Miranda is still trying to figure things out. “That guy who took her—he’s a real security guard. For the mall, not one of the stores.” She’s walked past him a dozen times, always acutely aware of whatever shoplifted items she had hidden on her person. And all those other times, he’s seen her, too, although he’s never looked at her with suspicion. But today, when his gaze met hers over the top of Amina’s head, his eyes were … dead.

Javier nods. “I know him too. His name’s Skinner. Ron Skinner. He doesn’t like me too much. He doesn’t like anyone with brown skin.”

They absorb this—and what it might mean for dark-skinned Amina—in silence.

“He must be one of them,” Grace finally whispers. “One of the killers. He probably knows this place better than anyone. He probably has keys to all the doors.” They all look at the door and then back at each other.

Cole closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose before opening them again. “So what now? Should we go out into the mall and try to find another exit? Or should we stay put?”

“But what about Amina?” Miranda protests. She keeps replaying the moment in her head when Amina looked at her and she turned and ran.

“You’re right.” Cole points at her, nodding in agreement. “That guy knew her. They’ll figure out where we are. We have to leave.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Miranda can’t change how she just turned tail, but maybe it’s not too late to do something. “Amina saved all our lives by letting us into her store. She even fed us. We can’t just leave her with them.”

“Miranda’s right.” Grace straightens her hunched shoulders. “We have to help her.”

Javier nods. “I agree.”

“And just how are we supposed to do that?” Cole gestures toward the front of the store. “Maybe you don’t remember, but a bunch of cops just got blown up trying to get in here. And they had guns and everything. We’ve got nothing but a pair of scissors and a sock filled with quarters.”

“But it’s like you said about Amina.” Grace stabs a finger at him. A few minutes ago, she was sobbing in his arms. Now she looks like she wants to punch him. “The killers can’t risk shooting at us, or the cops will force their way in.”

“You really want to risk all our lives on my guess?” Cole shakes his head.

“But unlike the cops, we don’t need to get inside the mall,” Miranda points out. “We’re already here. And since we ran from that guy who took Amina, they probably think we’ll just keep on running. But coming back to get her? It’d be the last thing they’d expect.”

“Only a crazy person would go back,” Cole says.