Page 91 of Make Them Cry

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And later that afternoon, just when I think I’ve made it through the day without losing my grip entirely, my phone buzzes.

I expect it to be Gage. Or maybe Juno checking in.

It’s not.

MASON: We need to talk. Please.

I stare at the message.

Cold dread trickles down my spine like a spider. My fingers shake.

I don’t answer.

I open our old text thread. The last thing he sent before this was a TikTok of a donkey with the caption:Miss your crazy ass.That was a year ago. I never replied.

My eyes drift to the message again.

MASON: We need to talk. Please.

Why now?

My gaze flicks to the side where Gage is still typing, unaware. But he senses me looking. Always does. His eyes lift. Concern darkens them immediately.

I press my phone to my chest and take a deep breath.

Mason’s text could mean a hundred things.

But somehow, I already know it’s bad.

THIRTY

GAGE

The second I see River’s face after her phone buzzes, I know something’s wrong. Her brows pinch, her mouth opens just slightly, and then she turns the screen toward me. I walk over to her desk, reading the message.

MASON: We need to talk. Please.

Every cell in my body tightens like I’ve been electrocuted. My jaw clenches so hard it cracks. “He texted you?” My voice is low and dangerous. I have to work to keep it from coming out like a growl.

She nods slowly, still staring at the message like it might change if she blinks hard enough. “Why now?”

Good fucking question.

I pull out my phone and type into the secure thread.

Gage: Mason texted River. Wants to meet.

Arrow: Damn. What do you wanna do?

Knight: It could be nothing… or it could be Cathedral fishing.

Juno: Set up the op?

I look back at River. She’s biting her lip now. “You okay?”

“No,” she says. “But I want to do it. I want to meet him.”

That sets my blood on fire. “You sure?”

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