Chapter 13
Shaggy was holding the phone out in front of him, directly toward Lawton and his mangled car.
I glared at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Taking video," Shaggy said. "What else?"
Helplessly, I looked toward Lawton. He stood near the passenger's side door, watching us with a blank expression. The iron dangled loosely in his right hand. And then, it clattered to the pavement. An instant later, he was at my side.
"You." He glared at Shaggy. "Get away from her. Now."
With a shrug, Shaggy took a couple steps away from me. He turned back toward the mangled car. "Oh man," he said. "That is so messed up." He held out his cell phone. "Total viral." He stepped closer, zooming in on the hood.
"Stop that!" I said.
He shook his head. "No way."
I gave Lawton a pleading look. "Are you just gonna stand there and let him take video of – " I waved my hands on a useless gesture "—this?"
Shaggy chuckled. "It's called freedom of the press, baby." He turned to call over his shoulder. "Am I right, or what?"
"Got that right," said a distant, unfamiliar voice.
Wildly, I glanced around and came to a horrible realization. Shaggy wasn't the only one invading our privacy. Around us, maybe a dozen people stood clustered within spitting distance.
I saw wide eyes, eager expressions, and more than a couple of cell phones, held out camera-style, just like Shaggy's.
"Oh my God," I groaned. I leaned my head down and covered my face with both hands. "This isn't happening."
I felt a hand on my elbow. "Chloe," Lawton said. "You okay?"
I heard myself laugh. A foreign sound with jagged edges, like it came from someone else. I heard it grow louder, drowning out everything – the murmur of voices, Shaggy's stupid commentary, and the beating of my own heart.
Too soon, laughter turned to sobs, quieter than the laugher, but infinitely more unsettling. Lawton's arms closed around me. He gathered me to his chest, shielding me from everything – the crowd, the sight of his car, and Shaggy with his stupid phone.
"God, this is all my fault," he murmured into my hair. "I'm so, so sorry. Baby, c'mon, don't cry."
Suddenly, his body tensed. When he spoke, his voice was hard, with an undertone of menace so sharp that I fought the urge to step away.
"You take one more shot of her," he said, "and you're gonna be out more than just another phone."
Another phone?
Oh God, was Lawton the psycho who smashed Shaggy's last one? He had to be. Shit. How well did I know this guy, anyway?
I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. This was a living nightmare. Except I couldn’t wake up.
Lawton's arms tightened. He shifted his position as if hiding me from someone's view. "Get the f*ck away from her!" he yelled.
And then I heard a new voice, ferocious and female.