Page 105 of When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out 1)

“I thought you didn’t ask twice,” I say.

Roth’s smile is barely there. He stands, takes a final drink from his mug and says, “I hate to see wasted potential.”

I sit in June’s for a long time after Roth leaves, thinking about what he shared. Who exactly did he want to bring back from Spirit if not his father? Roth had hinted at his weakness tonight, and I want to learn more about it before he discovers mine.

As I stand to leave, Jacobi enters June’s and I know something’s wrong.

“Shy, you’re going to want to see this,” Jacobi shoves his phone in my face, the Roundtable app is open. Anora’s staring back at me. She’s furious, her jaw set in a tight line. There’s a caption at the bottom of the photos that reads: Queen’s Ransom is on, come and get your princess, Savior.

“No.”

So many thoughts pass through my head at once, at the forefront—can Anora contain her anger and keep the thread in check?

“Can you track her phone?”

“Already on it,” he takes his phone back, his fingers fly over the small keyboard. “It’s at the cemetery.”

“Call Nat. We’re going to need help.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE – ANORA & THE BEGINNING OF THE END

I recovered from the fall through the dead person pretty quick, but not fast enough because when I come to, I’m in the backseat of a stranger’s car. There are two boys in the front seat and one sitting beside me. He holds a bloodied, balled up shirt to his nose. When he sees I’m awake, he scoots away, leaning against the door. I reach into my pocket for my phone so I can call someone—anyone—the police, Shy, my mom, but it’s not there.

“Where’s my phone?” I ask curtly.

“Glad you’re awake, princess.” The boy in the driver’s seat, who I recognize as Jeremy, looks at me through his rearview mirror.

“I asked you a question.”

“We left it behind in the cemetery. Don’t worry—we have a picture of the gravestone where you can find it after this is over.”

; “Where am I?”

“Well we can’t exactly answer you. That would take all the fun out of it.”

“You think this is fun?” I spit the words like venom.

“Well, yeah. Nacoma Knight might have cancelled Queen’s Ransom, but as far as we’re concerned it’s still on.”

“I’m not a willing participant in your pissing contest, which means you’ve kidnapped me.”

The boy in the passenger seat looks at Jeremy, and I can tell he’s worried. “Man, I don’t want to go to jail.”

“No one’s going to jail!” Jeremy says, and then glares at me in the mirror. “Don’t be fucking dramatic. We’ve already notified Savior. He’ll be along to rescue you soon and it’ll all be over.”

Jeremy takes a sharp turn onto a gravel road, driving like he’s trying to lose someone. After a couple miles, he turns off the dirt road and cuts through a space in the trees, coming to a hard stop. He exits the car, leaving the engine running, and walks around the front. As he does the boy sitting beside me and the one sitting in the passenger seat turn and look at me.

The door opens and Jeremy offers a mock bow. “We’ve arrived, princess.”

I really, really want to send my thread right though his eye, but I keep my fist clenched and exit the car cautiously. There’s another truck in the clearing. A boy stands in the headlights. He has black hair past his shoulders and skin like tanned leather. He’s pretty and statuesque. I recognize him from the memorial. He’s Jake Harjo.

And he’s staring at me like he recognizes me. I wonder if he was paying more attention at the memorial than I thought.

“Jake,” Jeremy says as he approaches. The two exchange a broshake. “This is Anora. You gotta watch her. She’s already broken Devon’s nose. He wants to go home.”

“Then we have something in common.” I say curtly.