When Marielle woke up Monday morning, she wasn’t surprised that her phone was ringing loudly, or that it was bright in her room. Nor was she surprised that she’d fallen asleep on top of the blankets, still in her dress from her date the night before. Right, she thought, Joe something or other… Definitely no …

There was pandemonium for a minute as several more people arrived on the scene, including Barbara and Liam. Vincent had fallen to his knees but was still alert, although a fresh cut trickled blood down the side of his handsome face. Austin rushed in between everyone and bent down to Marielle, taking hold of her …

Both Austin and Marielle drank their water quickly, relishing how it quenched their thirst even though they knew Vincent was in much worse shape. Marielle imagined his tongue swelling with thirst and his stomach rolling with hunger, although he probably felt them only when there was a small break in the merciless torture being thrust …

Something flickered. An explosion on television startled Marielle awake, even though she hadn’t been aware of falling asleep. She turned; Austin was awake and staring at the love scene on screen. Sweaty, naked bodies were intertwined. She stood, then went down to the ground on her back and tucked her toes under the lip of …

When Marielle was awakened by a heavy-handed knock on the door, she briefly panicked because she didn’t recognize the room. Then she laughed at herself because the knock hadn’t even been on her door. “Right,” she said with a yawn and a glance around the room that she currently occupied. “I’m at Valorant.” Then she …

The bodies of everyone on the dance floor thronged, throbbed, and bounced. Green and pink lights shot out in rays and spun, creating flickering strobes across the dance floor. Marielle was in the center, jumping and grinding with everyone else. She didn’t know a single person, although she recognized some faces. Spring Break was like …

Sabine led them down another hall. Marielle fell into step with Liam at the back of the line, biting her tongue as they walked. She’d only been with Valorant a little under six months, but she wasn’t the biggest fan of change, and this one seemed anxiety-inducing. Liam, like a big father, had always taken …

Marielle found Sasha waiting for her when she stepped off the elevator at Cellblock Two, three floors down. He stood straight and tall, his gun at the ready. When he saw her, his body relaxed a bit, and he holstered his weapon. “Did they call it in?” she asked, stepping toward him. “Yes, they did,” …

Marielle had no idea how long she’d been biting the pencil eraser and staring at the chart in her hand, but eventually Jamie’s voice broke into her disjointed, Vincent-filled thoughts.  “You’re distracted,” he said casually.  She looked up at him as if jerking out of a nightmare and took him in as he stood at …

Marielle did not sleep that night. In fact, she forced herself to do anything except sleep. She took her dress off, rinsed her face free of makeup, and removed the jewelry to slip into an oversized T-shirt. Maybe being comfortable would help her think more clearly. She started with cleaning the kitchen by wiping down …