Chase
Page 19
“Won’t they show up here?” Chase asks.
I expected Tien to answer, but it’s Dale who explains, “We thought about it a lot. We think this is the safest place for us. Anne isn’t really Tien’s aunt. She just looked after him when he was younger. Barely anyone knows they are still in touch. Even his mom hasn’t visited in years.”
Chase doesn’t look convinced, so he adds, “We thought about a few alternatives, but this is the best option. I guess at some point we’ll have to go over the wall. For now—”
“Go over the wall?” Zeke interrupts.
Dale raises his hands. “No matter how well we hide, they are after us, and they’ll find us at some point.”
I face Zeke. “You should go back, man. You have a family.”
Zeke laughs with contempt. “You mean my stupid little wife? I don’t give a fuck about her.” His face falls slightly. “And Sophie will be better off without a father who always fights with her mother . . . I’m staying. You’ll need all the help you can get, and I’m ready to get out of here.”
I want to challenge him, but I also want him by my side.
“You should both go back,” Chase says, getting up from her chair. “Tell them a story—anything. You’ll be safe. If you stay with us, you won’t have a chance of going home. I can’t ask you to do this for me.”
I look at Zeke, then at her. “This is about so much more than helping you now. This is about right and wrong. This is about everything.” Zeke nods along.
“What do you mean?” Tien asks.
“My father has kept a lot of secrets from me. I know there’s a lot wrong in this city. It might look perfect, but it definitely isn’t.” My eyes find Chase’s. “Plus, they took Willow.”
“I have to get her back,” Chase says in a weak voice.
“And we will,” Dale adds, guilt evident on his face.
Chase glances at him, then looks up at me. “Where do you think they took her?”
I wish I had a different answer. “I don’t know. But I am pretty sure she’s not at the labs where you were held. Susan would have mentioned it.”
“Well, that’s something,” Mira says gently. “At least she’s not going through . . .” She trails off and looks at Chase. “Whatever you went through.”
Chase doesn’t look relieved. I understand. It means we are one step further from finding Willow. One step further from getting her back. And yet, as Chase looks around the room, she doesn’t look sad.
“Thank you,” she says, looking at every single one of us in turn. “I know you are giving up a lot to be here, to help me—to help Willow—and it means the world.”
Tien grabs his glass of water and holds it up in the air. “To finding Willow.”
“To finding Willow,” we echo and raise our glasses.
I believe we will. I don’t know when. I don’t know how. But we will.
About the Author
Kate has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. As a child she could be found cooped up in armchairs, snuggled in beds, or propped inside doorframes reading books like The Little Prince and The Diary of a Young Girl—despite being a bit younger than its target audience.
During a summer vacation at her grandmother’s house, she wrote her first story about a cigarette going on an adventure to avoid death by fire. This morbidly fun tale was inspired by her grandmother’s chain-smoking habits.
Reading a poem at her best friend’s funeral as a teenager made her realize just how much power words hold.
With the help of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, as well as Bilbo, Frodo, Pippin, and the like, she wrote fantasy novels and short stories. One of her first finished books—and possibly the most embarrassing part of her writing career—was a sequel to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
It was years before she moved on to original work and even longer before any of it had much value. In 2015, she wrote this very book during NaNoWriMo—well, a very rough first draft. After a long four years, it is finally edited and ready for you to read.
Kate has quit social media for a slower and more enjoyable life. However, you can find her on Youtube or subscribe to her newsletter. She’s also always happy to answer emails or even old-school letters.
Constant Vigilance!
Youtube | Newsletter
stories@katebreuer.com
Books by Kate Breuer
The Willow Series
Chase
Rebel - coming August 2019
Hunter - coming December 2019
Standalone Works
Out of Hiding - coming October 2019
Children’s Books
You Can Do It, Squirrel!
Acknowledgments
It is amazing how I can write thousands of words in a sitting but writing something as small as acknowledgments defeats me. It’s not that I don’t deeply appreciate these people, but rather that I can’t find the words to express my gratitude.
Dennis, my husband, who has supported me even when it meant losing time with me while I was getting more words on the page. He has suffered through my frustrations and celebrated my victories with me. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it.
Kay, my dear friend and a lovely writer herself, has been a great sounding board and motivator through all the struggle. Thank you for being my friend through everything and anything.
Kayla and Dizzy, two people I met on Twitter before quitting social media, who have been great supporters. Thank you for letting me bounce all my crazy ideas off you.
Alex, my lovely beta reader and copy editor who suffered through all my typos, comma mistakes, and sentences that plain out made no sense. I couldn’t have done this without you. Looking forward to many more projects with you.
Allison, who suffered through the final proof edit of the book and spotted all those pesky little comma issues and typos. Thank you for your attention to detail and taking such good care of my manuscript.
Celin, the great cover artist who designed the cover for this book, as well as all my other books. I’m so glad to have found you. Thanks for understanding my very vague suggestions, corrections, and ideas. Your covers are magic.
Not to forget all those who have agreed to read this book before publication to get it to where it is now. My wonderful ARC readers made this possible. Thank you!
And lastly, thanks to you for buying this book. You can’t imagine how much that means to me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Contents
Newsletter
I. Wednesday
1. Chase
2. Nate
II. Thursday
3. Chase
4. Nate
III. Friday
5. Chase
6. Nate
7. Chase
IV. Saturday
8. Chase
9. Nate
V. Tuesday
10. Chase
11. Chase
12. Nate
VI. Wednesday
13. Chase
14. Nate
VII. Thursday
15. Chase
16. Chase
17. Nate
VIII. Friday
18. Nate
19. Chase
IX. Saturday
20. Chase
21. Nate
22. Chase
23. Nate
24. Chase
25. Nate
About the Author
Books by Kate Breuer
Acknowledgments
Copyright © 2019 by Kate Breuer
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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