Blindsided by Natalie Whipple Page B

his tongue. “Looks like someone was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be.”
    “You did this?” I say. Of course he did. A simple warning note isn’t syndicate style. There’s always a scare tactic involved.
    “You set her up!” Mom looks so angry I worry she’ll actually attack him. “That was way out of line.”
    “Was it?” The Phantom pops a Radiasure pill in his mouth, and I can feel the soldiers tense behind me. If Graham is right about Radiasure making it so he can take other people through walls, too, I don’t want to know what he’s planning for my mom. “If I were you, Lauren, I wouldn’t step foot on that military base—I told you this was your warning. I’m sure you know all the things I could do with your daughter instead of putting her in an Army cell.”
    Mom, despite her best efforts, shrinks at the threat. “Asshole.”
    The Phantom shrugs innocently. “I’m just a concerned, law-abiding citizen.”
    “Bullshit!” I yell, pissed that he’s forcing my mom to stay behind. How am I supposed to do this without her?
    “Hey,” one of the soldiers snaps at me. “No more talking.” They take me to the back of the truck, while Mom’s tears begin to fall. The Phantom’s laugh fills my ears, and I’d give anything to kick his skinny ass.
    The locks on the back of this vehicle are ridiculous—three huge bolts that each need a separate code. The door opens with a puff of air, like it’s pressurized inside. When I look into the dimly lit space, I’m surprised to find someone else already in there, hunched over and squinting at the sudden burst of light. One look at his size and blazing red hair, and I know who it is.
    Brady.
    Now I’m even angrier. It’s one thing for The Phantom to mess with me, but with my friends?
    “Fiona?” Brady says as the soldiers shove me inside with unnecessary force. They shut the door, and the locks wheeze as they’re reset.
    “I’m gonna kill that guy.” I kick the side of the truck, wishing it was The Phantom’s head. Somewhere in my mind I know my rage is disturbingly high, that my need for vengeance could easily get out of control. But I don’t care. “What’d they accuse you of?”
    Brady doesn’t look at me, seeming embarrassed. “Destroying private property.”
    “Ugh! That land isn’t private!” I sit across from him on the narrow bench. “This is ridiculous. They just want an excuse to leech more information, and The Phantom gave it to them.”
    This doesn’t seem to improve Brady’s mood. “You should have seen everyone, Fi. They were freaked out. Bea…she was on the verge of tears.”
    These words extinguish all my fight. “I’m sorry, Brady. It’s all my fault.”
    He shakes his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Don’t flatter yourself. You didn’t force us to do anything.”
    “Whatever.” I lean my head back on the wall, thinking. “We shouldn’t talk anymore. Who knows what they’ll try to use against us, and we don’t know who’s listening.”
    “True.”
    The ride doesn’t take long, and when they open the door I’m surprised to find we’re at the school, not their little base at the factory. Truth be told, I’m kind of bummed—I was hoping to at least get a peek at the dig site Seth described. Maybe that’s why we’re here instead.
    Since it’s a weekend, the school is abandoned save military personnel. Brady and I step out of the truck, and immediately five more soldiers surround us as if we’re thinking of fighting back. They take us to the office, where they’ve put up bars in the small copy room’s doorway.
    How they think this would hold any respectable criminal, I don’t know. Even I could get through drywall.
    After they take off our handcuffs and lock us in the cell, a soldier says, “The Major will be here soon.”
    “Super.” I settle in on the floor. The area has been stripped of the copier and shelves, with only a few blankets and a bucket for I-don’t-want-to-think-about-it