Without waiting for him, Rachel walked out of the living room into the foyer.

“Rachel,” he said, trotting after her. “Hold up. Let me at least walk you out.”

“Why, so we can both get vaporized?” she murmured with a fatalistic laugh. “No thanks, I’ll see myself out.”

He tried to think of something to say but couldn’t find the words.

She paused at the threshold. “You know, it’s funny . . . sometimes I can’t help but be a little jealous of her.”

“Jealous of who?” he said, totally confused.

“Sarah Beth, of course.” She gave a tight-lipped smile. “I wish somebody had found me when I was her age and asked me to attend St. George’s . . . because if they had, maybe none of this would have ever happened.”

The comment hit him like a jab to the nose, rendering him mute.

“Good night, Jed,” she said with a wan smile and stepped out into the night.

“Be safe, Rachel,” he called after her but too late.

He didn’t shut the front door until she was inside her car and driving away. He walked to the kitchen, his brain still parsing the words of her parting comment as he poured himself a glass of water.

“I wish somebody had found me when I was her age and asked me to attend St. George’s . . .”

“Why would Rachel have been recruited for St. George’s?” he murmured.

He felt his heart skip a beat at the possibility.

Unless . . . all along she’s had the gift of second sight just like Sarah Beth.

Feeling suddenly light-headed, he had to brace himself against the counter.

If it’s true, how could I have been so blind?

If it’s true, it changes everything.

CHAPTER
TEN

MIDTOWN HILLS POLICE PRECINCT

METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT

TWELFTH AVENUE SOUTH

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

2009 HOURS LOCAL

Nashville police detective Maria Perez paced back and forth in the small break room, staring at her mobile. Not only was Jed not answering his phone—she’d called him three times today—but he hadn’t answered any of her flirtatious texts either. Did she dare try again? She was already treading into controlling girlfriend territory way too early in their budding relationship.

And now he was ghosting her.

She wanted to scream.

Frown on her face, she absently massaged the scar on her abdomen, left behind from the bullet she had taken for the team, as she replayed the timeline of events in her mind. The last time she’d seen Jed, he’d explained over coffee that he was about to begin a training evolution that would put him “out of pocket” for three weeks. It was unclear to her whether he was giving the training or receiving it, but regardless the module should have ended by now. They’d agreed to touch base and reconnect after, but that hadn’t happened. She could see he’d read her texts, but he’d still not responded to any of them or returned her calls, all of which had gone straight to voice mail.