Page 107 of The Tomorrows After You
“Don’t go anywhere,” he smirked at me and I wanted to hit him. But then I’d be cuffed in a cell for sure.
Iputmy head down on the table,staringat my shoes, andpulledmy phone out, desperate for a message from my brother but therewasnothing. Ihitmy head against the desk twice.
“Psst.”
Spinning around, a new wave of relief hit me. Brennan was at a window behind me.
Iunlockedthe window andslidit open, my heart eager for some kind of news.
“Let’s go,” Brennan tilted his head in the opposite direction.
“What? I can’t leave now. They’ll think I’m running because I’m guilty.”
Brennanblinkedat me.“I can’t operate the tablet and drive at the same time. Now, if theyhadtakenmy recommendation under advisement to install a fulloperatingsystem in the dashboard—”
“Brennan! What about a tablet?”
He grinned that spooky, vintage-dummy, grin. “I found her last location.”
I heard the sirens before we were even out of the town center.Fuck,I was definitely going back to prison now. But I didn’t care. Gunning the gas, Brennan tossed me a tablet that had some kind of map on it that I didn’t recognize.
“What is this?”
“It’sground-penetratingradar that tracks the changes in thermal dynamics.”Ishookmy head, not understanding.“It’s a heat map, Riot.”
The carswerved, and Iclutchedthe door.“Say, Brennan, did you ever get your license?”
“Nope. But I’ve watched you.” At that moment he jerked the steering wheel, and I almost went flying into the back of the cab.
“Why am I not driving?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. We would never find Nicolette if we were dead in a car wreck.
“Because you need to jump out of the car when I tell you to and go find our friend.”
I tilted my head back and forth, considering. “Okay, what am I looking at?” I asked, turning my attention to the tablet.
“It’s the coal mine. Her last locationwasmarkedoff a cell tower between the airfield and the Valley. Shehadaskedme to help her look at the mines a few weeks ago. Ifiguredshewentto investigate it herself but I can’t find any trace of an active mobile ID.”
“What is this picture from?” I studied it. It had topography outlines, but it was mostly black with splotches of yellow and one circle of burnt orange. “A satellite?”
“It’s a drone.”
I paused and caught his gaze. He looked guilty. “I hacked into the airfield next door and launched one of the drones that identify thermal disparities.” I frowned at him disapprovingly. “If I couldn’t find her location with the mobile ID, then the only way to find out if she was in the mines was thermal detection, okay? So, don’t yell at me.”
Istaredincredulously at him but I didn’thavetime to scold him. At that moment, Iwantedto kiss him.
“And?” I prodded.
Hetappeda finger on theburntorange blob in the center of the screen.
“That’s her? Does that mean she’s in there? And alive?” The hope I heard in my voice was heartbreaking.
“It’ssomebody…” Brennan hesitated, slamming on the brakes and taking a left turn down the road that went to the Valley. He looked shifty, and I stared at him hard. “It registers a thermal signature, but… Riot, it’s weak. Okay? We don’t have a lot of time. Whoever it is… their body temperature? It’s getting colder.”
Utter panic gripped my heart.
“Shit… Katie.” My eyes darted around, searching my memory. “She said the elevator entrance to the mine collapsed this weekend.” My heart shattered into a million pieces. “Brennan, she’s been down there for almostfour days.”
The sudden jolt of the carpulledme out of my brooding. A police carappearedin front of us and wecareeneddown an embankment.
