Page 147 of Coerced

“Already found City of the Future!” I heard Mira in the background. “It’s an abandoned architecture slash amusement park in the western part of Pennsylvania. Brought up an old tourist map of it, too.”

“Look it up on a current map. What’s around it?” Gigi asked her.

“I’m on it.”

“Should we plan the next step?” Rome asked. “Or wait to see where our research leads us?”

“I dunno.” I shook my head, frustrated. “I just wanna get my hands around Reginald Hubler’s throat. I can’t think past that right now.”

“Well, we can’t touch Hubler.” Rome sighed. “He’s got more security around him than the POTUS. We’ll have to learn the identities of the other Alchemists and go through them.”

Potus?

“We only need one to spill his guts,” John said, “and, Kerry, I don’t mean that literally.”

“You always take all the fun out of it,” I grumbled, forgetting about potus.

“Found it on a satellite map,” Mira interrupted. “Seems pretty isolated. Surrounded by wilderness and farm fields. I can see some old buildings and an overgrown parking lot. I’ll look up the history of it.”

“Boots, what’s the closest city with an airport?” My brain finally started working. “We’ll catch a flight outta Newark and you can meet us there.”

“Gimme a sec.”

As I waited, I looked out the window. My entire field of vision was a sheet of white snow and I had a weird time-space moment. My body felt like I was moving, but my eyes said I wasn’t.

It was just like my life right now. My mind said I was getting closer by the minute, but my heart didn’t agree.

They’d had her for five days now. By the time we landed back in the States, it’d be six.

What’s happening to her? Are they hurting her?

My hands balled up into fists, and the casing on the phone began to crack. I forced myself to relax my grip.

“Pittsburgh,” Mira called out.

“Then we’ll see you in Pittsburgh.”

39. Already Halfway

Rome

As Mira sped along the interstate and John napped in the backseat, I examined the print-outs I’d made of the maps she’d found online.

“Probably several guards where the service road intersects with the entrances,” I muttered.

“On the river, too.” She kept her eyes on the road. “Wasn’t there a bridge to the south? Close to the highway?”

“Yes. And I know what you’re thinking. It’ll be guarded, too.”

“And if any of the roofs on those old buildings are solid enough, they’ll have one high up, too.”

“Yes.” I tapped on a square building toward the right side of the park. “I think this could be where the guards stay or where they keep the prisoners. Seems in the best shape and large enough. But whichever building it is, there’ll be guards either inside or outside or both.”

More than two hours later, we hit the Pennsylvania-New York border and Mira had come up with a plan I didn’t really like, but could live with.

There were two entrances off a side road that went directly into the architectural park. One was the main drive into a large parking area, both of which were overgrown, and the other appeared to be a service road that was still in use. At least, there were worn dirt tracks that indicated someone regularly used it for something.

She wanted to get out at the service entrance with Kerry. There would be more guards there, but also more cover. I’d drive her car about a mile on and leave it and John hidden in the forest to the south of the estate. From there, Travis, Gigi, and I would cross the overgrown parking lot and enter through the main gate.

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