Cage of Glass (Cage of Glass Trilogy Book 1)

by Genevieve Crownson

  I frowned, crossing my arms. I’m sure he loved the so-called inconvenience. The sick bastard.

  Dad cleared his throat, his body rigid. I wasn’t used to seeing Dad so rattled. He was really nervous about this. “What kind of glitch?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing to concern yourself with, sir,” Agent Morrow spouted, standing as erect as a toy soldier. “Simply allow me to examine your equipment and I’ll be on my way.”

  My pulse roared in my ears. Why did he care about the phones? Mine still lay in the drawer where I’d left it since Zander confirmed my worst fear about the tracking devices imbedded inside. I didn’t dare throw it away; they would realize I was on to them immediately. But perhaps the lack of movement triggered warning bells back at their headquarters. I swore under my breath. I should have moved it around once in a while.

  I’d been such an idiot.

  “Luna. Luna. Earth to Luna?” Dad said waving his hand in front of me.

  “Oh. Uh. Sorry, Dad. What did you say?”

  “Can you get the agent my phone? It’s on my desk.”

  “Bring your own phone as well, Miss Redwood,” Morrow interjected, his tone tight. The lines in his face pinched as his ferrety eyes regarded me.

  I nodded and hustled out of the den. I grabbed Dad’s from his office, then took the stairs, two at a time, racing to my room. I yanked free the dresser drawer and pulled out my phone. I turned it over, and with shaking hands, examined it carefully to ensure nothing looked out of place. I had, after all, busted it open only days before.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it appeared completely untouched. I had done an excellent job of putting it back together.

  Dread filled me as I slowly headed downstairs. Just thinking about handing them over gave me the willies. Thoughts scrambled in my mind, each one more terrifying than the last. What if somehow, he perceived I’d tampered with it? What would he do? Before I entered the living room, I steeled myself for the worst and plastered on a fake smile.

  “Here you are,” I said breezily entering the room.

  Agent Morrow was already seated in the corner. The soft lamplight illuminated his dour profile as he examined Mom’s phone, which must have been nearby.

  He quickly put it to one side when he saw me, and met me in the middle of the room, snatching the phones from my grasp. “Thank you, Luna, perhaps next time you could be a bit more prompt.”

  Hearing him use my first name set my teeth on edge. His tone made it clear—this was personal. He had a big grievance against me.

  Agent Morrow took a precursory glance at both devices, before returning to his spot in the corner, a smug smile plastered on his face. He pulled a small square tool from his bag, its gold surface glittered in the light, and I noticed it had inner wiring looped inside, like netting. He attached it to the outside of Dad’s phone with a loud snap and I gave an involuntary jerk. With that accomplished, he grabbed his tablet and hit a few buttons. The cell lit up like a Christmas tree. The little gadget whirred and hummed for a few more minutes before coming to rest quietly in the officer’s hand.

  Satisfied, he made a note in his tablet and picked up my hot pink, candy-striped covered phone. This was P8 Luna’s ghastly sense of style. Could it be any more cliché? I sneered inwardly, unsure why I was so mad. After all, hadn’t I been the one to ruin previous Luna’s perfect life? I wondered if some version of me had really experienced this reality before. I shook my head; no point in dwelling on questions I had no way of getting answers for. I focused my concentration on the agent. What the devil did the pesky man want?

  Morrow lingered over my phone. He slowly ran his forefinger up and down, as if searching for something. This continued on for a good minute before he finally slipped off its case and attached the golden tool. He hit some buttons again on his tablet. But this time nothing happened.

  No light. No buzzing. Only interminable silence.

  His eyes lit up with excitement and he shifted to grab another gadget from his pocket. But this one was smaller, the shape of a metal pen with a digital blue screen. I watched closely as he inserted it into the phone. The screen lit up with words, but I was too far away to read what it said. He quickly yanked the unit out, his expression stony. I wanted to scream. What did it mean?

  He tried the device on my parent’s units. No message.

