My hand froze on the key.

The screen went black again.

I turned the key.

The engine sputtered, caught, and then roared to life.

I threw the sedan into reverse and backed out of the gravel lot, spraying wet stones behind me.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I steered the car onto the pitch-black highway.

The rain was a solid wall of gray, hammering against the windshield.

I wiped the fog from the inside of the glass with the sleeve of my jacket.

“He is still breathing,” I muttered to myself.

Did they mean my father?

Or was it a trap set by Voss to make me hesitate?

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the burner phone Mara had given me.

I dialed her number with one hand, keeping my other hand tight on the steering wheel.

She answered on the second ring, her voice breathless and sharp.

“Natalie? Where are you?”

“I’m driving south on Route 9,” I said. “I just got a message on the car’s navigation screen.”

There was a pause on the line, filled with static.