Page 11 of Unbroken

“It was you,” I said, and she shrugged.

“It’s easy to spoof phone numbers nowadays. You got a text, and so did Hazel. But that’s beside the point now.”

Valerie whispered something to the man who was still standing guard. He chuckled, and she turned back to me. “I actually want to clarify something,” she said, strolling back and forth in front of where I stood like she was window shopping or going on a walk through a park. “Iwon’t be the one ultimately killing you. The satisfaction I would get would come from watching you lose everyone you care about. Then, I’d pass youoff to someone who is much more sadistic and cruel than I am. His methods are a little more…psychological. He really likes to toy with people in any way he can. He likes to break people down. But then again.” She stopped and snapped her eyes to me. “You’re already a little broken, Blakely, aren’t you?”

SIX

Blakely

Before she left,Valerie showed me a video of Shelly from that morning. Whoever was recording was hidden in the hallway while Shelly stood in her bathroom, fixing her makeup in the mirror. It was hard to hear, but it was also hard to miss the sound of my voice.

Shelly laughed at something I said, and the video cut off a second later. There was no doubt it was from that morning.

Valerie and her friend left me in the alley with the threat that they would be watching. I couldn’t contain it any longer, and I finally gave in to the tears.

Closing my eyes, I fought the terror that was eagerly waiting on the edges of my mind and considered my options. There weren’t many, and most of my decisions would have to be made in the moment, because I couldn’t begin to contemplate what Valerie would do next, but I could do it. Ihadto do it.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but I was positive it had been longer than half an hour, and Hazel was likely already inside.

I retrieved my bag, covered in dust and debris, from where ithad fallen when the man shoved me to the ground. I dusted it off the best I could, but I wasn’t concerned about how dirty it was or how disheveled I looked.

Walking down the alley, I braced myself as I rounded the corner. The wind that preceded the storm sitting on the horizon whipped around me, and the street was nearly empty. In less than ten steps, I was standing at the front door of the restaurant.

The door was heavy, and it took more force than I expected to pull it open. A gust of heat blew through the door, and I didn’t realize how cold I was until I was inside.

“Hi, there. Just one?” the hostess asked. I glanced at her, poised behind her hostess stand to my left, and the smile she wore faltered. “Oh, umm…are you okay?”

I nodded. “Just meeting someone,” I murmured quickly, not waiting to head toward the back of the restaurant.

I couldn’t even begin to describe the restaurant—I wasn’t paying attention to the trivial details like the lighting or decor. I rounded a short half-wall that separated the entrance from the dining room and weaved between tables of patrons. Everyone was eating, talking, and enjoying their meals, and they were all completely unaware.

Just like Hazel.

I stopped several feet short of the table, which was partially hidden by another short wall that divided the dining room even further.

Her head was bowed, brown, almost auburn hair brushing the table in front of her as she read the menu. She tucked it behind her ear as she idly chewed her thumbnail. Beneath the table, her crossed legs bounced nervously.

She was wearing a white knit dress with brown boots. And it took me a second to notice the bow neatly tied in the back of her hair.

All I wanted to do was grab her and sprint in the opposite direction. If I called the cops the moment I had Hazel, I was sure we’d be able to get to Shelly in enough time.

But that was the thing, I wasn’t sure. And that was a very dangerous bet to make with someone known to make good on their threats. Still standing awkwardly among the tables, Hazel hadn’t spotted me when my phone vibrated in my jacket pocket.

My first instinct was to ignore it, but it vibrated again and again.

Angrily, I yanked it out and stared down at the screen. I blinked a few times before I truly saw the photos that came in one after the other.

Amanda was wearing the blue dress I’d helped her choose that morning. Reed was jogging on a treadmill like he did every Saturday afternoon, and James was right next to him. Josh was turning on the “open” sign at Murphy’s. Luke was walking into his vet clinic.

Devon was grocery shopping with his sister. His smile broke my heart.

And below all of these photos were five words:

Do it, or they die.

Nothing after that felt like real life. I walked forward and slid into the seat across from Hazel. Even after everything that happened, she greeted me with a smile. But it didn’t last long.

She began to say something, but there wasn’t any time. From a back hallway, I saw the man who’d grabbed me turn the corner. Valerie was hot on his heels.

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