“Even if Amy was unhappy, what makes you think it was because of her father?” I asked, sitting next to him and resisting the urge to glance at Jason. We had made her unhappy, too—Jason because he hadn’t loved her enough and me because I had missed the signs that he cared about me too much.
“I don’t—not for sure,” said Trey, “but something in that house scared her. There were times when I would drop her off and it was like she had to force herself to get out of the car. Once, she called me in the middle of the night from a strip mall. She had left the house without her jacket or purse. In January. She called me from a pay phone, begging me to come pick her up. A few weeks later, she started talking about running away, saying we should just take off together, but wouldn’t tell me why.”
This time, my gaze did dart to Jason. No matter his feelings for me, Amy had been his girlfriend. Hearing that she had asked Trey to run away with her had to hurt, but his face gave nothing away. Instead, it slid into something cold and hard, as if he’d been carved from stone.
“It doesn’t make sense.” Kyle ran a hand through his hair. “If something was wrong, why didn’t she say anything? Even if she didn’t want to tell Mac or Jason, she could have talked to me.”
Could she have? I tried to put myself in Amy’s shoes. “What if whatever was going on was too awful to tell anyone? What if she was scared of getting her family—her dad—in trouble?” The weight I had been carrying since last night grew sharply. “I need to find out what she was scared of. I need to know if it had anything to do with Thornhill.”
“And if you’re right and there’s a connection between CBP and the camp? If it turns out that’s why Amy was scared? What then?” Jason’s voice was the lash of a whip. I flinched, but he continued. “You think Amy would want this? If CutterBrown really was behind what happened at the sanatorium and Amy’s father was involved . . .” He shook his head. “Amy was your best friend and her family was never anything but good to you. Finding proof would destroy them.”
“And might stop what happened to Serena from happening to anyone else,” I countered. “And maybe give us some leverage in case those men come after her again.” I stared at him, willing him to understand. “What happened at Thornhill is bigger than me or you or even Amy. If there’s even a chance we can find out what really happened . . . if there’s a chance we can find proof . . .”
“You saw what they did to Serena in the detention block. How can you think Amy’s dad could be a part of that?” Jason waited for me to say something. When I didn’t, he cursed under his breath and strode from the room.
I rose and started after him, but Kyle stopped me as I reached the door. “I’ll go.”
“But—”
He cut me off. “Even before he and Amy started dating, Jason practically grew up at the Walshes’. Ryan Walsh was more of a father to him than his own ever was.”
“I care about Amy’s family, too.” I didn’t want this; I hadn’t asked for this.
“I know.” Kyle pressed a quick kiss to my temple and then he, too, was gone.
“How much did you hear?” asked Trey, handing Serena a half-empty bottle of water.
“Pretty much all of it,” she admitted.
She had been awake when Trey, Eve, and I had gotten back to the pastor’s office. I had no idea where Kyle and Jason had gone—the grounds or the burned-out manse, maybe. I wanted to go after them, but I was holding myself back. I had a feeling my presence would just upset Jason more than he already was.
Serena touched my hand as I sat next to her on the battered sofa. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “Jason will get over it.” Her eyes were bloodshot and the hand that touched mine shook a little, but she seemed otherwise okay. Last night’s fever had finally broken. “So what now?” she asked, her gaze going to her brother. “We’re staying, right?”
Trey’s eyes darkened. “Ree . . .”
“You guys need to get to the pack,” I said. “Hemlock isn’t safe. The men who attacked your house are still out there and the rally is tomorrow night.” To say nothing of the National Guard trucks I had seen rolling into town.
“While you stay here and investigate CBP?” Serena shook her head. “No way. Besides, Jason and Kyle are staying.”
I wasn’t actually sure that was true. Jason was furious with me, and I hadn’t had a chance to speak with Kyle privately. Even though I knew the effort would be futile, even though I didn’t really want to do this alone, I had to at least try convincing him to leave town. It wasn’t safe here. For any of the wolves.
Trey glowered at his sister. “Harper and Sheffield aren’t the ones who had a squad of mercenaries show up on their doorstep.”
Serena opened her mouth to argue, but I cut her off. “Trey’s right. The best thing for you to do right now is to go back to the pack with Eve.”
“And what makes you think I’m going back?” asked Eve from her perch on the windowsill. Sunlight filtered through the glass behind her, throwing fiery highlights over her red hair.
I stared at her dumbly. “A: Hank told you to, and B: You didn’t know Amy or her family. Why would you want to stay?”
“You’re joking, right?” She pushed herself off the sill and landed lightly on the balls of her feet. “This isn’t just about your friend. Finding proof of the detention block would be huge. Game-changer huge. It might be enough to make people really start questioning the existence of the camps.”
Trey snorted. “What makes you think anyone who isn’t infected will give a damn about what happened at Thornhill? People already know the other camps are horrible, and they’re still open for business.”
“People have heard rumors,” corrected Eve, the colors in her gray-green eyes swirling like fog. “And what went on in Thornhill was way beyond overcrowding and food shortages. It was torture.” Her gaze slid to Serena. “They were recording the tests. Imagine if those videos got out. Videos of teenagers strapped to tables while guards break their bones? Most people don’t have the stomach for that—not even when it comes to werewolves.”
“Eve . . .” I shot a nervous glance at Serena. Her hands were clasped on her lap and she was staring down at her fingers. Eve’s example hadn’t been random; it was one of the things they had done to Serena, one of the things she couldn’t remember.