A few hours later, Steve finally got the call he'd been waiting for:
Matt had taken Beth out of town.
They weren't kidnapped.
They weren't dead.
They just needed to leave fast because of everything happening.
Matt apologized for scaring everyone, but he said he had no choice. Steve immediately called Courtney to let her know that Beth and her dad were safe — just running from the chaos closing in around them.
---
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Arron hobbled out the front doors and found John leaning against his car.
John looked him over and smirked. "Well… I guess they can't kill you after all."
Arron forced a smile. "Just take me home, please."
He opened the passenger door and lowered the seat back to make room for his injured leg.
"If you're tired, you can sleep," John said casually. "I'll wake you when we get there."
"No thanks," Arron said. "I'm okay."
But he wasn't okay.
Something in his gut screamed that this ride was a mistake.
He should've called Courtney.
He should've called his mom.
He should've called anyone but John.
So he texted Courtney every chance he got — small things he noticed on the road, little details, road signs, landmarks.
Just in case.
It was a smart idea.
Because when John stopped at a gas station, Arron got out to use the bathroom…
…and the next thing he knew, he was waking up in a dark building, blood everywhere, and someone else lying in the shadows.
---
While this was happening, Courtney dropped Mark and me off at school. Mark walked over to me at my locker, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his eyes nervous.
"Maybe at lunch… I can tell you something I need to tell you," he said.
I smiled softly. "Sure. Why not?"
I closed my locker and headed to class, my heart weirdly fluttery.
---
Elsewhere, Jennifer finally got word.
Arron was out of the hospital.
And the package was delivered.
She smiled to herself, excited for the next step in her plan.
She had no idea how badly things were about to twist out of her control.
Across the state line, something even bigger was happening.
Courtney and Mark's real parents — Ashley and Ron — escaped from jail.
They were on the run.
Steve knew what they had done.
He was there the night Mark's real parents, Jane and William, were murdered.
And now Steve realized something horrifying:
Jane and William had the same star carved into their skin that Sue, Eric, and Keith Jones had.
He stepped back, thinking hard.
Who had been around for all of those murders?
Who had a reason?
Who had access?
One name kept coming back to him.
John.
Was Steve right?
Or was there someone else he hadn't seen yet?
---
At lunch, Mark and I sat at our usual table. He took a deep breath.
"Katie… I've been holding something in for a while."
Another breath.
"I really like you. More than a friend."
My face burned bright red. I opened my mouth — nothing came out.
Until suddenly it did.
"I love you."
Mark's eyes widened. Then he smiled.
"I'll take that as you like me too."
My whole heart felt light for the first time in weeks.
---
Meanwhile, Courtney stared at her phone, worry crawling up her spine.
Arron hadn't texted her in twenty minutes.
He NEVER waited that long.
"Steve," she said when he answered, "I know you're busy, but remember how I said John was picking up Arron? He hasn't texted me in twenty minutes."
Steve stopped everything.
"What was his last location?"
"I'll text it to you."
Courtney sent it immediately — a pin dropped right over an old, rundown gas station just off the main road.
Steve knew instantly:
Something bad happened there.
And they were already running out of time.