Cate finished cleaning the wound as Kayla sat on the floor of the cistern, back against the wall and tucked into the sleeping bag, staring at the bricks ten feet away, eyes glazed.

The girl was in shock—part medical, part psychological.

She needed TLC, not a dose of angst from someone dealing with claustrophobia-induced brain freeze.

Fighting back another wave of panic, Cate gave herself a pep talk as she wound gauze around the girl’s arm and secured the end with tape.

The walls may feel as if they’re closing in on you, but they aren’t. The cistern is as large as the bedroom in your apartment, and you never got claustrophobic there. This entombment is temporary. You’ll find a way out, or someone will rescue you. Your irrational fear is nothing but a mind game, and you’re in control of your mind. You have to be strong for Kayla’s sake, if not—

“I don’t understand anything that happened tonight.”

As Kayla whispered the words, Cate draped the sleeping bag around the girl’s bandaged arm, tried to regulate her breathing so she didn’t hyperventilate, and debated how much to tell her.

She’d already been disillusioned by someone she trusted. Someone who wasn’t what he’d pretended to be.

How would she react to the news that her new friend had also deceived her?

But the truth would come out eventually. Why delay the inevitable?

Cate rummaged around in one of the plastic bags and pulled out a bottle of water. Twisted off the top. Held it out to Kayla—but she was shaking so hard, the water sloshed out the top.

Kayla jerked away from the splashing liquid . . . regarded the quivering bottle . . .and drew a shuddering breath as the glassiness in her irises began to fade. “This is really s-scary, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” She eased the water into Kayla’s hand. “Take this before I spill the whole bottle.”

The girl wrapped her fingers around the plastic. “You want to share the sleeping bag? You’re shivering.”

“No.” Cate fumbled around in another bag and pulled out a blanket. “I’ll wrap up in this.” She draped it around herself and sat next to Kayla, back propped against the wall, heart pounding as she pulled her legs into a tuck and squeezed them close to her chest.

“Hey—what’s wrong . . . beyond the obvious?” Kayla swigged the water and focused on her, fully alert now.

Cate clenched her hands until her nails dug into her palms. Her claustrophobia was a secret no one but her family was privy to.

Other than Zeke, who’d found out the hard way.

Who knew a ride in a crowded, glassed-in elevator would trigger a full-blown panic attack?