I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself. I should’ve expected it but hearing him say it so easily—casting me aside like I was nothing—felt like a dagger to my chest.
“Ofelia,” Zach called again, sharper this time. “We need to plan our next move. I know you’re shaken up, but you can’t lose your head now.”
I turned to him, my voice barely above a whisper. “I have to go back.”
Zach’s expression hardened. “Don’t be reckless. You saw what happened back there. If you go back now, they’ll kill you.”
“I can’t just leave him,” I snapped. “Mavin—he saw me. He knows I didn’t abandon him. I have to reach him before Avery poisons him even more.”
Zach sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “And how do you plan to do that? March up to the estate and ask nicely?”
I ignored him, my eyes scanning the room. There had to be something—some way to contact Mavin without exposing myself. Then I spotted it.
An old, dusty drawer sat half-open in the corner. My hands trembled as I pulled it open, my heart pounding when I saw what lay inside. A burner phone.