Sara Shepard - Deadly

Emily’s stomach jumped just looking at him. She couldn’t believe they were doing this. Then again, everything was a bit unbelievable these days, including what she’d almost done on the bridge. She was so thankful that her friends had come to her rescue, and she felt much calmer. But the teetering danger of the situation resonated with her. What if Ali fell for it? Could they really capture her? What if they actually got her?

What if they didn’t?

“He seems nervous,” Hanna whispered, brushing against one of the bushes. The shrubs were a bit thorny, but they wanted to be close to Noel if he needed them— if Ali actually showed up.

“I would be, too, if I was going to come face-to-face with the person who left me for dead,” Spencer mumbled. Aria shuddered. Emily squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?”

Aria shrugged. She’d been quiet this whole time, and Emily had noticed that she and Noel had shot each other a few shy glances. But then, after each look, Aria seemed to pull away sharply, as if ashamed.

Aria peered at the others. “So let’s run through the plan one more time. In a few seconds, we all spread out. When Ali shows up, Noel will give the signal that it’s her. Then we ambush.”

“Aria and I pile on her, then drag her to the car,” Emily added.

“Hanna and I are on the lookout for Helper A,” Spencer said. “And Noel’s in charge of calling 911.”

“If Helper A does show up, we bolt,” Aria said.

“But not before we get a picture of Ali with our phones,” Emily recited. “Proof that she’s alive has got to help us.”

“And if they catch one of us, we immediately call the police,” Spencer said.

Emily looked at Noel again, her heart thumping. She hated the idea of Ali or her helper hurting one of them. Still, it was a possibility. They had to consider every angle.

The bank clock ticked to 9:00 PM on the dot, and the girls took their places. Emily’s nostrils twitched with the smell of fresh mulch and some sort of fertilizer. She scanned the area, but no one appeared at the library entrance. Mall traffic whizzed past them. An eastbound SEPTA train clacked on the tracks. Noel shifted on the bench and checked his phone. The minutes crawled by. The bank clock clicked to 9:05, then 9:06. Dread blossomed in Aria’s stomach.

Suddenly, a blond figure in a hooded sweatshirt appeared and walked toward Noel. All four girls leaned forward. It was a girl.

Emily felt a million emotions rush over her at once. Disbelief. Fear. Hatred. She looked at the others. Hanna clapped her hand over her mouth. Spencer widened her eyes. Emily looked at Aria. Should we do it? she mouthed.

The figure stopped in front of Noel; no one could see his expression. Nor did he give the signal: three fingers held up behind his back.

Still. It had to be Ali. Right? Go , Aria mouthed to the group, pointing toward Noel.

They burst out of the shrubs. Emily’s heart pounded faster and faster as they approached the figure, who was still talking to Noel. In just seconds, I’m going to look directly into Ali’s face , she thought.

Suddenly, the figure moved away from Noel and started running. Emily still couldn’t see who it was, only the dark hoodie over her head. “Hey!” she screamed, chasing after her. The others followed. The figure raced across the two-lane road that connected the library to the mall and dove into a line of bushes. We’ve nearly got her , Emily thought excitedly. Getting out of those bushes would slow her down.

They crossed the street, and there was a horrible screech. Headlights shone in their faces. Emily screamed as a car barreled toward them. “Oh my God!” she cried, the light illuminating Hanna’s outline in front of her. She reached out and shoved Hanna out of the way. The car zigzagged past, missing Emily by mere inches. She tumbled to the grass, scraping her knee on the curb. Spencer fell face-first next to her, and Aria crashed into a road sign. Hanna sat in the middle of the road, looking stunned.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked, scrambling up and running to her.

Hanna nodded shakily, staring at the car’s taillights in the distance. “It came right for us. It could have killed us .”

Emily helped her up, then ran toward the bushes into which the figure had disappeared. She wasn’t there anymore. No one was darting through the parking lot, either.

Then Emily turned back to Noel on the library bench. He was standing now, staring at them in alarm. She followed Aria and the others over. “Was that her?” Aria asked him. “What did she say?”

Noel shook his head dazedly. “It wasn’t her. Just a random blond girl asking if I had a light. And then she saw you and took off. Are you guys okay?”

Emily and Hanna exchanged a look. “I don’t know if any of this was random,” Hanna said shakily.

Noel nodded, fear in his eyes. “Do you think this was a setup?”

Everyone stared at one another, then down the lane where the car had disappeared. No one had thought to get a license-plate number.

“Yes,” Aria whispered. “It was Ali.” Maybe she’d paid a blond girl to walk up to Noel to distract them. She’d probably sensed their plan all along.

Emily looked at Noel, suddenly desperate. “Can’t you try to contact her again? Maybe we can set up another meeting, before the arraignment.”

Noel stared at her. “She already knows it’s a trap. She might try to hurt you again.”

“Yeah, it’s not a good idea,” Spencer added.

Aria looked at Noel challengingly. “No, Emily’s right. We’ve already come too far. We have to do something . Please contact her again.”

Noel’s shoulders lowered. In a defeated voice, he tapped something into his phone. After a moment, his expression wilted. “Site not found.”

He tilted the screen toward the girls. Aria shook her head. “It’s got to be a mistake.”

“That’s the site. I’m positive.”

Emily watched as Aria took the phone from him and pressed the search button once more, but the same results popped up. Her lip trembled. Emily’s heart sank.

“The site’s gone, because Ali took it down,” Noel said woodenly. “There’s not going to be another meeting. She’s gone.”

Everyone blinked hard, absorbing the shock. The writing was on the wall: This had been their last chance, and they’d blown it. They were out of options. Their arraignment was tomorrow, and they were going to Jamaica—to prison —no matter what.

Friday morning. Arraignment day. Hanna stood in the middle of her silent bedroom, looking at all the items on her shelves. She might never see any of this again. She began to say good-bye to all of it, just like how she used to say good night to all her stuffed animals when she was a baby. Good-bye, Dior perfume. Good-bye, Louboutin heels. Good-bye, fluffy bedspread and earring tree. Good-bye, picture of Ali .

She frowned and plucked it from the corner of her mirror, having forgotten it was there. She stared at Ali’s teasing smile and mocking eyes. Sure, this was Courtney, her friend, but if it weren’t for her—if it weren’t for that stupid Time Capsule flag and that switch and Hanna caring so, so much about being popular, none of this would have happened.

“Hanna?” her mother called from downstairs. “It’s time.”

There was a lump in Hanna’s throat as she walked to the first floor. She gazed at her expression in the big mirror in the foyer. Would this be the last time she’d wear a Diane von Furstenberg dress, gold earrings, and leather boots? Tears filled her eyes as she leaned down and gave her miniature Doberman, Dot, a huge hug. “I’ll miss you, big guy,” she whispered, barely able to get the words out.