Page 93 of Critical Mass
She was surrounded by people, yet she’d never felt more alone.
Finally, she typed:
I’ll try. But I’m staying at my father’s house. It might be difficult to get away.
He responded right away:
Please try. This is about more than just business rivalry. I think your father is in danger. And you might be too.
Natalie read the message three times, her pulse quickening with each pass.
I think your father is in danger.
Did Jonathan know about Sigma? About the investigation? About the chemical weapons?
Or was this something else entirely—some threat she didn’t know about yet?
She typed before she could second-guess herself.
I’ll be there. 2 p.m. Coffee shop on Granby Street.
Thank you. And Natalie? Come alone. Don’t tell your father. Don’t tell anyone.
The message made her stomach clench.Come alone. Don’t tell anyone.
Every instinct she had screamed that this was a bad idea. Meeting someone in secret when people were actively trying to kill her. Sneaking away from her father’s security. Not telling Hudson.
But what if Jonathan really did know something? What if he had information that could help her understand what was happening—or prove her father’s innocence?
She set the phone on the nightstand, her hands shaking slightly.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m. The coffee shop on Granby Street. Alone.
Natalie pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.
This could be a trap. Jonathan could be working with whoever was after her. Maybehewas the person after her.
Or it could be exactly what he said—he could be trying to warn her about danger.
She had no way to know.
Should she tell Hudson about Jonathan’s message? He’d want to know. Would probably insist on coming with her or sending backup or analyzing every word Jonathan had written for hidden meaning.
But Jonathan had said to come alone. Had specifically told her not to tell anyone.
And part of her—the part that was tired of being protected and managed and controlled—wanted to handle this herself. Wanted to make her own choices, take her own risks, find her own answers.
Even if those choices might get her killed.
Natalie glanced at Jonathan’s messages one more time.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m.
She’d go. Alone. She’d hear what he had to say.
And she’d decide then whether she’d made a terrible mistake.
Hudson’s phone buzzed again. Colton.
