Page 155 of The Friend Scheme
Bullets rain down around us. It’s so dark, but I can hear them hittingthe dumpsters around us. I see sparks, and hear bullets hitting the metal. A body to my right falls, but it’s too dark to tell who it is. Luke is still holding on to my wrist, pulling me forward, his grip like a vise.
I swear I feel a bullet skim over the top of my head.
Luke and I manage to make it out of the alley. We round the corner and press our backs against the wall, so we’re protected. Dad joins us a heartbeat later.
My relief is immense.
But we aren’t safe yet.
Some family members return fire.
Down the street to my left, in the parking lot, is Dad’s car. Cassidy and her mom made it to theirs.
“Where’s Vince?” asks Dad, but I can tell in his voice he already knows.
The dark shape we saw fall.
Hatred fills Dad’s features, and he pulls a gun from a holster on his hip. He takes a step toward the alley.
I glance at Luke.
We each grab one of Dad’s arms. He fights us, but we manage to hold him still. I’m glad he’s still weak, as we manage to overpower him.
“Dad, stop!” I shout.
“Get off me!”
“It’s too late!” shouts Luke. “They’ll kill you, too. Please!”
He stares at us for a second.
“Killing yourself won’t do anything,” I say. “If you want revenge, you need to be smart. Make them pay some other way.”
It’s the only thing I can think of to say that’ll make him stop.
He nods. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
He’s being really scary. He just, like, switched. From furious enough to murder, to cool and collected, all in a heartbeat.
How can he do that?
If it was Luke in the alley, then, well, I don’t know what I’d do.
The gunfire has stopped.
Keeping our heads low, we run over to the parking lot.
I get into the back seat, and Luke climbs into the passenger side. Dad steps on the gas, and we speed out of the lot. I glance at the burning bar, and feel something I never have.
I hate the Donovans.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Vince’s funeral is one of the most elaborate spectacles I’ve ever seen.
I think he’d like it.
The service is taking place in this grand churchlike building. There’s a priest, apparently a high-ranking one, if clergy have ranks. He’s a big deal in the community, is what I mean. He greets the family before the service with a smile, like today was just another day.