  I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. But I kept my face neutral. He would never have the satisfaction of knowing the fear that threatened to overwhelm me.

  I swallowed nervously as Agent Morrow rose, pocketed his machine and collected up the phones.

  He dangled my phone between his fingertips and turned to us, his nasty eyes fixated on me. “Would anyone care to explain why this device has been tampered with?”

  For a second, a deadly hush fell on the room. I stood frozen, not daring to breathe. Had I damaged it? Zander never mentioned what to do in a situation like this.

  I struggled to come up with a plan, fortunately, Dad stepped forward and addressed the agent. “It’s my fault, sir. Luna dropped her phone, and I tried to fix it for her. She needed it for school.”

  “If that is the case, Mr. Redwood, you violated federal code seventy-eight for failing to notify us of a malfunctioning mobile.”

  Dad shuffled his feet. “No, well, uh… you see… technically, it wasn’t broken, she just dropped it. And instead of troubling you all with it, I patched it up a bit.”

  “I’m sorry Mr. Redwood, but that type of reasoning simply doesn’t hold up. You are directed to report any and all phone problems to the authorities. I will have to take you in for further questioning.”

  I leapt in front of Dad. There was no way he was going down for this. This was my fight.

  “No, you can’t!” I exclaimed shrilly. “Listen to me, Agent. It’s not his fau—”

  Mom gripped my arm so hard I thought it would break. “What Luna is trying to say, is… isn’t there some other way?”

  Agent Morrow frowned. “No. I’m afraid not.” He turned away dismissively and packed up his things, including our phones.

  What an ass.

  I yanked my arm from Mom’s grip and raced after Morrow as he escorted Dad from the room.

  “You mind your mother, Luna Bell,” Dad said, locking pleading eyes on me. “I’ll get this all settled and be back before you know it. I promise.” He bent to give me a peck on the cheek, and then looked at Mom, who had come up behind me.

  “I’ll return soon, sweetheart,” Dad promised. “Take care of each other, I love you.” He blew Mom a kiss as Agent Morrow pushed him out the door.

  I gripped the windowsill so tightly I thought it might break. “Where are they taking him?” I asked sniffling.

  “Probably to the government facility for questioning.”

  I cleared my throat, swallowing back the tears. I had done this. This was all my fault. “What’s going to happen to him?” The question hung heavy in the air between us, and Mom took a beat to reply.

  She walked over to the window, hand covering her mouth, watching the red taillights fade into the distance. “I don’t know, Luna. But it can’t be good,” she whispered as she stared out at the receding car.

  Every piece of me wanted to chase that vehicle down and bring Dad home. But I knew it was useless to try.

  Oh God. What was I going to do?

  Chapter 23

  Twenty-four hours later, Dad still hadn’t returned. Neither had the phones the agent had taken. I feared Dad wouldn’t be able to contact us. But then again, this hardly seemed the kind of place to show leniency and allow him to call. I paced the floor like a caged lion. Mom had kept me in lockdown all day, worried I would make some valiant attempt to save Dad.

  She wasn’t wrong.

  I’d remained semi-calm, despite my urges to kick down the door and go talk to Zander. He told me not to contact him until he had solutions, but right now he was the only one that might have some clue what happened to Dad.

  As the sun
began to set in the west, Mom finally let her guard down and stopped watching me like a hawk. Together, we made fried chicken and green beans for dinner, which I forced myself to eat so she wouldn’t get suspicious. Normally, I would give my right hand for such a meal, but guilt gnawed at my stomach and it took everything in me to clean my plate. After we’d eaten, we retired to the living room.

  Mom sat down with some sewing and I opened my history book, pretending to study. The clock on the mantel ticked loudly. I found myself counting the beats to pass the seconds and calm my jangled nerves. By the time I reached one hundred, the sun had long set, and the stress of everything had taken its toll on Mom. I watched as her eyelids drooped and she nodded off, her hands falling limply in her lap.

