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  Nora caught movement from the corner of her eye. Two more guys were approaching them. For a slim second a sliver of hope glimmered in Nora’s mind. It lasted all the time it took her brain to register the newcomers. Jimmy and Mark. Both of them football players and friends with Brady.

  They wouldn’t help.

  Brady spoke again, drawing her attention back to him. “I think we did. You’re…Nora, right?” He squinted his eyes at her. “From back in ninth grade? Damn, girl, look how much you’ve grown since then…”

  “And developed very nicely,” the big guy noted.

  “She has, hasn’t she?” Brady grabbed Nora’s waist and started moving his hand up her back.

  “Get off me!” She shoved against his chest, but Brady didn’t budge. Her heart was thundering, threatening to burst from her chest. Jimmy and Mark stepped in to complete the circle around her, blocking her chance of escape.

  Her gaze darted from one guy to the next. All of them were big…mean looking…and, Nora thought, smelled a little like they’d been drinking. Then there was Brady, who didn’t look like he fit in with them at all.

  Yet he was grinning at her as wickedly as the rest.

  “She’s a feisty little vixen, isn’t she?” Jimmy crooned. Somebody pushed her – hard – and she slammed into Jimmy. He caught her, spun her around, and then wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her close to him.

  “Why, I didn’t know you liked me so much,” he said crudely. All four of the guys laughed. She struggled to escape, but his grip was too strong. She looked to Brady for help, but he was laughing just as hard as the others.

  “What should we do with her, Brad?” Jimmy squeezed her tighter against him. She tried to swing her head into his, to do something that would cause him to let up on his iron grip, but she was too short. Wait. Brad? Was that what these guys called him now? Jimmy finally let go, and she stumbled into the middle of the circle. All around her, hungry eyes stared at her body.

  “I think she’s a good girl,” Brady said ominously, stepping closer to her. “So I think she’ll do whatever we say. Won’t you, Nora?” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the intimate gesture belied by his lecherous expression.

  Nora shrank back. Her tormentors stepped even closer. She was trapped, with no way out. Another hand slapped her ass, and a roar of laughter erupted from the group. She tried to push down the bile creeping up her throat, but couldn’t swallow past the lump of fear. It threatened to choke her.

  “Let’s get her shirt off,” Brady suggested. His friends laughed.

  Cheers erupted in the distance, signaling the start of the pep rally.

  Brady took another step toward her. Someone grabbed her arms from behind and held them tight. Nora struggled, trying to get out of the grip, but it was no use. There were four of them, and only one of her. Oh God, how could this be happening to her, right here in the school? And Brady, of all people, seemed to be their ring-leader. Her whole world was collapsing in on itself. She squeezed her eyes shut as terror threatened to strangle her.

  “Stop.” A loud voice cut through the laughter.

  Nora opened her eyes and found Hunter standing a few feet away, feet spread in an aggressive stance, staring right at them. All four of the guys glared at him.

  “What did you say?” Brady’s tone was ominous as he rounded on Hunter.

  “I told you to stop.” Hunter spoke simply, his voice deathly calm.

  “Or what?” Brady glared at Hunter.

  “Or I’ll make you.”

  “Really?” Brady’s tone was incredulous. “Boys, this guy here thinks he’s going to stop us.”

  That caused another roar of laughter from the three guys still surrounding Nora.

  “We’re probably scaring his girlfriend,” Brady continued derisively. The words stung, despite everything that was happening, because they came from Brady.

  “Hey, isn’t it that new kid?” The guy holding Nora squinted in Hunter’s direction. “Yeah, Brad, I think it is.”

  “And you’re new?” Brady asked, walking right up to Hunter. “Well, new kid, I think you better get on your way. We wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.” He shoved Hunter in the chest. Hunter staggered back, but made no move to counter. Mark still held Nora’s arms twisted behind her. Pain radiated down her arms, and her shoulders screamed in protest.

  Brady turned around, back to face Nora and his crew, satisfied that he’d dealt successfully with the nuisance.

