Forever Rogue (The Forgotten Five, Book 7)

Forever Rogue (The Forgotten Five, Book 7)

The Collect Call

Cabot Stone pulled the phone away from her ear and scanned the screen, bewildered. The caller ID showed Estero Penitentiary, and a recording had just said something about a "collect call" and asked if she would accept charges. These were terms Cabot had never heard before and had no context for. And at the moment, the scene around her was chaotic. The front door and the electric gate stood open, and all the supers in the mansion's front yard were mesmerized and heading to the road to celebrate President Fuerte's win . . . only, they hated Fuerte, and he hadn't won. Fuerte's new super, Hector, had used his green glowing eyes on TV to convince most of the population that he had.

Everything was a mess, and Cabot didn't know what was happening with this phone call. "Yes!" she said recklessly. She would accept charges, whatever that meant. She needed help. Desperately. She put the phone on speaker.

The line clicked a couple of times, and then she heard "Cabot? Hello?"

Cabot's stomach twisted. "Mom?" she squeaked. Tears flooded her eyes.

"Yes, honey, it's me. Thank you for answering." Greta sounded relieved.

"I don't know what accepting charges means," Cabot fretted. "And everyone here has lost their minds because of Fuerte and his new super."

"You did right in accepting the charges," Greta said. "The inmates and guards here are under Hector's spell, too. I can't believe this happened."

"So you're not mesmerized?"

"No, I knew not to watch. I listened instead. And clearly you're not mesmerized, either?"

"I . . ." Cabot didn't want to tell her mom about her ability. "No. I realized something wasn't right and looked away before he got me. But, Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I really need help. Badly."

Greta took in a breath. "Cabot, listen to me. Is there any chance someone else is there with you who isn't mesmerized? Someone who can drive? Because with all of this going on, there is a very good possibility that your dad and I could walk out of here right now without being noticed." She cringed, hating to ask but seeing the opportunity.

"I think I'm the only one who didn't get sucked in," Cabot said. "Are you saying you want us to . . . ?" She didn't dare say break you out of jail out loud. Her heart pounded, and her breathing grew fast and shallow. Her hands got clammy, and she started sweating. She'd read about panic attacks in the medical books in her parents' loft. Was she having one right now?

"Take a deep breath and let it out slowly," Greta said, hearing the strain in her voice. "Focus on that for a minute."

Cabot obeyed while trying to think through the big ask, but her mind was fogging up. She saw Puerco asleep on the sofa and sat down to pet him, finding comfort in the fact that he was acting normal. That allowed her to process things. How could she help her parents escape from the penitentiary? And should she? Fuerte had put them in jail. Did that mean they were no longer loyal to him? Finally, her breathing regulated, and she could think more clearly again.

Under the circumstances, with the entire country of Estero being tricked by a bad super, Cabot had no choice but to trust her mom. "I can get there," she said. "I'll figure it out. How do I find you? What has to happen?"

"We need to get out of the building, but there are locked doors, and secure gates outside—heavy-duty stuff. Basic lock-picking skills won't cut it. Do you have a way to get through them? Does anyone?"

Cabot's mouth twitched through her tears, and she blew out a more confident breath. "Oh boy, do I." Her mind whirled as she came up with a plan. "Call me back in forty-five minutes. I'm coming, and I'm bringing help."