Rules of Survival(23)

I had a suspicion that if I didn’t step in, Shaun would keep going. A darkness had taken hold of him. Whatever it was, it ignited a kind of rage that I’d never seen in a person before. I should have been scared—and I was, a little—but more than that, I was intrigued. What could fuel a person to be so angry?

I grabbed his arm and pulled back. “Enough. Remember the others?”

He turned to me and his eyes went wide. Breath coming in ragged pulls, it was like he’d forgotten I was here. “Kayla, I—”

“No time!” I snapped and pointed to the right. Chain guy was running at us full speed, and not far behind him was the couple from the bench. Even with Shaun in his unstable, Hulk-like glory, I didn’t feel confident taking on three-to-one odds. And I’d been dead weight the entire time Shaun had dealt with ponytail and Josh. I’d only make things worse if he tried to take on three at once, and surely get us caught. Or worse, killed.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the main gate. We ran like hell for the mall.

Traffic was lighter now, and we made it across the street without having to stop. Thankfully we still had the hoodie hiding the chain, which Shaun readjusted as we skidded to a stop in front of the main entrance.

Through the doors and past the coffee kiosk, we picked up the pace as we turned onto the main hall. The place wasn’t nearly as crowded as I’d hoped. “Now what?” I wheezed. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed the couple just rounding the corner. There was no sign of chain guy.

“It’s gotta be close to dinnertime, right?” he said, not looking back. “If there’s a crowd, that’s where it will be.”

I didn’t respond. I had my doubts, but hoped I was wrong. We made our way to the stairs. By the time we reached the top, the couple had started up. They were gaining on us.

The food court wasn’t what I’d consider crowded, but there were people. Two groups of them. “Fuck,” Shaun cursed, starting to turn away.

I grabbed his arm. “Wait.” On one side there were about six guys, all beefy and wearing motorcycle jackets. On the other, there were eight guys, slightly younger and kind of punky. “I have an idea. Follow my lead.”

I took Shaun’s hand and led him down the middle, pausing for a moment before approaching the bikers. Stopping at the first table, I smiled sweetly. “Excuse me. Is one of you Big John?”

The dark-haired one at the head of the table nodded. His eyes appraising, he grinned and leaned forward on his elbows. “What can I do for you, sweet thing?”

I inclined my head toward the group of guys on the other side of the food court. The couple had reached the top, and in a twist I couldn’t possibly have hoped for, took a seat right beside the other group. “Those guys over there are talking some serious shit about you. They said they were going to be waiting outside. I just wanted to warn you. More of them, ya know? Seemed unfair.”

Big John’s face turned an impressive shade of scarlet. He gave me a curt nod, then stood, slamming a meaty hand down on the table. The rest of his boys followed suit. I dragged Shaun around to the other side of their table, fighting a wicked grin, and settled in to watch the show.

Big John and his crew didn’t disappoint.

“Hey,” he bellowed, starting across the court. The other group of guys stood. “You got something to say?”

They traded insults, going back and forth until it erupted into violence. In a whir of activity, several mall rent-a-cops came running, trying to tear the men apart, while the couple was shooed back and into the small crowd that had started to gather around the edge of the fray.

“How’d you know the guy’s name?” Shaun asked, leaning close as we backed away slowly. With everyone’s eyes on the fight, we were free to melt into the crowd.

I grinned. “Was right there on the front of his jacket.”

“That’s kind of awesome.” He snickered, lips parting slightly as our eyes met. For an insane moment, I wondered what it would have been like if life were normal. If Shaun and I were friends instead of enemies—maybe more than friends—and this was just another day hanging out at the mall. Maybe he’d lean in and whisper a joke in my ear.

Maybe he’d kiss me.





Chapter Nine


We hadn’t spoken about Shaun’s meltdown at the junkyard, but it was bothering him. I could tell. Truth was, it bothered me, too. I’d never seen anyone lose it like that before. Sure, it’d helped us get away, but it also made me wonder if there was anything I could do or say to make him snap like that and go apeshit on me.

I decided to just let it go for now and brought up Patrick, instead. Unfortunately, that didn’t go over any better.

“I don’t believe it. There’s another explanation.” He’d been shaking his head and denying the obvious for an hour now. I half expected him to go into some kind of shock. A pang of regret washed over me and I felt sorry for him. He had the kind of faith in Patrick that I had in Mom. Unshakable and never-ending.

I took a huge bite of my burger and peeked around the side of the building. The coast still looked clear. We’d run from the mall and kept going until we hit the bus station. Shaun refused to go too far, still convinced that Patrick was one of the good guys, so we got off a town over and hunkered down in the dark under a streetlamp behind a McDonald’s just off the highway. Yet as convinced as he kept insisting he was, I saw it in his eyes. Doubt.