Page 141 of Boys Who Hunt

I fish my phone from my pocket while driving and call Mrs. Schwartz’s number three times, but she doesn’t pick up.

“Goddammit!” I yell across the street, ignoring everyone who looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, racing around like this in a tiny yellow dress, but I don’t care.

I stuff my phone back, so I can focus on biking as quickly as possible. Adrenaline drives me forward while sweat now cakes my entire skin as the heat rushes through my body, but I keep going. I refuse to give up. Not now. Not ever. I will fight tooth and nail until my last dying breath because that’s what I should’ve done to begin with.

I will fucking make it.

I’m coming for you, Cora.

I race through the streets, my lungs nearly collapsing from the amount of oxygen they have to process, but when I finally reach my area, my eyes light up. There’s no one here. Maybe I made it in time.

But the closer I get to my building, the more I’m feeling anxious. Weird. Like someone followed me here.

Still, I jump off my bike, park it in the usual spot, and turn around.

Only to be pummeled in the chest.

I’m knocked to the ground, headfirst. I groan, sucking in a sharp breath, but my lungs sting. Suddenly, someone crawls on top of me as two hands snake around my throat, squeezing tightly.

I can’t breathe.

What’s happening?

“You thought you could escape?”

In front of me is a black mask … with an emblem of Bones.

My eyes widen.

Oh God.

I fight back underneath the man, slamming my fist into his face, but it doesn’t even seem to faze him.

“You think that’ll stop us?” His fingers slowly unravel from my neck.

“Us?” I choke out, coughing.

More of those masked men come out of all the nooks and crannies in this street, even one from behind the building I live in.

“We know where you’ve been hiding, Ivy.”

My pupils dilate.

I kick around, thrashing, hitting everything in my path, but some other fucker holds down my feet while another drags me away from underneath the guy.

“Tie her up and take her to the van.”

“NO!” I yell. “Let go of me!”

I fish my knife from my pocket and slash at them as hard as I can, cutting through one of their arms. One of them howls in pain, but the knife is knocked from my hand with ease.

“Fuck, she cut me!”

WHACK!

A hard slap to the face makes my head spin.

“You’re a spicy one, aren’t you?” The guy laughs as he chokes me out. “This dress is far too fancy to spoil with blood. Maybe I’lltake you to the boss in a few hours instead of right away. Have some fun with you while you beg for your life.”