  But then Hunter spoke again, his calm monotone a stark contrast to the fire burning in his eyes. “Last chance, Brad. Tell your friends to back off.”

  Brady spun around furiously and started toward Hunter. “Nobody ever calls me Brad,” he spat, “except for my teammates!” Without slowing his forward motion, he threw a punch at Hunter’s head.

  Hunter stepped aside, easily avoiding Brady’s fist. Brady lost his balance and staggered forward. Hunter swept a foot out, tripping him. Brady’s momentum carried him to the floor.

  Jimmy charged at Hunter. Just as he was about to slam his shoulder into Hunter’s side, Hunter raised a knee hard. Jimmy’s chest rebounded against it. He gasped, having the wind knocked out of him, and fell back to the floor.

  Brady jumped up and aimed a sucker punch for the back of Hunter’s head. Nora screamed. Hunter twisted around just in time to block the blow with his forearm. Brady looked stunned for a moment, but that expression quickly turned to pain as Hunter clubbed him in the midsection with a fist. Brady fell down, clutching his stomach.

  Growling, Mark released Nora’s arms and ran at Hunter. So did his friend. Nora collapsed to the floor, massaging her shoulders to relieve some of the pain. When she looked up half a second later, the guy she didn’t know had his hands at his face, trying desperately to stop the blood flowing from a vicious gash on his nose. Mark writhed on the floor, his features twisted with pain.

  Hunter stood there over the four bodies. He didn’t have a scratch on him. He wasn’t even breathing hard!

  Just then, Jimmy decided he hadn’t had enough yet. He got up and ran at Hunter from behind.

  “Watch out!” Nora screamed, but Hunter just gracefully – majestically – swung his left leg back in a roundhouse kick. Hunter’s foot struck Jimmy in the jaw, and he collapsed heavily to the floor.

  Hunter glanced at Nora before walking over to Brady, who lay face-down against the floor. Gruffly, Hunter kicked him over onto his back, dropped to one knee, and pinned both of Brady’s shoulders to the ground. Brady’s grimace suggested he was in enormous pain.

  “Listen to me, Brad,” Hunter began, “I don’t want you doing that to her, or any other girl, ever again. Do you understand?”

  Brady whimpered and nodded his head in agreement.

  “In fact, Brad.” Hunter released one of Brady’s shoulders and pointed a finger at his face. “I don’t even want to so much as hear of you being in this part of the school again. Do I make myself clear?”

  Brady kept nodding, over and over. Are those tears running down his face? Nora wondered. Hunter was hurting him. Really hurting him.

  She had to end it.

  “Stop it!” She tried to get up, to pull Hunter off, but her knees were weak and didn’t want to support her.

  As soon as the words left her mouth, Hunter looked to her, sat back, and removed his other hand from Brady’s shoulder. Brady exhaled in relief, and weakly rolled to one side to cradle himself with his hands.

  Hunter rose and stepped quickly over the bodies to approach Nora. Before she knew it, he had his hands gently under her arms, helping her up.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, frowning with worry.

  “Yes,” Nora answered. She looked at Brady lying on the floor. “Is he hurt?”

  Hunter glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. “Not badly.”

  “‘Not badly?’” Nora exclaimed. “He can barely move!”

  Brady gave a weak cough.

  “He had no right to treat you that w
ay,” Hunter frowned. “You’re not worried about him, are you?”

  “Of course I’m worried!” Nora cried out. “All of them are going to blame me for what you did, Hunter! They’re going to make my life a living hell!” Anxiety and stress and worry surged through Nora like a tidal wave. “I’m not going to be able to show my face at school again!”

  “You can’t be complicit in things like this, Nora.”

  “And you won’t be around to save me all the time, either!” It felt wrong, exploding at her rescuer like this, but her billowing emotions demanded a release. “What happens next time I’m alone, Hunter? I didn’t ask you to help me. You just made it worse!”

  Hunter balked. “I made it worse?”

