Her dad still doesn’t get it. No one’s in charge, there’re no adults, and you have to figure out how to survive using just what you have.

“Everyone here is about my age,” Miranda says as she looks around the room. Javier’s biting his lip. Grace is trembling. Amina’s fingering the edge of her scarf, her mouth turned down at the corners. Cole’s face looks like it’s chiseled out of stone. “We tried to leave through the service corridor, but there was shooting back there, too. We pulled down the metal shutter at the front of the store, but I guess that won’t really stop bullets, so we’re hiding in the storeroom.”

“That’s a good idea,” he says. “A very good idea.” For a second, the compliment makes Miranda forget where she is. Between his business trips and the new baby twins, it’s been at least a month since she’s talked to him. “You need to keep as much space as you can between you and the bad guys.” His voice is muffled as he speaks to someone else, but then he comes back to her. “Culpeppers. What stores is that next to? They’re still working on getting blueprints.”

She tries to remember. “I think we’re between LA Nails and a Gymboree. On the other side of the food court from Nordstrom.”

“Do you know how many shooters there are? The guy I’ve been talking with is trying to verify that information.”

“They were firing down into the food court.” She has to swallow before she can keep talking. “Maybe four or five?”

“Okay. I’ll pass that along. They’re holding at least two dozen hostages. They’ve locked the exits, and they’ve got hostages lined up against the glass doors.”

Is that where Parker is? “When I saw the bike locks on the doors, I got out of there right away.”

“That’s my girl. You thought on your feet. In your text, you said someone was bleeding?”

“Yeah. One guy here was shot in the leg.” She exchanges a look with Javier. “But I think we got it stopped.”

“Okay.” His voice thickens. “Miranda, I am so proud of you. Keep doing what you need to do to survive, okay?” His voice fades to a whisper. “And put yourself first. You take care of Miranda, and let the others watch after themselves.”

Glad she hadn’t risked putting him on speakerphone, Miranda says only, “Okay.”

“There’s something you need to know. I’m hearing they’re going to send in a SWAT team soon to take out the shooters. Do you know what a flash bang is?”

“Some kind of grenade?”