Chapter 180

• Lucia's POV
• We followed those damn coordinates from the drive, no choice really. Ryan was fading fast in the back seat, his chest wound bubbling blood every time he coughed. Sofia held Mateo close, her eyes big and scared, whispering to him like he understood. Elena… Mom… she was still out, breathing shallow on the floor mat. I drove through the night, rain smacking the windshield, my hands tight on the wheel. Yeah, I knew it was a trap. But Ethan? That snake. If he was behind this phase two crap, we had to end it.
• The place loomed up like a bad dream – this old kids’ hospital, boarded up and forgotten on the edge of town. Fortified now, though. Barbed wire on the fences, cameras blinking red. I parked a block away, heart pounding. “We go in quick,” I said to Sofia. “You stay with Mateo and Mom in the car. Lock the doors.” She nodded, but her lip trembled. “Be careful, Lucia.” I hugged her tight. “Yeah, kid. We will.”