  “Yes, you made it worse! You think they’ll go after you? They saw you fight. No way in hell. They’re going to wait until I’m alone and do the same thing, but even worse! You had no right to interfere. You had no right to do what you did!”

  “And without me, Nora,” Hunter said quietly, “what would you have done?”

  “I don’t know.” The tears she was struggling to control threatened to choke her, and she had to bite off the end of every word. “But I know I wouldn’t be terrified of being alone!” Her eyes began to water. She didn’t want Hunter to look at her with so much scrutiny. She felt like he was judging her.

  She couldn’t take it.

  So, she did the only thing she could think of. She balled her hand into a fist and swung it at Hunter’s stomach.

  He made no move to get out of the way.

  Her blow connected. It felt like she’d hit a concrete wall. The reverberation ran all the way up her arm, hurting her elbow, her shoulder, and her knuckles.

  Hunter grunted. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

  Nora slumped against her locker. Tear began to flow freely down her face.

  Chapter Five

  ~Shock and Murder~

  Nora ran home as soon as her legs were strong enough to carry her. She ran from the memory of Brady’s betrayal. She ran from the shame of exploding at Hunter.

  Most of all, she tried to run from herself.

  She slammed the door to her bedroom and turned the lock, then flung herself face down on the bed. She had to get away: away from her parents, away from her sister, away from her dog, away from everybody.

  Her friends called after school, wondering why she missed their last class. They’d made plans to go to the lake afterschool. Nora bailed. They were worried.

  She didn’t care. She ignored everything. She did not want to talk to anybody. She was strung too tight.

  She dreaded what tomorrow would bring. An encounter with Hunter, in first period math, for starters. She pressed her head deeper into the pillow.

  Her world was collapsing around her. Hunter was at the center of it all. But Brady was, too. Nora never imagined that Brady would be capable of what…of what he tried to do. If Hunter hadn’t been there… Nora shuddered to think what might have happened.

  Now what? She’d pined for Brady for so long. But he was a monster, nothing at all like the boy she’d built up in her mind. He was an asshole.

  She shouldn’t feel heartbroken over him. But she did. She couldn’t help it. Years of complete infatuation could not be swept aside in one afternoon.

  When did Brady become such a jerk? He used to be so nice: quiet and well-meaning and polite. Nora couldn’t believe who he had transformed to.

  Maybe it was his friends’ fault? Maybe the guys with him pressured him to do that. Nora remembered the smell of beer on their breaths. Was she a special target, or would they have done the same to any girl they found that day?

  The worst part was that her stupid brain wouldn’t let her flip a switch and forget about Brady, just like that. She’d held out for him for too long. Now that the illusion was shattered…

  Well, she did the only thing she could do. She buried her head into her pillow and sobbed. Deep, heart-wrenching sobs tore through her body. They left her drained and exhausted.

  Eventually, she pushed herself up from the bed. She couldn’t hide forever.

  She shut her eyes tight and willed the pain to go away. It subsided a little. Nora opened her eyes again.

  Hunter had saved her. He risked himself to help a girl he thought was his friend. And how did she repay him? By punching him in the gut.

  Idiot! Nora ridiculed herself. Complete and utter idiot!

  She stood up. The immediacy of what happened with Brady had overwhelmed her completely. She’d lashed out at the most convenient target: Hunter.

  Would he ever forgive her? Nora stared hopelessly at the ceiling. It was too late to change the past, but maybe she could somehow apologize to him in the future. She owed that much to him, at least.

  Scratching at her door caught her attention. She opened the door to her Labrador, Buster, who jumped onto her and licked the trails of her tears away.

  --

  Nora overslept the next morning and had to rush to school. She arrived fifteen minutes late, earning a stern look from Mrs. Millburn.

  Nora’s gaze darted to Hunter’s spot at the back. It was empty.

  A strange mix of disappointment and relief flooded over her. Hunter wasn’t there. It meant the much-needed apology would have to wait. But, it also meant the guilt of lashing out at him would keep gnawing at her.

