The Fortunates (Unfortunate #2) - Skyla Madi Page 0,87
crisp black suit, smiling wickedly at our tower even though we’re so far away. He knows we’re watching and he loves it. I can tolerate his smug smile for all of two seconds before my blood boils under my skin. Beside him, Elizabeth lingers, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she glances up at the ugly fence.
They deserve each other, vapid monsters.
“Get him in your line of sight,” I tell Fhil, the only moderator in the tower with a weapon good enough to reach Vince.
What did Kade call it? A sniper rifle. Yes, that’s it.
“As soon as those fences come down I want a bullet buried in his skull and you better not miss.”
Gulping, Fhil scratches the back of his head, burying his fingers into his bright red hair before resting his rifle against the stone windowsill. He crouches low and adjusts a few knobs on the barrel of his gun, right by his line of sight. He closes one eye and places his finger over the trigger.
“He’s lined up.”
I wait on pins and needles as the fences begin to wobble unsteadily, swaying with every blow of wind. As the moderators reach the bottom, the fences fall out, one by one, unfolding like rogue cards from a deck.
Without confirmation from me, Fhil takes the shot. I hold my breath as my world slows down. Excitement coils in my stomach and expands into my chest…only to evaporate as the bullet hits an invisible wall right in front of Vince’s face and is dissolved into nothing. I gasp.
John demands to know what I saw. Kade does too, but all I can do is stare, shocked, as Vince’s gaze locks with mine. He can’t see me, but our eyes are locked. He can feel it. So can I.
How?
With a smirk, Vince turns around and marches back into the town with Elizabeth in tow.
I don’t understand…
What just happened?
I lower the telescope. This war just got a whole lot harder.
Fhil stares at me, confused. He saw it too. It was the perfect shot. It should have killed Vince.
“They have some kind of force field…” Fhil says, lowering his gun. “I lined him up perfectly. It should have hit him between the eyes.”
“A force field?” John repeats, tugging at the collar of his white tee. “Damn.”
We turn to John as he searches his back pocket and pulls out a letter. It’s addressed to me.
“This came for you by bird early this morning.”
Kade and I frown at each other. Did he just say “by bird?” Who sends mail by bird? More importantly, how do you even send mail by bird?
“It’s from the city. They wish to have an audience with you.”
I hand the telescope to Kaden. “Me?”
It’s funny. With all of this plotting I never once took the city into consideration. Who are they? And what do they want? I thought they don’t concern themselves with matters outside of the city’s wall? I snatch the letter from John’s hands and open it up.
Anna Sario,
We wish to speak with you.
You’re at war…
And we can help.
Regards,
Those inside the city wall.
Those inside the city wall? It’s dilapidated. How many people are in there? They have to be Fortunates. If they weren’t, they would have intervened a long time ago. I don’t trust it. Not at all. I scrunch it up and throw it out the window.
“It could be fake,” I point out. “Like the one Vince typed up and sent to Kaden.”
John held out his hand, exposing two metal badges. “I’m afraid it’s not.”
“What are those?”
“You can’t get in without these. They came with your letter.”
I swallow hard as unease pins me in the stomach. “You’ve been inside the city…tell me what it’s like.”
Gasping, John breaks into a sweat. He tries to speak but he can’t. It’s as if something is stopping him. Swallowing, he points at his neck.
“He can’t tell you…” Kade states.
I step closer to John. “Is there something preventing you from telling us?”
Nodding, he points at his neck. What does it mean? Did they put a chip in him? I shudder at the thought. No way in hell am I going in there.
“Forget it.” I whirl on my heel. “I’m not going in there.”
Kade snags my wrist and tugs me against him. I whip my hands up to his chest and push off of him.
“They might be our only chance, Anna.”
“Might? You want to risk everything because they might help us?” I shake my head and shrug out of his grasp. “I said