Chapter Ten
We felt chastened after breaking into Rei’s home, and for a spell we stayed close to home. I missed the pleasure of trying on other people’s lives and the sense of freedom Amir and I experienced when we were away from Horseshoe Cliff. So I felt a thrill when Amir suggested that we venture out to just one more house, one final press of our luck.
“Your pick,” he said. I had passed the GED, and this was his gift to me.
Amir’s eyes widened when I stopped in front of the house I’d chosen. Separated from the road by a stone wall, it was larger than any of the homes we’d previously explored. A locked gate—a rare sight in Osha—spanned the driveway.
“This one?” Amir shook his head. “There’s no way we’ll get inside.”
“But wouldn’t you love to see it?”
“I’d love to not get arrested. This place definitely has an alarm. Pick another.”
I peered through the gate. The driveway was a long stretch ofsleek black pavement, empty of cars. Though it was dusk, none of the lights in the house were lit.
I stuck out my hand and said, “I bet you a million bucks there’s no alarm.”
Amir looked skeptical, but he shook my hand. “A million bucks. Don’t forget it. I’m going to need that money to buy toothpaste in prison.”
I laughed. He helped me scramble to the top of the wall, and the feeling of his hands on my legs made my breath catch in my chest.
Amir, who was much taller than me and still as skinny as a sapling, managed to grab hold of the top of the wall and pull himself up beside me. The house was new but made to look old with a stone tower at one corner and thick black porch columns.
“How many bedrooms do you think it has?” I asked. “Ten?”
“It’s ugly. It looks like an insane asylum.”
“What are you talking about? It looks like a castle.”
“You say potato, I saypo-tah-to.”
I smiled. “Well, I’m dying to see the inside of this potato.”
We hopped down from the wall. The moment our feet hit the driveway, light flooded the air. We froze.
“Let’s go,” Amir said in a low voice. “Now.”
He turned, but I stood still. The house was quiet. We were so close. The thought of giving up filled me with disappointment. “The lights are probably on motion sensors,” I whispered. “I don’t think anyone is home. I’m just going to peek in the window.”
Amir’s hand encircled my wrist. I felt a charge where his skintouched mine. I knew every shade of brown that existed within his irises and knew that they seemed to darken when he was worried.
“Merrow.”
I gently shook my wrist free from his hand. “I’ll be right back.” I ran toward the house.
I’d only made it a few feet when enraged barking filled the air like a siren. I skidded to a stop and in that instant saw the dog that raced toward me in a blur of fur and teeth. I spun and ran, but the dog’s nails clawed my back, knocking me to the pavement. His teeth ripped through my jeans and into my calf. I cried out at the pain that coursed through me. The dog held tight as I tried to kick free.
“Hey! No! Get off!” Amir hollered. I twisted to see him pulling at the dog’s collar, but the dog would not loosen his grip on me.
I heard a woman’s voice. “No, Tiger! No!”
And then the dog was gone. I rolled into a ball, moaning and clutching my leg. My hands came away from the wound covered in blood.
Amir was beside me. “Merrow—”
“Oh my god,” said a man in a horrified voice.
I struggled to sit up. Behind Amir, a man and an older woman looked down at me with stunned expressions. The dog, still quivering with excitement, sat beside the woman and stared at me hungrily.
