Katarina’s POV, At The Meeting Spot
I paced under the flickering streetlamp, my footsteps crunching glass on the sidewalk.
The wind bit through my clothes as I waited under the broken streetlamp, hugging myself tighter, trying to stop my bones from rattling in fear. The hoodie I wore was too big, Liam’s stolen sneakers two sizes too large, and my heart? That s**t had turned into a rock lodged deep in my throat.
I kept glancing around, hoping and praying for Mateo to come.
My eyes searched the empty street like they might summon him if I just stared hard enough.
Come on, Mateo. Where the hell are you?
But there was nothing. Just shadows, silence, and the soft buzz of the streetlight above me.
Then I heard it. A low, rumbling engine.
A black van.
Its headlights sliced through the d