  Nora slid down in her seat and watched the door the entire class, hoping Hunter would come. But he never did. The bell rang, interrupting her brooding, and Mrs. Millburn called Nora up to her desk. Great.

  “Yes?” Nora asked, over the sounds of shuffling students and brass conversation behind her.

  “I just wanted to inform you that your late arrival today was unacceptable, Miss Colburn.” Mrs. Millburn raised an eyebrow and waited.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I overslept this morning. It won’t happen again.”

  “See that it doesn’t.” Nora started to turn away, but stopped when Mrs. Millburn continued. “I also wanted to let you know that your presence afterschool today will be unnecessary.”

  “What? How come?”

  “Mr. Geralds wasn’t in class today. Seeing as he won’t be here, there’s no point for you to come in by yourself.”

  “Oh.”

  “Of course, I expect to see both of you here at precisely 3:15 on Monday, to make up for this missed session.”

  “Okay.” Nora turned to the door. “Thank you, Mrs. Millburn.”

  Nora shouldered her way through the thick throng of students in the halls and caught up with her friends in the cafeteria.

  “Nora!” Stacy was the first to notice her, and she jumped out of her seat to grab Nora in a big hug. “Where have you been? We were all so worried!”

  “Worried?” Nora tried to sound nonchalant. “Why?” She hadn’t told anybody what happened yesterday, and she doubted Brady or any of his buddies had. Since Hunter was absent, he couldn’t have mentioned anything, either.

  “Haven’t you heard?”

  “Heard what?”

  “Somebody was murdered near the school last night!”

  “What?” The shock was softened by the relief that it hadn’t had anything to do with her…incident.

  “Yeah, it was all over the news this morning.”

  Nora sat down hard. “You know I don’t watch TV in the mornings. It happened by the school?”

  “Yeah, which is why I was calling you all last night!” Stacy’s dad was a news anchor. It gave her an inside scoop on anything that happened in town. “We couldn’t figure out why you were missing last block yesterday, and none of my calls got through, so when daddy told me what happened, I got scared, because, well…you never know what might happen.”

  “Wait, so what happened exactly?”

  “Some guy was murdered here yesterday,” Molly offered.

  “Like here, here?” Nora asked.

  “Here, here,” Molly continued. “It happened over by the movie theater.”

  “Ser
iously?” Her thoughts turned immediately to Hunter’s absence. Was he all right?

  “And, it gets even weirder. Turns out, the guy who got killed was a hitman from Portland.”

  “A hitman?” Relief flooded her system, surely that had nothing to do with Hunter. The news did, however, peak her interest. Things like this never happened in this town.

  “That’s what the police say.”

  “What was a hitman doing here, anyway? And if he was the one who got killed, he had it coming, no?”

  “No, you don’t get it!” Molly jumped in.

  “Don’t get what? Can someone just tell me the full story?” She looked back and forth between her friends. She had entirely too much on her mind to follow their disjointed version of events, and her patience was wearing thin. “Stacy?”

  “Okay, so it goes like this.” Stacy fidgeted in her seat. “A fight broke out in the theater last night, which is unusual by itself, since not many of those happen here.” She paused for a minute, obviously waiting for a reaction. When she didn’t get one, she huffed out a breath and kept going. “Apparently, the hitman was involved in the fight. The two men took it outside, so nobody paid it much mind. They were afraid to interfere, from what I heard. Anyway, that’s not the most important bit.”

  “Well, what is?” Nora prompted.

  “They found the guy later, the hitman, lying out in the back with all his blood drained out of him.”

  “Wait, what?” Nora was, for the first time in this whole conversation, completely taken aback.

  “That’s why the news is so big,” Kelly explained.

  “The guy had two gaping holes in his neck.” Stacy shivered. “Right beside each other. The cops say they looked like bite marks.”

  “Bite marks?” Nora laughed nervously. “What, like a vampire or something?”

  “I know, right? It sounds like something out of one of those horror books,” Stacy said, “but it’s true. The police say the guy got knocked out in the fight, and they’re not blaming the other combatant for the death, but they’re trying to find and question him anyway.”