“Good.” I open his phone and pull up the text message thread. I take a deep breath, then press send on the fake messages that Nikolai and I crafted.
ALAN: the boy got out. we’re combing the area but it looks like he’s long gone.
ALAN: call me back ASAP and lemme know what you want me to do
I can’t tear my eyes away from the phone once the messages have gone through. I’m guessing that Sobakin has his phone on him at all times, so it shouldn’t—
Instantly, my whole world coalesces down to one word. Call. Call. Call, you motherfucker. I can hear Alan's uneasy rustling next to me. My breath plumes in the chill air in clouds of white. Call. Call. Call, you—
The phone starts to vibrate.
“You’re up,” I tell Alan. “I’m putting you on speakerphone. Make sure you play your part.”
He nods so ha
