Flashback ( PDFDrive )

over the years. She’s amazing. As is your whole team,” he added,
tipping his chin toward each of her guards. “We’re still fine-tuning
how this is going to work, but we all have the same goal. We want you
to know that despite anything the Neverseen have claimed, none of us
will let them anywhere near you ever again.”
“Never,” Sandor agreed. “They thought they were delivering a
message. But all they’ve done is guarantee their failure.”
“Anyone else think that’s strange?” Tarina jumped in. “Sorry—I
don’t mean to ruin the pep talk. But I’ve been trying to understand the
Neverseen’s motivation, and I keep coming back to the same question:
Why stage such a visible attack only to deliver threats, cause
temporary injuries, and ask for one small piece of information? They
had to know Sophie’s security would then be significantly improved,
making it nearly impossible to get near her ever again. So why take on
that challenge?”
Bo sighed. “I hate to say this—but I agree with the troll.”
“They said they wanted me to start cooperating,” Sophie told both
of them.
“Okay, but . . . you know who cooperates much better than someone
you injure and let go?” Tarina asked. “A prisoner who knows you can
keep hurting them.”
“They’ve taken Miss Foster hostage before, and it did not end well
for them,” Mr. Forkle reminded everyone. “And they’ve lost a number
of hideouts already. I doubt they’d want to lose another.”
“But they could’ve stashed her anywhere,” Tarina argued. “And it
sounded like they had several opportunities to grab Sophie and flee. So
there has to be a reason they didn’t. They must want her to be free.”