Chapter 21

The screech of brakes sliced through the rain. Evan stumbled back a few steps as his umbrella rolled into the street and was crushed under a passing car. Rain streamed down his jaw and seeped into the collar of his shirt. Across the road, the hem of a gray coat disappeared into the subway entrance. Evan shoved past a passerby carrying hot coffee. The glow of an electronic sign flared in his eyes as the escalator carried a blur of unfamiliar faces toward him. Evan looked around anxiously, but when he didn't see her, the light in his eyes began to dim. Just as he was about to give up, a sudden flash of white caught his eye. At the top of the escalator, Lila's pale fingers rested on the handle of a black umbrella. The colorful bracelet on her wrist sparkled under the lights, cutting through the darkness clouding Evan's vision. "Make way!" someone barked as they passed with crates of cargo. A mother pushing a stroller brushed against him. Evan fought through the crowd until he final