AllFreeNovel
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They stood in the middle of a paved road, surrounded by explosives—the worst place for a showdown with Tyler and his friends. But the only visible movement in the darkness was caused by the rain and the wind through the trees.
Chris swallowed his fear and grabbed another bag. This one went by the front quarter panel of the SUV. Gabriel placed one by the back tire, then straightened and rubbed his hands on the front of his jeans. He gave Chris a smile. “See?” he called. “Worried for nothing.”
A car door slammed.
Gabriel whirled. The sound came from behind the truck, but there were no lights. They couldn’t see anyone yet. Chris felt his hands curl into fists, ready to fight. When they’d attacked behind the school, he’d had nothing. Now, he had the power of the rain and a brother by his side.
Another car door slammed.
Gabriel glanced at him, and Chris could read the question in his expression. Fight or run?
A voice spoke from the darkness. “Aw. Look. The Merrick truck is sitting in front of my house.”
Tyler. Fear grabbed Chris by the throat. The rain turned cold, biting his skin and urging him to fight.
He heard a rough scraping sound, thin and keening through the rain. Metal on metal. Then Tyler’s face appeared from the darkness.
He was dragging his keys along the side of Michael’s truck.
“Keys?” said Gabriel, stepping forward to shove Tyler away. His voice was easy, but the motion was full of threat. “What is this, middle school?”
Tyler glanced past him, clearly taking in the bags of fertilizer lined up alongside his truck. “Late night yard work?”
Thunder rolled through the sky. “Something like that,” said Gabriel.
It was taking all of Chris’s control to keep from choking Tyler with water, to keep it from freezing in the other boy’s eyes, to keep himself from breaking the promise his parents had made.
Tyler cocked his head to the side, gave a twisted grin that looked maniacal in the moonlight. “You wouldn’t be calling elements, would you?”
“Who needs elements?” said Gabriel.
Then he punched him.
Tyler staggered back into the truck, and Gabriel went after him, slamming the other boy against the quarter panel. “Don’t you ever f**king touch my brother again.”
Chris felt a surge of pride.
Then someone grabbed him from behind and shoved him into the front grille of the truck.
“What’s wrong?” said Seth. “Don’t have your girlfriend to protect you?”
God, he’d been stupid. This was Tyler’s SUV. They’d heard the other car. Of course Tyler wouldn’t have been alone.
Chris tried to round on Seth, but the other boy was standing on concrete, and that meant his grip was practically unbreakable.
The rain hardened into hail. With an edge.
Seth slammed him against the grille again. “Cut that shit out.”
“What?” said Chris innocently, hating that his voice carried a wheeze. The rain had fixed his ribs before, but they still ached. “Don’t like rainstorms?”
Seth spun him around and slammed him in the face.
Chris didn’t know he was falling until the pavement whacked him in the back of the head. Jesus Christ, that guy could throw a punch. Chris had to remind his lungs to breathe.
The rain turned to sleet, whipping sideways, striking the truck and making a racket. Seth was going after Gabriel now, dragging him away from Tyler.
Then Seth had Gabriel up against the truck, choking him.
