Rules of Survival(44)

A few moments later, Chris let out a sharp whistle. “Okay…got it.”

I bent closer and peered at the screen. The border around the edge of Mom’s picture read “FBI.” “Holy shit… Did you—did you just hack the FBI website?”

Chris shrugged. “Trust me. It’s not as impressive as it sounds.” She went back to reading the screen. “Credit card fraud, identity theft, robbery, murder… Wow, Shaun. Playing with the bad boys and girls these days?”

“Does it say anything about someone named Mick?” I asked, trying to ignore her jab at Mom.

“Nope,” Chris said, eyes moving across the screen. “Oh, wait. This might be something. Says in the notes section that they believe she has an accomplice—a guy named Mick Shultz.”

“Shultz,” I repeated, rolling the word around my mouth. It wasn’t the least bit familiar. “Does it say anything else about him? Dead? Alive? Last known whereabouts?”

She shook her head. “All unknown. Sorry.” The alarm next to the computer began to buzz, and Chris sighed, shutting the machine down with the single push of a button. “Wish I could be more help, but that’s time.”

“Time?”

“Any longer and there’s a chance I can be tracked. I’ve already gotten into trouble a few times. Dad will kill me if it happens again. He threatened a nunnery.” She winked at Shaun. “I think we both know that’s not for me.”

“Thank you,” I said between gritted teeth. “You obviously took a risk to help, and I appreciate it.”

She ignored my gratitude, attention still on Shaun. The adoration in her eyes was like glaring into the sun. “I owe my life to him. I wouldn’t be here to risk anything if it weren’t for him.”

Shaun returned her smile. Though thankfully, a little less lovelorn, and he nodded to the window. “Someone just pulled in. You expecting anyone?”

She pushed him aside and peered out the window. When she turned back, her face was pale. “My dad’s home!”





Chapter Fifteen


It wasn’t much, but at least we had a last name. It was more to go on than we’d started out with. Finding Mick Shultz had just gotten a little easier.

Despite the fact that Chris had helped us, I was more than happy to put her in the past—even if she hadn’t gotten the chance to cut the shackle chain. When her dad got home, she’d shoved us out the back door of the garage before I could even blink. But it was just as well. It was obvious she had a thing for Shaun, and since he and I had been sucking face not even twenty-four hours earlier, it was uncomfortable to see—not to mention annoying.

We’d walked back to town and were hunting for a place to grab something to eat when my curiosity got the best of me. “So what did she mean, she owed you her life?”

Shaun rolled his eyes. “I used to live next door. When I was a kid, her house caught fire. It was during the day—we were both home sick—and I called the fire department.”

“That’s cool, but I expected something a little more, I dunno, epic.”

“Well,” he said with a shrug. “I also pulled her out of the burning building.”

I froze. “You what?”

“The fire trucks were taking forever. I was on the lawn and heard her screaming…” His cheeks flushed and he looked away. “I went in and pulled her out.”

“How old were you?”

“I don’t know. Twelve maybe?”

“You pulled someone from a burning building when you were twelve?”

“It really wasn’t that big a thing.”

“She seemed to think it was. She was ready to toss her underwear at you—or didn’t you notice?”

“Oh. Yeah… Chris always had kind of a crush on me. Can you blame her, though? I mean look at me.” He gestured to himself, rattling the shackle chain. “If I was a chick, I’d be all over this, too…”

“’Cause that’s not too weird,” I mumbled.

His hand closed around mine. “She’d make a good distraction, but she’s not my type.”

“Oh?” I hated myself for the flush of happy that flooded my system. What the hell was wrong with me? I was running for my life, not looking for a hookup. But still, the way Shaun was gazing at me, the memory of last night… It transformed careful, smart, and cautious Kayla into a goober-worthy Kayla with a crazy-mad crush.

“I prefer my girls with a little more of an edge. The kind that can roll with the punches.” He winked and lifted our joined hands. “Deal with unique situations without spazzing…”

We’d stopped walking and he leaned close. I found myself wanting to meet him halfway. That is, until the annoying little voice in my head stopped me from doing something I’d regret.

I’d put on the brakes last night for a reason. Because when this was said and done, I was either going to give him the slip or end up in jail. Or dead, but that wasn’t an option I wanted to give much thought to. I liked him. There was no reason to dig the hole any deeper than it already was. I cleared my throat and moved away. “I, um, think we should call Patrick again.”

He blinked and pulled back. “Really?”

There was a pay phone across the street on the corner, next to an IHOP. Desperate to avoid another awkward moment, I guided him across the street, the smell of syrup and cinnamon sugar wafting from the building making my mouth water with each step. “Yes—but I think I should be the one to call him.”