The Protectors Series Bundle - By Nana Malone Page 0,6
him. She probably looked like hell. After all, she’d been trekking in the mud for the last hour.
She halted about ten feet from him, unsure of what to do or say. Thankfully he spoke first. Inclining his head, he whispered, “Cassie.”
“Uhm, hey Bryan.”
He wrinkled his brow. “You okay? You look a little…” His voice trailed off.
“She looked down at herself. “Worse for wear. Yeah I know.“ She looked around. She didn’t really have time to talk to him. She needed Mallory. “I’m sorry I’m late. I can’t stay either. I just thought I’d say hi. I need to grab Mallory and borrow her car for something.”
Bryan’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She’d never learned the nuances of lying “Not really, but there’s nothing you can do about it. “
He shrugged. “You’ll never know unless you trust me. Want to tell me why you look like you’ve just done a mud run?”
Did she trust him with her secret? Would it get him hurt? “I, uhm, had a little trouble getting out of the house tonight.” There, that was the truth at least.
Bryan frowned. “What, did your brother drag you out through the mud ‘cause you asked to go out?”
She giggled at the mental imagery. “You’re actually not too far off.”
Nodding, he added. “Any particular reason you want to borrow Mallory’s car? I have my bike if you want it.”
She blinked at him. “Oh wow, that’s really cool of you, but I can’t. I just need Mallory. I couldn’t ask you for a ride.”
“Why not? You obviously need to get somewhere, and last I saw Mallory, she was heading out with Greg Meeks. So she might be awhile.”
Cassie turned around and scanned the gazebo where she’d seen her friend. Sure enough the redhead wasn’t there. Damn. Mallory had been talking about Greg for ages. If she was with him then borrowing her car would be out of the question. There was no way Mallory would bail on the opportunity to make out with the hottest guy in the world, as she saw it.
That also meant Cassie wouldn’t get to say goodbye. But maybe that was for the best. Everyone would swear they’d seen her with Greg all night and that would keep Peter away from her friend. A twinge of guilt pinched her heart as she thought about what Peter might do to Bryan. “Maybe this isn’t such a good—”
“Look, you need a lift.” He shrugged. “I can give you one.”
“Oh okay. Uhm, then, maybe if you could give me a ride to the bus station.” The nearest train station was two towns over.
He didn’t even blink when she said bus station. Instead, he yanked his baseball hat from his back pocket and held out his hand to her. Cassie stared at it. Her heart thudded trying to explode out of her chest. The closer she got to him, the louder she could hear his heartbeat as well. And the more in time to hers it got. Boom, thud, boom, thud, boom, thud.
She slipped her ice-cold, dirt-stained hand into his and he squeezed. Not once did he cringe at the dirt or filth. Instead, steady warmth surrounded her diminutive hand and for the first time since Peter had turned her into a freakazoid, she felt safe.
He tugged her along the back of the school and they approached a motorcycle. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.”
He grinned. “Somehow I had a feeling.” He handed her a helmet.
Cassie slipped the helmet over her hair and hopped on the back of his motorcycle. How the hell had she gotten here? On the back of some guy’s motorcycle riding off into the—well, not quite the sunset, but to a bus station. To freedom.
This wasn’t supposed to be her life. Her parents weren't supposed to die and her brother was supposed to protect her. Instead, he had become the enemy. He’d become the point of fear in her life. And now she was running from him as fast as her legs could carry her. Which, lucky for her, was now faster than an Olympic sprinter and prolonged over distances.
As they whizzed down the streets, houses and trees and cars flew by and she squeezed her hands around Bryan’s waist. Would he pay dearly for this one favor? How much trouble would he be in? Would Peter even know that he’d helped her? Yes. Peter knew everything. She shoved away her guilt of having dragged this poor boy into her private hell.