“I don’t know what co—”

He pulls a hand back and slaps her in the face with so much force that she is thrown back and hits the ground with a loud crack. She blinks and opens her eyes to see the world swirl and distort, as if falling down a drain and into a dream.

“Hey!” the guard shouts. “Take it outside!”

The man grabs her arms and yanks her back to her feet and flush against his chest. She winces, turning her head to the side so his hot breath brushes over her cheek.

“It’s pointless trying to fight. If I don’t get it out of you, the next one will. You can’t keep the code a secret forever.”

Her brain tumbles as she tries to figure out the meaning of his words. At her silence, his lips peel back to reveal crooked, off-white teeth.

“Tell me, you stupid bi—”

All at once, his grip on her is removed and Lynell steps back, too stunned to run again. Her arm throbs and she coughs, blinking at the sight of Price tackling the man to the ground. Several more bystanders have gotten their phones out, and Lynell looks at them without truly seeing anyone. The two men grapple on the floor and Lynell’s breaths are coming faster and faster until she begins to feel lightheaded. A group of Elysian Regulators runs over, one knocking into her. She doesn’t fight it as she falls to the floor, everything going black.

The bed is soft, holding her gently like a concerned lover. Her limbs are heavy and too comfortable to even think about moving them. There’s still a dull pain in the back of her head, but she almost doesn’t notice it amongst the flurry of thoughts.

She opens her eyes and instantly closes them again against the light.

“You’re awake,” someone says.

Lynell moans and blinks again. The light assaults her eyes like tiny arrows until her vision can adjust. She sits up, looking at Price, who’s sitting on a bed a foot away. He’s watching her with more concern than she expected.

“You okay?”

Lynell lifts her hand and rubs her forehead. She stretches her head from side to side until her neck gives a small crack. There’s an ice pack next to her on the bed and she frowns at it, looking back to Price.

“What the—”

“Why did you run away?” Price interrupts.

She blinks and looks at him again. He shakes his head, stands up, and starts pacing. “You’re more of an idiot than I expected. He could have broken your arm. You’re lucky you got out of that with just a black eye and a few bruises. Maybe a small concussion.”

Lynell’s lips part like she wants to argue or ask questions, but words don’t form. She must be in shock.

“I was going to take you back to Dallas and now we have to stay at this shitty motel for another night. If you would’ve just stayed with me then that lumbering idiot never would’ve gotten close to you. Shit, Lynell! Couldn’t you just . . . listen to me?”