My eyes scanned the handsome, picture-perfect couple and rested on their interlocked hands. I spied a small, black tattoo at the base of Seth’s wrist barely visible under his suit jacket sleeve. It looked like a barcode. Was it some kind of ID? Strange. Didn’t Kilpatrick say they were psychologists? Why would he have a barcode stamped on his arm?
Outside, we approached an air cruiser and my mouth dropped. Only the wealthy could afford the slick vehicles that soared above the crowded pedestrian-filled streets. I’d only ever been in one during my arrest when the cops threw me in the back of an NYPD squad flyer.
We were in view of the rec yard and the kids had gathered at the fence to witness my departure. Reed caught my eye and offered a solemn wave, his face long. I winked before climbing into the cruiser. It felt damn good to show off to the others. But something nagged at me. This was just too perfect. Good things didn’t happen to girls like me.
Inside the cruiser, the interior was plush, tan leather. I ran my palm along the smooth side panels and inhaled the scent of newness. Martha stared at me with narrowed eyes. She crossed her arms and tapped her fingers. I flushed. Had I pissed her off already?
But then she smiled and beckoned me to sit in the backseat and buckle in. “Get comfortable. We have a long ride ahead.”
Odd. I didn’t think Connecticut was that far from New York but what did I know about cruisers? As we lifted off into the sky, I peered down at the yard full of kids. “Good luck, Reed,” I mumbled as Woodlawn became a speck in the distance.
Five
We soared through low-lying clouds scattered across a monotonous, gray urban sprawl, then emerged above the billowy mist into clear blue skies. The flight was thrilling, like nothing I’d experienced before.
I leaned forward to Seth and Martha in their pilot seats. “How high are we flying?” I grinned.
They didn’t acknowledge me. I figured they didn’t hear me, so I repeated myself.
Martha turned slightly but said nothing. Why were they ignoring me?
I decided to shut up and not risk ruining my situation. Maybe they had reconsidered their decision to foster me after seeing younger, more presentable girls outside in the yard. They could still change course and drop me off at Woodlawn. Kilpatrick had said he’d make my life hell. I believed him. Seth raised his hand to his right ear and spoke into a comm. “Alpha-nine-nine, do you read?”
I gazed down. The clouds had cleared below us, and I glimpsed a vast body of water. What the…? As far as I knew, there wasn’t a giant lake or ocean between upstate New York and Connecticut.
I spoke up again. “Martha? Where in Connecticut are we going? What’s that water below us?”
She swiveled to face me, her lips set in a tight line. She didn’t seem so pretty anymore, and her voice sounded less kind. “We’re not going to Connecticut. Just keep your mouth shut, sit quietly, and we’ll arrive at our destination soon enough.” She shifted to the front.
My heart pounded, and I broke out in a cold sweat. Had they tricked me? Where the hell were we flying? I scanned the interior, searching for any clues as to what was happening. I spied several wide, metallic boxes fastened to the rear of the cabin. The words Frontier Medical Laboratory were emblazoned across them. Facing the front, I studied Martha and Seth in the cockpit. Hidden from view by shadows, two black rifles rested by their knees.
I felt bile rising in my throat. This was no peaceful couple looking to adopt. I was in trouble. The tattoo on Seth’s wrist should have rung an alarm. Joanie had warned me not only to stay away from the police, but to watch out for mercenaries who were far worse. Hired guns, they were usually former cops or military, who did rich people’s dirty work. She’d said they’d even abducted kids she’d known from the streets.
What do they want with kids? I had asked her.
Human trafficking, child labor. There are monsters out there, Ida. You have to be careful. Trust no one.
Shit. Had Kilpatrick sold me off? Paid someone to clean up a problem kid in his center? I should have struggled and thrown a fit in his office. But they would have taken someone else. Someone like Reed who couldn’t defend himself at all.
I studied the door, eyeing the handle. I didn’t know the altitude. If I jumped, could I survive the impact with the water below? Slowly, I unfastened my seatbelt and guided it into its cradle without a sound. My pulse quickened. I would jump. If I died, so be it. At least I wouldn’t be sold into slavery.
My fingers nestled around the door lever, poised. I stole a glance at Seth and Martha who seemed unaware. Then I rammed my shoulder hard into the door, gritting my teeth at the aching in my ribcage. I yanked on the handle and braced myself. It didn't budge.
Locked.
Martha craned her neck and looked at me in irritation, then reached down to her feet. My stomach dropped. They had trapped me inside. I needed a weapon. I slid out of my seat and onto my knees.
She sat up with a small case and fumbled with something on her lap.
I crawled to the rear cabin, searching under the seats, checking the walls for anything I could use to defend myself. An object rolled underneath my fingers. I grabbed it—a screwdriver.
Just as I turned, Martha loomed above me, pointing a gun. I wrapped a fist around the screwdriver and jammed it into her foot.
She shrieked. “You little bitch!” Then she pointed at me and fired. A feeling like a hot knife tore through my shoulder. I looked down at an enormous dart sticking out of me.
The cabin spun out of control, and I hit the floor. I blacked out.
