Chapter 14 - The Choice
Amina was in Virginia, thousands of miles away. Torres called her immediately. No answer.
The next call went to Amina's hospital. She'd clocked out thirty minutes earlier, then vanished from the parking lot.
My hands shook, but I made myself breathe. Panic wouldn't help her.
A video arrived from an encrypted account. Amina sat in a chair with a bruise at her temple. She looked straight at the camera.
"Don't give them the files, Harper," she said. "You promised you'd get us home. Keep the promise."
The screen went dark. Kessler's voice followed: "Trade the drive for the girl. Pier Seventeen. One hour."
Vale argued for an organized response. Torres said they'd go, but the drive would not leave government custody. Ben started building a decoy with a tracking beacon. Everyone had a job.
I checked the clasp on my borrowed jacket and found a loose thread. At the gala, I'd thought a torn shirt was the worst thing my sister could do to me. Now Amina was missing, and all I wanted was the chance to put her safely in a room with the people who loved her. Pride had become a very small problem.
I went outside to breathe in the cold air.
Chloe followed. She stood beside me without touching.
"I'm scared," she admitted.
"Me too."
"You always act like you're not."
"That's because I'm good at acting."
She let out a shaky laugh. Then her voice cracked. "I wanted you to be the loser, Harper. If you were the loser, I could pretend I was the good daughter."
I looked at her. "You hurt me because you wanted applause."
"I know."
"And you don't get to fix that with one apology."
"I know that too."
For once, she didn't ask me to make her feel better.
We reached the parking lot just as Torres hurried toward us.
"Grant escaped the surveillance team," she said. "We think he knows about the exchange."
My phone buzzed again. A new image showed Amina with a newspaper laid on her lap. Its headline carried today's date.
Behind her, through a dirty window, I could see the roofline of a building I knew.
May you like
"She's not in Virginia anymore," I said. "She's in San Diego."
THE SCARS THE ADMIRAL REMEMBERED
