Read Online The Girl in the Wall by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Daphne Benedis-Grab - Free Book Online Page B

bite, a bit of mayo dribbling down my chin which I quickly wipe away.
    We eat in companionable silence for a few minutes. I plan to only eat half of my sandwich; I gave up carbs a year ago and processed food when I was eleven. But if there was ever a time to break food rules, it’s when you’re being held hostage and could get shot at any minute for having a cell phone.
    When I’m done I lean back and groan. “That was incredible but I think my stomach might explode.”
    “That is one of the dangers of baloney,” Hudson says, putting both our plates in the sink. He does it naturally, like he’s just some regular guy trained by his mom, not someone so rich he can have people wait on him hand and foot. “Do you think they have—”
    A sharp voice interrupts him. “Everyone come to the living room.”
    I realize I’ve been lulled by our conversation, allowed myself to forget for just a few minutes what’s going on around us. But now a third agent appears in the doorway and she sounds serious. I stand up, my body tensing.
    “Now,” she says.
    The sandwich is turning into a ball of cement in my stomach and Hudson’s cheeks have lost their reddish hue. He looks pale under the lights as I follow him out of the kitchen and back to the living room where The Assassin is telling everyone to sit. My classmates are mostly there, sitting up straight as though we are about to take a final. It’s funny to think that less than twenty-four hours ago finals were our biggest worry.
    “We haven’t found Ariel,” The Assassin says, his words clipped. “Which can only mean one thing. You helped her or you’re helping her now, keeping her concealed from us. She is somewhere on the property, that we know for sure, and so I’ll ask one more time. Where is Ariel?”
    A terrible silence follows. I put my hands on my bloated stomach, afraid I might puke.
    “You need more incentive I see,” The Assassin says after a minute, his voice compressed fury. “And so we will give it to you.” His upper lip curls as he pauses and I can feel his eyes boring into me, to the others, through his shades.
    Bile gathers at the back of my throat.
    “It’s simple,” he says, his voice a blade of steel. “You have until midnight to tell us where she is. If we don’t have her by then, someone in this room will be shot.”

CHAPTER 10
Ariel
    “Do you want water?” Milo asks. Usually I keep a glass on the shelf over my bathroom sink but it got smashed when my room was ransacked.
    “No,” I say. I clear my throat, which is still tender. “Milo, thanks for coming and holding my hair and stuff.” I’m feeling more together and can now appreciate not having hair covered in puke.
    But Milo frowns. “My name isn’t Milo.”
    Oh.
    “It’s Nico.” He looks at me, his brow furrowed. “I’ve worked for you for three years and you don’t even know my name?”
    I try to shrug it off. “I was close.”
    “Really?” he asks and for the first time his voice isn’t ringing with honesty and goodness. It’s ringing with sarcasm.
    I suck in a breath. I hate to eat crow but I know it’s not optional. “I’m sorry,” I say, looking at him instead of looking at the floor, which I’d prefer.
    “People matter and their names matter,” he says with deep conviction.
    I let out a long impatient breath. But he is my only ally and I can’t have him angry at me. “Yes, people matter and their names matter,” I say through gritted teeth. “Nico is a wonderful name.”
    “It means victory of the people.”
    I snort, then see he’s looking wounded again. “Oh, that’s really cool.” I don’t sound that sincere but he lets it pass.
    “Yeah, it definitely inspires me,” he says. “My mom said she chose it because the first time she held me she knew she wanted more for me, not just a life farming or slaving away making minimum wage, but doing something meaningful that helped people.” His smile is tinged with sadness that somehow has me