Chapters (95)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Video #1
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Video #2
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Video #3
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- The Final Video
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Cover
Basher moves. He grabs a metal gas can from the floor and throws it over the Mustang at Laura. It flies right at her head, and she ducks and fires the gun at the same time.
Eighty-Three
Mike grunts as I drop to the floor.
My face presses against the smooth cement. Mike falls to the floor next to me, moaning in pain. I can see underneath the car to the other side. Laura is on the floor, too.
The gun is out of her hand. It slid under the car about two feet, leaving it closer to her but not too far from me.
I scuttle crablike, slipping my body under the car. My left hand extends as far as it will go, reaching for the gun. Laura grabs for it from the other side, but I get it first.
Laura’s hand clamps over mine. I try to pull away, but she’s surprisingly strong. I pull and pull and can’t seem to shake her. Laura uses her free hand to start clawing at my face. Her nails rake against my skin like talons, and I tuck my head down to protect my eyes. Blood trickles down my face.
I almost let go. Almost lose my grip.
She’ll use the gun. I know.
She’ll use it again.
Footsteps slap against the concrete floor of the garage. Shoes move toward Laura.
Is it Basher, up off the ground? They’re not his shoes, not his legs.
“Stop it. Stop it.”
It’s Scott. He’s down on the floor now, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her back. My hand comes free, and I slide out from under the car, holding the gun.
I’ve never held one before. It’s heavy. Dense. I’m afraid if I move, even the tiniest bit, it will go off.
But I have to go to Mike. He’s on his back. His left hand is clamped against his right bicep, which is gushing blood. He’s been shot. He looks ghostly pale, and I set the gun carefully on the floor next to him, removing my jacket and using it as a tourniquet.
“My right arm,” he says, his voice faint. “I won’t be able to throw. For the college recruiters…”
“Maybe you’ll throw better,” I say.
One side of his mouth goes up, but his eyelids flutter and then close. I take out my phone to call 911.
“Think about this, Hunter,” Scott says from the other side of the car. He has Laura on her feet, his arm around her. Her head is slumped against his shoulder, her eyes closed.
“I have to call them. He’s losing too much blood.”
“I know, Hunter,” Scott says. “But we’re going to leave. Laura and I. Okay? And you need to just forget all of this. You don’t understand it.”
“I understand it. I really do.”
Scott starts toward me. “Just listen, Hunter—”