Chapter 2

2

Garrett, who was sitting between us, let out a guttural roar. He shoved me back and kicked open the SUV door, sending me tumbling out into the dirt.

"Cassia! Stop trying to pull rank! You're not the boss here!"

The other team members, who had been watching in silence, finally found their voices.

But they weren't helping me. They were siding with Garrett.

"Leader, we're all colleagues here. You can't just go around hitting people."

"You seem to have plenty of energy for a fight. You don't look dehydrated at all. Why are you picking on Lyla?"

It was laughable. Taking back my own stolen property was now considered "picking on her"?

I couldn't even manage a rebuttal.

The sand beneath me was scorching, making me feel like I was being fried alive on a griddle.

My vision began to blur into a haze of gold and grey. The dryness in my throat was so intense I could taste blood.

Lyla peered out from behind Garrett, her eyes gleaming with a triumphant, mocking light.

"Maybe I should just give everything back to Cassia. I don't mind. I can handle it."

"As a member of the national survey team, I'm willing to sacrifice myself for the mission. It's what we do."

Garrett slammed the car door shut, sealing the cool air inside and leaving me in the inferno.

"Don't you dare talk like that. I won't let anything happen to you."

I was left abandoned under the merciless desert sun.

I forced a sound from my throat, my voice cracking like breaking glass.

"She doesn't care… about anyone… but herself."

"How can you… believe her?"

Garrett rolled down the window just an inch, glaring at me with pure hatred.

"Stop slandering her!"

"She and I grew up together. I know exactly what kind of person she is. She's an angel compared to you."

An angel?

When Garrett broke the rules to bring the unqualified Lyla onto the team, that's exactly what he told me.

And I had been stupid enough to believe him.

But would a normal childhood friend allow a man to leave his wife to die in the dirt?

My ears began to ring, and my consciousness started to fragment.

Survival instinct forced me to crawl toward the SUV, my fingers clawing at the window frame to pull myself up.

Garrett suddenly powered the window up. My hand was caught in the crushing grip of the glass.

A sharp, agonizing snap echoed in the quiet air, and I let out a muffled whimper of pain.

The other team members watched my struggle through the tinted glass as if it were a reality show.

"Wow, she's really committed to the bit. Our leader should have been an actress instead of a scientist."

Garrett continued to press the window button.

"Since you want to fake a heatstroke so badly, stay out there and learn what real dehydration feels like!"

"I refuse to believe a woman with military training is weaker than the rest of us."

I couldn't even scream for help anymore. Risking a complete break, I yanked my mangled hand back.

I dragged myself into the small patch of shadow cast by the vehicle.

But it provided no relief.

I felt like I was melting into the sand. The terror of death began to wrap its cold fingers around my heart.

The sounds of laughter and chatter from inside the SUV felt miles away.

Just as I was about to black out, I felt a heavy boot press down on my cheek.

"You should know something, Cassia. Garrett has wanted to divorce you for a long time."

My fading eyes flared with a spark of hatred.

Lyla leaned down, her face inches from mine, grinning.

"But he couldn't do it. A divorce would mean giving you half of everything he's worked for."

"Being a widower, however… that's a much better deal."

She took the last of the electrolyte water and slowly poured it into the sand right next to my face.

"So, you see? I'd rather pour this into the dirt than give you a single drop."