Fighting Fate (Granton University #1)(92)

“Einstein?”

The gunman reacted violently, rotating the gun around on its sling until he swung it in their direction and held it in firing position. He lurched a step into the alley toward them. Paige yelped out her shock while Logan whisked them nearly sideways, turning their bodies just enough that he could pin her to the brick wall, completely protecting her with his own body as he tucked her behind him.

“Paige?” Einstein called, sounding almost frightened. Lost.

“Oh my God. Einstein! What’re you doing?” She couldn’t believe…it couldn’t be possible. Just because he’d been a little strange…but he was so harmless.

Einstein stalked close enough for her to see the sweat gleaming on his face. He never once lowered the gun or took his aim off them as his pale brown eyes focused on her. What she’d once thought was an innocent baby face had contorted into the face of an executioner. Dull lifeless orbs stared from his blank gaze. She trembled, experiencing fear as she’d never experienced it before. The stranger before her could kill…mercilessly.

Eyeing Logan up and down, he asked suspiciously, “Who’s he?”

“Wh-what’re you doing, Einstein?” Paige repeated, her voice wobbling, her fingers digging deep into Logan’s arm, wishing he wasn’t so visible. “Put the gun down. Did you actually shoot someone?”

Taking his gaze off Logan, Einstein looked at her again. His face crumpled into a piteous expression, and his voice whined. “I did it for you, Paige.”

“Wha—” She licked her dry, cracked lips, afraid to ask. This was worse than a nightmare. She couldn’t even dream up something this horrific. “What did you do?”

Oh, God. What had he done?

“I killed him.” A rusty sob grated from his throat. “I killed him because he hurt you.”

She gasped, and Logan’s muscles tensed against her. “Dorian? You killed Dorian?”

Nodding, Einstein gulped. “I killed him.” Then a strange gleam entered his dead eyes before he smiled. “And it felt good. It felt like…justice. So I decided to kill them all. Everyone who ever made fun of me. Slaughter the sheep.”

Logan lifted his free hand in a surrendering kind of way. “Then why are you pointing that gun at Paige? She never made fun of you.” His voice was calm, placating.

It irritated Einstein. Slashing his gaze to Logan, his eyes flared with a rage Paige had never seen her friend turn on anyone. Gritting his teeth, the sixteen-year-old pulled the butt of the gun snug against his shoulder and focused his aim on Logan.

“Paige didn’t, but I don’t know about you. Who the hell are you?”

He didn’t give Logan a chance to answer. The crack of light and explosion of sound that followed dragged a scream of terror from Paige’s lungs.

In front of her, Logan jerked backward, bumping into her hard. Then his grip on her hand went slack. His body sagged, beginning to slip down hers like a limp sheet fluttering toward the ground.

“Logan?” She caught him around the waist and slid her hands up to support him by the armpits.

Head lulling against her shoulder, he didn’t respond.

“Logan!” This time the scream came from her very soul. “Noooo!”

Vaguely, she realized the danger was far from over, but a part of her had gone numb. Logan slumped in her arms. Sounds like a tortured animal rose in her throat, and she tilted her cheek to press it against his temple as she squeezed her eyes closed.

Logan.

“You like him.” The words came at her like an accusation.

Paige trembled and lifted her wet lashes. “I love him.”

Einstein gaped at her, looking thunderstruck. “I killed for you, and you went out and got a boyfriend?”

“Einstein.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “Please.”

Sobs consumed her, making her chest raw from the pain that tore through her heart. Her arms began to burn from holding Logan’s dead weight.

“Please.” She had no idea what she was begging for. Life maybe. Logan’s life. Einstein’s surrender.

Einstein watched the tears slide down her cheeks, a look of awe on his face. Then his eyes widened and horror crossed his expression. He jerked the gun away from her and awkwardly ripped the sling off his shoulder. When she realized he was trying to position the long barrel to aim at himself, her eyes flared open wide.

“Don’t. Einstein!”

He didn’t hear her, didn’t even pause.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tucked her face against Logan’s cooling cheek and everything inside her jumped when the next shot blasted a second later. It deafened her, but she still heard the rifle clatter to the asphalt a split second before the body dropped beside it. She didn’t have the courage to check, but she knew.

Einstein was gone.

Quivering, crying, panting hard, she shuffled backward until her back met the wall, then she slid down in increments, cradling Logan carefully so as not to jar him. When she was finally seated, his long legs sprawled away from them as she gently supported his head in her lap. His eyes were closed and lips slightly parted.

Even though she braced herself before looking, the sight of his wound still sent a shockwave of electric proportions shooting to every nerve in her body, waking the numb sensors with a zap of terror.

“Logan?” Her voice shook. “Logan, please open your eyes.”