Page 11 of Scorched

“You heard her, Caesar. Back off.” Kendall dropped her backpack on her desk and stepped up beside Elise.

“That’s right. We’re tired of you pushing people around.” Alex moved to stand on Elise’s other side.

Caesar’s brows rose at the united front. After a quick glance around at the room still full of his peers, Caesar’s glare returned. “You three don’t scare me. You can’t do anything to me.”

“Maybe they can’t, but I can.” Paul Fletcher stepped through the doorway and stood a good six inches taller than Caesar. His muscular chest was developed and solid. Not to mention, Paul was a trained federal agent, and he looked like it, from the way he stood to the cold look he directed toward Caesar.

Elise let the breath out that she’d been holding. Glad for the interference, she knew she’d ultimately pay for not dealing with the problem herself. Now that Paul had stepped in, Caesar would find another time to test her and possibly Kendall and Alex. Not good.

Caesar stared at Paul as if weighing his options and then he shrugged. “I got better things to do.” He pushed past Paul and left the room.

“You okay?” Paul looked at her with a concerned frown.

With a half dozen students still gawking, she squared her shoulders and nodded. “Yes. I’m fine. Just anotherday in the classroom.” She shot a glance at the teens still standing around, her eyebrows rising. “Don’t you have homes to go to?”

They ducked their heads and scurried out the door, except for Alex and Kendall.

“I can’t believe what Caesar tried to pull. Someone needs to take him down.” Kendall threw back her shoulders as if she’d like to be the one to do it—all five-foot-two girl with attitude. “We’ve got enough going on around here without him playing the class jerk.”

Elise grabbed Kendall’s arm. “You be careful around him. He’s got a lot more bulk to him than you, and apparently, he’s not afraid to throw it around.”

“He doesn’t scare us,” Alex said, standing as tall as his five-foot-four-inch frame would go. “I’m a black belt in Tae kwon do.”

“Yeah, but he has eighty pounds on you,” Elise reminded him.

The teen’s eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t matter how big you are. What matters is how you use what you have.”

“Yeah,” Kendall added. “I took self-defense, too.” When Alex shot her a surprised look, she blushed. “My dad insisted.” Kendall’s brows rose. “It could happen to anybody, look at that woman who disappeared last night. She was taken from her home right here in Breuer.”

The blood in Elise’s head rushed to her stomach and she swayed. “A woman disappeared?” She frowned at Kendall. “How did you know?”

“My dad works for the sheriff’s department.” Kendall laughed. “I guess the cop thing runs in the family.”

Elise’s gaze connected with Paul’s. “Did you know about this?”

Paul nodded. “I got word about it last night.”

Heat rose in Elise’s cheeks. Instead of blasting Paul, she turned calmly toward the teens. “Kendall, Alex, did you need me for anything?”

“No, ma’am,” Kendall responded.

Kendall and Alex left Paul and Elise alone in the classroom with the door half-closed.

Paul visibly braced himself.

As well he should.

As soon as the kids were out of earshot, Elise launched her attack. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“We don’t know whether or not the woman’s disappearance had anything to do with the note,” Paul said.

“Still, I want to know what’s going on.” She paced across the classroom and back, only to stop directly in front of him. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. How could you? You know what it means to me.”

“Exactly.” Paul’s lips twisted. “If I’d told you about the woman, you wouldn’t have slept a wink.”

“You think I slept last night?” She dropped her voice to just above a whisper. “I had nightmares about him all night. This morning, I swear I saw Stan in every face on the street. Is he or is he not dead?”

Paul sighed. “We don’t know with absolute certainty.”

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