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Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for the novels of Mia Sheridan
  3. About the Author
  4. NOTE TO READERS
  5. Dedication
  6. prologue
  7. chapter one
  8. chapter two
  9. chapter three
  10. chapter four
  11. chapter five
  12. chapter six
  13. chapter seven
  14. chapter eight
  15. chapter nine
  16. chapter ten
  17. chapter eleven
  18. chapter twelve
  19. chapter thirteen
  20. chapter fourteen
  21. chapter fifteen
  22. chapter sixteen
  23. chapter seventeen
  24. chapter eighteen
  25. chapter nineteen
  26. chapter twenty
  27. chapter twenty-one
  28. chapter twenty-two
  29. chapter twenty-three
  30. chapter twenty-four
  31. chapter twenty-five
  32. chapter twenty-six
  33. chapter twenty-seven
  34. chapter twenty-eight
  35. chapter twenty-nine
  36. chapter thirty
  37. chapter thirty-one
  38. chapter thirty-two
  39. chapter thirty-three
  40. chapter thirty-four
  41. chapter thirty-five
  42. chapter thirty-six
  43. chapter thirty-seven
  44. chapter thirty-eight
  45. chapter thirty-nine
  46. chapter forty
  47. chapter forty-one
  48. chapter forty-two
  49. chapter forty-three
  50. chapter forty-four
  51. chapter forty-five
  52. chapter forty-six
  53. chapter forty-seven
  54. chapter forty-eight
  55. epilogue
  56. acknowledgments

With trembling fingers, I tied the end of the sheet to the leg of a massive wardrobe next to the window, my heart rapping against my breastbone. I sat down on the ledge, took a deep breath, and then swung my legs over. Then I turned onto my stomach, the ledge digging into my ribs as I grabbed hold of the sheet and lowered my body. For a moment I simply dangled over empty air, gritting my teeth so I wouldn’t scream. Please hold, please hold. I went lower, my arms burning as I slowly descended.

And then the sheet gave, coming off the wardrobe above as I bit my tongue and went plummeting the rest of the way to the ground.

I hit hard, landing in a crouch with a staggered breath, and then doing a quick assessment of my limbs. Nothing broken. You’re okay. I got up and then I ran around the side of the house and plastered myself against the brick. I exhaled in relief. I was okay. I was free.

From the room at least.

And I only had limited time to warn others—to let them know what was going on so they could…what? Escape? There was no escape. The only choices were to hide…or fight back.

I turned, running through the backyard, toward the property next door, where Layne and Freddie were. I ducked among the trees and headed toward my friends to warn them that our castle on the hill was being stormed.

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chapter forty-five

Tuck

The journey from the San Fernando Valley back to the border Emily had crossed with Leon and Layne took far longer than I’d hoped. There was really no traveling by car anymore—there were too many barricades to cover any ground. But I wasn’t surprised that so many more had popped up in a few days’ time—those who’d found a small plot of safety with even a few resources had staked their claim and erected whatever walls they were able.

By the time I’d made it to the spot where I’d said goodbye to Emily, the moon was high in the sky and, though I had plenty of food, I was running low on water. I took the tiniest of sips from my canteen, returned it to my backpack and then rounded the bend where the concrete barriers sat, a lone man patrolling, a rifle strapped to his broad chest.

As I moved closer, the burly man noticed me, standing straight, his fingers inching toward his weapon. I raised my hands and approached. “Stay back,” he said, removing his gun, but holding it by his side rather than pointing it at me. He looked weary, his face slightly gaunt even if his muscles were still impressive.