Page 131 of Dare To Take

Kitten: Everything is out of control. Someone is going to get hurt. I’m trapped on a runaway train, and there’s no way to get off.

Kitten: I want to run. I want to run so bad, but I don’t know what will happen if I do. I’m stuck. Churchill Bradley Academy is Hell, and I’m paying for crimes that are not mine.

My stomach churns, my eyesight blurs, and I rub a hand across my face. The pain in her texts is clear. The panic and despair. The fucking anguish.

The cell drops from my hand, and I bow my head, breathing deeply as I fight to contain the guilt flaying my soul.

“I’m going to fucking kill them.” The sound of my own voice startles me. “I need to see her.”

Kellan’s hand on my arm stops me. “Not now. She says they’re watching her. You need to get her somewhere they have no eyes.”

“Where?”

“The tomb.”

“How do I get her there?” My head is pounding. I can barely think straight.

“Eli, concentrate. You have a means of contact right in front of you. Those texts prove that she has the phone. Send her a message.”

“A message … right.” I scoop the cell back up and stare blankly down at it. “What do I say?”

“Fuck’s sake. Give it to me.” Kellan snatches the phone out of my hands and types rapidly, then hands it back to me.

Me: I’m sorry, Kitten. Meet me at the bench. Usual time. Tomorrow night.

Chapter 80

Arabella

Curled up on the spare bed under a blanket, I stare at the TV fixed on the wall, but I’m not seeing the images of the movie playing on the screen. My thoughts are turned inward. I disposed of the rabbit in a plastic bag and stripped my bed down. After what happened, I’m not sure I can sleep on that mattress again. The whole thing has left me on edge.

If I got the locks changed, would it make any difference? What reason would I give to the school staff for why I want it done?

My attention snaps to the door and the chair I have wedged up against it. It’s not enough to keep someone out, but it’ll give me enough of a warning if they try.

And what do I do if they get in?

The taser Miles bought me is missing from my drawer. Whoever has been in my room went through my stuff. A shudder rolls through me at the thought of faceless strangers touching my things.

Not faceless. They’re here in the school, but I just don’t know who they are.

The chime of a message shatters my thoughts, and the noise locks up my throat.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t move.

A tremor rolls through my body, then another and another. Tears spring to my eyes.

Not tonight. Please God, don’t let them make me do something tonight.

My hand shakes as I reach for my phone. When I look at the screen, there’s no text waiting for me. I scrub at my damp cheeks with my free hand.

Am I going crazy? Was it in my head?

The sound has invaded my nightmares enough times over the last few weeks that just the ping triggers my anxiety.

A memory scratches at the back of my skull, and my messy thoughts have a hard time pinning it down. It takes me a few minutes to remember that I have two cells.

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