  I waited another five minutes or so to make sure she was well and truly asleep before tiptoeing out of the room, grabbing my jacket and shoes on the way. With a gentle tug, I opened the door. Once out, I pulled on my sneakers and took off at full speed, racing toward the library, praying it was still open.

  When I reached the now-familiar spot, I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. When I looked up again, Zander was already outside, locking the front entrance.

  Just in case he was being watched, I crouched behind the bushes and waited for him to reach the sidewalk. As soon as he was within range, I jumped up and grabbed his arm, pulling him back behind the tall shrubbery with me.

  “What the hell!”

  “Shhh…it’s me,” I whispered against his ear. We were alarmingly close, I felt the pounding of his heart against me and I shifted uncomfortably, not liking my physical response to his nearness. Now was not the time to be thinking about Zander that way. I stepped back to allow myself some space, grateful for the darkness that hid my reddened cheeks.

  “Zander, they took my dad,” I hissed, desperately trying to regroup. Only his silhouette, reflected against the moonlight, remained visible so I couldn’t gauge his reaction in the dark shadows.

  “When?” he breathed, his voice laced with concern.

  “Last night. This is the first chance I’ve had to get away and tell you. Mom’s had me under lock and key. I know you said not to see each other for a while, but I wasn’t sure what else—”

  Zander placed a finger to my lips and shook his head.

  “Do you have your phone?” I whispered, alarmed.

  “No. But you shouldn’t be here. They’re probably following you, wondering what you’re up to. If they took your dad, I’d bet good money you’re under surveillance.”

  The low timbre of his voice ran so deep I could barely hear his words. I closed my eyes and leaned in, breathing in the heady fragrance of cinnamon and books. I wanted to forget the nightmare of my father’s arrest.

  “Luna?”

  I started, eyes flashing open. “Sorry. I was just thinking,” I lied. “It’s a little late to be worried about us meeting since I’m already here. Might as well make this worthwhile, right?” When he didn’t answer I forged on. “Do you suppose we can get him out?”

  Zander seemed to be fighting some kind of inner war, but suddenly seemed to make a last minute decision. He grabbed me by the shoulders. “Tell me everything that happened from the beginning, leave nothing out.”

  I relayed to him what had taken place in the last twenty-four hours, including sneaking out of the house.

  Zander slumped, dropping his hands. “It’s worse than I realized. So, they took your phones for tampering offenses?”

  I nodded. “That’s what it seemed like.”

  “I hate to say it, Luna, but there is no way to get your dad out without being caught. Tampering with phones is a criminal offense around here.”

  I flashed my eyes angrily at him. “But it wasn’t Dad’s fault. He was covering for me. We need to do something.”

  “The best thing you can do for him is to go home and wait. The less trouble you cause, the better it is for him. I just hope you weren’t followed tonight. You will be useless to the man if you end up in custody, too.”

  When he saw my dismay, he wrapped an arm around me. “We have to believe everything is going to be okay. I’m glad you care about him so much. Even after knowing the truth.”

  I shrugged. “Yeah well, he’s been good to me. And I owe him, considering it’s my—”

  Zander suddenly shushed me, his gaze sweeping up and down the street. The sound of laughter echoed in the night air.

  He took a deep breath. “You better go, Luna. The longer we hide here, the more dangerous it is. These bushes aren’t exactly Fort Knox.”

  I stuck up my nose. “This was the best I could do under short notice.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I just want you to be safe.” He tucked a wayward strand of my hair behind my ear and offered me a small, sad smile. “I wish things were different, and I could walk you home, but it’s too risky. We need to keep your father out of as much danger as possible.”

  I nodded. I knew he was right. I shivered and wrapped my coat tighter around myself. “Okay. But promise me the minute there’s a breakthrough you’ll let me know. I don’t have my phone anymore though.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll find a means to contact you. Now go.”

  I turned away, unable to say goodbye, concerned this would be the last time I would see him. And my heart did a funny little lurch at the prospect.

