is Joseph. I’m a nurse at the hospital. I was told to call this number when his grandmother woke up.”
“Oh.” Freddie’s brows relaxed. Theo must’ve given the nursehernumber, since he no longer had a phone. And wow, that was some serious follow-through on his favor. She really owed him for that.
“Can you pass on the message to Mr. Porter?” Joseph asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be sure to let him know.”
“Great. Thank you—”
“Wait,” Freddie cut in. “Is she allowed to see anyone? Mrs. Ferris, I mean. Can she have visitors?”
“Yes,” the nurse answered. Then with a prim goodbye, he hung up.
“Who was that?” Divya asked while Freddie pocketed Sabrina. Her earlier anger was gone, replaced by frowning curiosity.
“It was the hospital.” Freddie’s mind was already racing ahead. “Mrs. Ferris woke up, and I have a lot of questions for her.”
Divya’s lips pressed into a line. “Why? What do you think she’ll tell you?”
“I don’t know. I just think she might know something about…” Freddie waved vaguely. “Everything going on. Plus,I’mthe reason she got hurt—”
“Actually, you’re the reason she got rescued.”
“—so I want to make sure she’s okay.”
After ducking into Divya’s room to grab Xena and offer Laina a soft “See you later,” Freddie met Divya back in the hall. She hooked her arm in Divya’s and towed her toward the stairs. “Listen,” she whispered. “Don’t let Laina out of your sight.”
Divya bit her lip. “I mean, she has to leavesometime,Fred.”
“Does she?” Freddie pulled Divya down the stairs. “Because I don’t think she should be alone right now. Like at all. Try to find a way to keep her here. Maybe an impromptu slumber party or something.”
Now Divya was really chewing her lip. “Freddie,” she said quietly, “tell me straight: Is Laina in danger?”
Freddie’s mouth opened. Then clamped back shut. She couldn’t lie to her BFF. She felt rotten enough for not confessing to the second kiss with Theo; she refused to keep any more secrets. Like Divya had said,We tell each other everything.
So even if Freddie had more questions than answers, she knew what her gut was telling her. “Yeah, Div,” she said when they reached the foyer. “I think Laina might be in danger. I don’t really know why yet… but my gut is telling me we should be afraid. Hey, though,” she added at Divya’s paling face, “I’ll call you soon, okay? If you keep Laina here, then everything will be alright.”
20
Freddie found the hospital’s waiting area exactly as it had been the day before, minus Theo’s restless energy to fill it. Amazing how empty it felt without him there.
No.Freddie’s face puckered up as she crossed the beige tiles.Do not think about him. You’re notallowedto think about him. Now or ever again.She had messed up on the bike ride with Divya; she refused to make that same secret-keeping mistake again.
