No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz Read Free Book Online Page A

make a run for it across the open floor.
    But then the doors opened and a person in a space suit—not space suit, but some creepy blue plastic hazmat suit with a giant enclosed hood—pushed a cart loaded with machines and boxes into the room. Behind him, Lexi saw that the loading dock’s door had been covered over with overlapping thick plastic strips, and beyond that was a giant tunnel of plastic. Several more hazmat-suited people walked up the tunnel and pushed through the plastic with other carts piled with machines and boxes.
    Lexi ducked back behind her display. This was like some bad science fiction movie. Or the opening of that video game where you knew you were facing the zombie apocalypse when the evil government scientists showed up to quarantine the city.
    “We’ll place the triage area over here,” a muffled voice said.
Must be the hazmat person.
Lexi froze. The voice sounded far too close for her comfort. “We’ll need another wall across there to hide the observation and diagnostic units.”
    “The PaperClips representative said their insurance required someone at FEMA to sign off on all the paperwork.”
Nasal whine—has to be the mall troll.
    “I think we should curtain the windows.” Lexi recognized her mother’s voice. “To keep the people from panicking.”
    The muffled voice laughed—at least, Lexi thought itlaughed. “If you think curtains will help, we’ll bring them in.”
    This was worse than the zombie apocalypse. This was actually happening.
    Lexi bolted out of the PaperClips the second she had the chance. The Senator wasn’t overreacting. She wasn’t just trying to avoid her daughter. This was not all the Senator’s fault.
    She ran down the hall, not stopping until she hit the main corridor. She rested a hand on the edge of the central fountain. Strangers crowded around her. A thousand voices echoed through the cavernous space. A woman lugging a bag fat with purchases shoved Lexi’s hips, nearly knocking her into the rippling water. Her head began to spin. Too many people. Too loud.
    Her feet steered her up the escalator toward Abercrombie & Fitch. There were a bunch of high school kids there. Crowds of them hovered near the entrance, whispering and texting and laughing.
    Ginger appeared. Not Lexi’s Ginger, but the other Ginger. Maddie’s Ginger. She was laughing little yips like a neurotic terrier. Maddie had her fingers wrapped around the thick arm of a giant dude in a football jersey. Another jerseyed hunk hovered behind Ginger, eyes peeling the layers of clothing from her body.
    They did not look like they were interested in discussing dirty bombs and triage units. These were not her people.
    Before Lexi could turn tail, Ginger spotted her and waved hysterically, like she was actually happy to see her.When Lexi failed to move closer, Ginger trotted toward her. The hunk followed.
    “How many sexy friends does Maddie have?” he said, lips curling into a snarl. “That ass looks good enough to eat.”
    It took Lexi a second to realize that the ass to which he was referring was her own.
    Ginger smacked the guy on the arm and giggled. “Mi-
ike,
” she cooed.
    Lexi had no idea how to respond to this guy. The lupine look on his face made her want to vomit. And why was Ginger hanging on him? The floor tilted. She needed to sit down.
    “I’m looking for my dad,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”
    “Okay,” Ginger said, tugging her boy in Maddie’s direction.
    “Later,” the guy said, voice dripping with slime.
    Lexi unlocked her phone and tried Darren again. All circuits were still busy. She had to find a landline. But there was a crowd by the pay phones at the exit. Probably all the public phones were mobbed.
    Then it came to her: There was another way—
Wi-Fi
. Lexi ran back to the Apple Store. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, she picked up an iPad. (If only she hadn’t lost her iPhone, a crime for which the Senator had sentenced her to