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Her father’s expression didn’t flicker. “One-eighty?”
“You were trying to kill us all last week. Now you want to help?”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you.”
“Funny how you blew up my car ”
“When you weren’t in it.” While his voice was mild, there was a glint of wicked humor in his eye, something not entirely pleasant. “I even offered to replace it.”
Becca leaned in against the table. “You could have killed innocent people,” she hissed.
“Could have. Didn’t.” He looked across the table to meet Gabriel’s eyes. “I didn’t kill anyone, innocent or not. Right?”
Gabriel let the lid of his lighter fall open, flicking the igniter while it rolled.
Nick reached out and snapped it closed before a flame could fully form. He held fast, and Gabriel could almost read his thoughts. Don’t. You’ll start a fight we can’t win.
And that . . . that made Gabriel look away.
He jerked free of his twin, shoved the lighter into his pocket, and scowled.
“Why didn’t you kill us?” said Chris. “Why go to all that trouble with the walk-in freezer, and setting Nick’s leg ”
“Ever go fishing?” said Bill.
“Sure.”
“I only had two of you. In my experience, live bait works better.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” said Becca. Her voice was full of challenge, but her fingers looked like they had a death grip on Chris’s. “Why do you want to help us now? ”
atched his hand away. Was that what he looked like?
“Hey, man.” A voice spoke at his shoulder. “You all right?”
Gabriel jerked back. He’d been so close to her.
Hunter stood there, a navy backpack slung over his shoulder.
That white streak interrupted his sandy blond hair and hung across one eye, leaving the other wide and full of scrutiny.
Hunter’s father had been a Guide, too, until he’d been killed by a rock slide. Hunter had come to town to kill the Merricks, in retaliation. He’d thought they were responsible for his father’s death until Becca had convinced him otherwise. For the last three days, they’d shared a kind of awkward truce.
“Yeah,” said Gabriel. “I’m all right.”
Hunter glanced at Layne. “Are you all ”
“Fine,” she said. Then she turned and dashed into the crowd of students.
Hunter stared after her. “What just happened?”
Gabriel didn’t hate this dude the way Chris did, but some sense of brotherly loyalty insisted he feel irritation at his presence. “None of your business, Mom.” He started walking.
Hunter followed him. “All right, then what happened in second period?”
“I slept through English. You?”
“I don’t think that was sleeping.” Hunter gave a pointed look up, at the lights embedded in the ceiling.
