Page 4 of Point of Infinity
I immediately felt sorry for having pulled away from him. But I didn’t know him, and I wasn’t going with them.
“Ratch, man, come on,” the other guy called from the hallway.
“Mackenzie.”
I turned toward Ratchet. “How do you know my name?”
“The sign over your bed in pink neon.” He smirked and picked up the gun.
I gasped.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He wiped down the gun with his T-shirt.
“Here.” He handed the gun to me. “Put your finger on the trigger.”
I shook my head.
“It’s perfectly safe. The gun’s empty.” He shook it. “Take it.”
I wrapped my hand around the grip. It was heavier than I had imagined.
“In a few minutes, the police are going to come in here. You tell them exactly what happened.” He grabbed my hand and guided my finger to the trigger. He pulled, and the gun clicked and jumped in my hand.
“A group of guys broke in and killed your mother. The two at the bottom of the stairs waited behind, and when you came out of your hiding place on the landing.”—he gestured toward the stairs—“you shot them.”
“But . . .”
“You shot them to protect yourself.” He stood up. “What happened?”
I looked between him and his friend. He looked so hopeful. I didn’t want to disappoint them.
“I shot them to protect myself.” I dropped the gun next to me and stood up.
Sirens rang out from a distance.
“That’s a good girl.” He caressed my cheek. His warm skin took some of the chill out of my heart. It quickly returned when he stepped away.
“We were never here, okay?” The other guy nodded.
I nodded back.
I stood over my mother. Part of me expected her to sit up and give me an explanation. I loved my mother, but we’d been living in a constant state of impending doom since we left the small town where I was born. I knew we were on the run, but not from who. From the logo on the man’s cut, my suspicions were confirmed. And I had killed them. Now they would be after me, too.
“Don’t worry, princess.” He backed away. “Just tell the police your story, and they will send you far away from here. You’ll be safe.” It was like he read my mind.
He kissed the top of my head and shuffled out the front door, cradling his arm against his chest.
I ran after him, but once I stepped outside, they were gone.
The sirens grew closer.
My legs became weak. I collapsed on the front stoop.
They asked me to keep their secret, but the man who ordered them to hurt my mom was still out there. And I would not be safe until he was dead, too.
CHAPTER 1
BECKY (KENZIE)