  I pushed all that aside and made my way back home. I walked at a normal pace, not wanting to draw any attention to myself. Though in hindsight that was probably what I should’ve done in the first place. Still, I was comforted by the fact I would have missed Zander if I hadn’t run. He’d already been locking up when I arrived, and I had no idea where he even lived.

  Head down, I slowly took the steps up to my front porch, but I stopped suddenly stifling a scream, as a shadowy figure loomed in the doorway.

  My heart froze.

  They’d found me.

  Chapter 24

  My brain screamed at me to run. My chest heaved as I tried to gasp in air. I couldn’t move.

  Dared not.

  What if Mom was inside, hurt? I couldn’t just leave her there, despite my body's immediate need to plunge into survival mode.

  The face still hidden in shadow meant I needed to get closer. But before I could move, whoever it was pushed off the doorframe. Heading straight for me.

  “Luna? Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick. I woke up, and you weren’t there.”

  I put a hand over my heart. “Oh my God. Mom. You scared me. I thought you were an agent or something.”

  “Get in the house before someone sees you,” Mom said, pulling me inside.

  “No one saw me. I was careful. I just needed some air,” I replied indignantly as she shut the door abruptly behind us.

  She whirled on me. “What were you doing, wandering around at night?” She looked at her watch in dismay. “And this close to curfew? You know you’re not allowed out on the street past ten.”

  I frowned. Was it really that late? Having to keep track of time was as annoying as hell. Why did this place have so many rules? All I wanted to do was save Dad, a man who had been kind to me. Did I have to hit a wall at every turn?

  Mom must have seen the frustration on my face because instead of yelling at me again she said, “Come on then, let’s discuss this over a nice cup of warm milk. I expect we both need to unwind before bed.”

  Not knowing what else to do, I trailed her into the kitchen. I watched as she bustled around, putting the pot on the stove, poured the milk, and placed a sprinkling of cinnamon into the swirling white liquid. The sweet fragrance of the spice filled the air, as she continued to stir, and I relaxed a little following her movements. She placed the hot drink into two big mugs and set them down on the table, before seating herself opposite me.

  I wrapped my hands around the warm cup and gazed at the creamy froth, doing anything to avoid facing the woman I called mother. I knew what I would find there. Fear. Disappointment. Worry. All th
e things I had no idea how to handle—as my previous Mom hadn’t given a flip about me.

  We sat quietly, just sipping our drinks and listening to the ticking of the clock. Every click of the second hand sounded like torture to my ears. For a brief instant, I wondered what happened to Dad. Had they hurt him? Did they find out anything by taking my phone? The questions tumbled about my mind in a frenzied confusion.

  I’d been so lost in thought, I started when Mom pushed back her chair and rose from the table.

  “There’s nothing that can’t wait until the morning, Luna. Let’s get some sleep.”

  I sighed, about to get up myself, when she suddenly turned from the sink to face me.

  “I would rather not sleep alone tonight.” Unshed tears filled her eyes as she silently pleaded with me. I quickly stood and pulled her into a hug.

  “I’ll stay with you, Mom. Remember, you are never alone.”

  Mom patted my hand, lips trembling. “You’re such a good girl.”

  My chest tightened. If only she knew what I was planning.

  I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, trying to get my bearings.

  She’s not your real mother Luna, get a grip, I chastened myself.

  Mom moved to the door and turned out the light, and together we headed upstairs to bed. As I lay down next to Mom, I realized how much I had missed having another warm body sleeping beside me. My entire life I’d shared a mattress on the floor with my siblings. Sure, they may have kicked me now and again, but it seemed strange without them here. Especially Trinity. I allowed myself the luxury of my memories—the warmth of her body against mine as she slept, listening to her breath go in and out in a perfect rhythm, and the soft brush of her hair on my cheek. I let the words of the lullaby I used to sing to Trinity before she went to sleep wash over me. It was short, and something I’d never admit to writing to anyone. But here in the darkness, I allowed myself this one concession, every syllable soothing my tattered soul. The government could not read my mind, here lay a safe space all my own. They could never take that from me. I would make sure of that.