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  I liked the fact that Dana had been offered an injection of hope, though. Not because I knew for certain that Lacey was alive like I’d known Sasha was. I had no idea where the bad guys had taken Dana’s sister, or if she was even still breathing. But I liked being optimistic. And, after Friday night, it kind of felt as if anything were possible.

  As for the other little girls? They arrived safely in California. Just yesterday, I’d received a cryptic text message from a private phone number. It said: All safe. Still thoughts. Great dream btw. C u soon.

  And, come to think of it, I had dreamt about Milo the night before.

  Glancing at the text—for the trillionth time in two days—I smiled. I would see him soon.

  It was early evening—a beautiful fall day in Florida. The breeze cascaded through my window. I put my phone in my pocket and headed toward my bed. Placing pillows and a few of my bulkier stuffed animals underneath the comforter, I worked to fluff the pile into the shape of a tall but skinny human. Then, I snagged the post-it note I’d written, pulling it off of my computer desk.

  The note read: Mom…goin’ to bed early. Night. —Sky

  Maybe she knew, or maybe I’d just imagined that look in her eyes. Either way, we’d both keep playing this game. I stuck the note onto the outside of my bedroom door before shutting it silently.

  Then, with ninja silence that would have made Dana proud, I snuck down the stairs, out the front door, and I ran around the corner to where Calvin was sitting, waiting for me in his car.

  “Ready for some training?” he asked as I climbed into the passenger seat.

  I nodded. The image of that horrible old lady crawled through my mind. I could still see the way she’d held on to that last little girl as she’d disappeared into the darkness.

  “Cold?” Cal asked.

  I realized I had shivered.

  “Nah,” I said, crossing my legs and leaning back in the seat. “Just ready.”

  “You’re gonna be a warrior,” Calvin replied. “It’s pretty kick-ass.”

  I laughed a little bit. “Who’s to say I’m not already?”

  Calvin took a left turn and headed toward the beach. “I stand corrected,” he said. “Seriously, Sky. You’re gonna save lives.”

  Hell yeah I was. I was a warrior. And I wouldn’t stop being one until I knew that girls like Sasha and Lacey were out of harm’s way. But I needed Calvin by my side. “We are,” I corrected him.

  He smiled, and we drove for a moment in silence.

  “All right,” he finally said. “Question of the day. Would you rather have all the water you can drink, but have to drink it out of the dish of a dog with canine herpes, or be given only a teaspoon of very clean water to drink over the course of an entire day?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Cal, you’re ridiculous.”

  “You love me so much.” Calvin grinned at me.

  I shrugged and grinned back. Because I so did.

  DON’T MISS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

  DANGEROUS DESTINY

  A NIGHT SKY NOVELLA

  AVAILABLE FALL 2014

  WILD SKY

  A NIGHT SKY NOVEL

  AVAILABLE FALL 2015

  Acknowledgments

  We would like to thank our agent, Steve Axelrod, and the entire team at Sourcebooks—our editor, the amazing Aubrey Poole, as well as Derry and Kate and Jessica and Todd and Danielle! And a big hug to Leah Hultenschmidt too!

  Thank you to Jason Gaffney and his Mr. Right, Matt Gorlick; to Fred and Lee Brockmann; to Aidan; to Vern Varela and Buster; and to Dexter, Little Joe, and Boston-the-Cat. And a big shout-out to the Melanie Mania gang!

  But most of all we thank Ed Gaffney (aka Dad), for his relentless calm in the storm. You are our hero, and without you, we’d be lost.

  About the Authors

  Suzanne Brockmann and her daughter, Melanie Brockmann, have been creative partners, on and off, for many years. Their first project was an impromptu musical duet, when then-six-month-old Melanie surprised and delighted Suz by matching her pitch and singing back to her. (Babies aren’t supposed to be able to do that.) Since then, Mel has gone on to play clarinet and saxophone, to sing in a wedding band, and to run seven-minute miles. She has become one of Sarasota, Florida’s most sought-after personal trainers. Suz has driven an ice-cream truck and directed an a cappella singing group, and can jog a twelve-minute mile when pushed. She is the multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty books. Night Sky is Melanie’s first novel and the mother-daughter team’s first literary collaboration. Each strongly suspects that the other is a Greater-Than.