No Exit by Taylor Adams 2

mine. Ashley gave his door-hinge story. Sandi hates snakes. So
what about you?”
All eyes darted to her.
She swallowed. She still had Ashley’s IF YOU TELL
THEM, I KILL THEM BOTH napkin clutched tightly in her
lap.
“Yeah.” Ashley suppressed a grin. “Tell us. What scares
you, Darbs?”
Words clogged up in her throat. “I … I don’t know.”
“Guns?” he prompted.
“No.”
“Nail guns?”
“No.”
“Getting murdered?”
“No.”
“I don’t know. Getting murdered is pretty scary—”
“Failure,” she said, interrupting Ashley and looking those
green eyes dead-on. “My biggest fear is making the wrong
choice, failing, and letting someone get kidnapped or killed.”
Silence.
On the bench, Sandi stirred in her sleep.
“That’s …” Ed shrugged. “Okay, that was a weird one, but
thanks.”
“She’s—” Ashley started to say something but stopped
himself. Ed didn’t notice, but Darby did, and it thrilled her.
What did he almost blurt out?
She’s—
She, as in Jay Nissen. The little San Diego girl in the van
outside, whose life hung in the balance right now.