Page 111 of The Wicked

“Thirty-two.”

“Somebody needs to let Garrett in,” I whispered. “Gracie, what’s five times three?”

My math game was rusty, but I carried on for what seemed like forever, the rest of the room and the people fading away so it was just the two of us. Gracie let me take her hand, and her breathing gradually returned to normal. Thenhewas beside me. I felt Garrett before I saw him, that change of energy, and although he was careful not to touch me, my skin prickled with goosebumps.

“Gracie, I’m here. Hey, what’s sixty-seven times nineteen?”

She managed a teary smile. “I’m not a calculator.”

“But you’re better at math than me.” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“Me too, me too. Do you want something to drink?”

“A glass of water?”

“I’ll get it.” Aaron slipped out of the room.

“Can you remember what worried you? Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Her face crumpled, and Garrett wrapped her up in a hug until the tears stopped. If Congressman Mandell had been in the room at that moment, I would have taken a blowtorch to his balls and enjoyed every second of it.

“There was a video,” I whispered. “We’ll show you later.”

“I need to get her back to the hotel. Can I call you tomorrow?”

“Okay.”

That night, I lay awake, turning over the latest horrors in my mind. The revelations.Compass.I knew now why my parents had died, and it was all so…so pointless. Mom had been trapped between a rock and a hard place, between Compass and Congressman Mandell, and it hadn’t even been her fault. And as for Mike Colvin… What a snake. Sure, he might not have cheated on his wife or accepted bribes or raped a helpless young woman, but he’d turned the other cheek to the abuse and exploited the situation instead of trying to fix it. No wonder Mom had wanted to leave politics.

A car drove past on the road outside, and I tensed. Harless was still out there. But the engine faded away in the distance, the building remained silent, and I relaxed again. Thought of my own mistakes.

Because I’d messed up too. By bringing Gracie to help in the search at The Lookout, I’d invited consequences I hadn’t foreseen. I’d hurt her, and it wasn’t lost on me how mad I’d been at Garrett for doing the same thing to me. We’d both done what we thought was right.

We’d both been wrong.

37

SARA

“How’s Gracie?” I asked Garrett.

Thursday morning, and he’d arrived at the old car dealership bearing pastries I didn’t deserve and coffee I couldn’t stomach. His sister wasn’t with him.

“She’s doing better.”

“Is she mad at me for putting her in that situation?”

“She’s mad at Mandell. She mentioned something about a flamethrower.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for everything. For stirring up her pain, for bringing both of you into my mess, for shutting you out these past few days. I was scared—no, terrified—after everything that happened, and losing control of my secrets and the circumstances meant I couldn’t think rationally.”

He opened his arms and I stepped into them, borrowing a little of his strength as I tried not to cry.

“Can you forgive me?” I asked. “Can Gracie?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. Gracie’s resting, but she asked me to give you a hug. As for me, I love you, and that isn’t going to change. You’re mine, Saralisa, and I’ll destroy any man who tries to harm you. Can you forgive me?”

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