Snap.
Another flash of the bat making contact with the man’s leg, the man who lay practically lifeless on the floor.
He raised the bat once more, pausing only to look her in the eyes. An evil pair of blue-green eyes stared back at her, making her blood run cold. She watched him grip the neck of the bat with a force so intense she was positive it was going to shatter before the bat was brought down for its final time.
Crunch.
As she watched the man inhale the air around him, he looked crazed, his appearance disheveled. Then he slicked his overgrown hair back in place, and you could see the slight smile come to his lips.
Turning her eyes back to Amo, she saw him screaming, horror gripping his face to get to her, to save her …
“I’m the nice one.”
Glancing at him for a moment, she began to think she might have been too harsh on him. This clearly was a touchy subject for him.
“I guess you will have to prove it.” She smiled at him.
He smiled back. “I can do that…”
There was always a moment in time one faced in life when a choice must be made, and this was her moment.
Time unfroze. She kicked her feet up off the ground, running into the arms of the man she had chosen to protect her. His arms circled around her as she took a shuddering breath. They were the first arms to hold her in years.
Holding her close, Amo whispered into her ear, “I’ve got you.”
Thirty-Eight
I Can’t Be Fixed. Not by You, Not by Anyone. I’m Just Broken
Chloe squeezed her hands together on her lap, silently staring ahead as Amo drove her home.
Lucca’s face was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. The look he had given her as Amo carried her out of the mall was one she would never forget. It wasn’t going to haunt her because it scared her; it was going to haunt her because the look in his eyes had shattered her. He didn’t even meet her eyes when he ordered Amo to immediately take her home.
“Is the air conditioning too cold?”
Lucca’s face disappeared from her mind at Amo’s question.
“N-no.”
What had her shivering was not only Lucca’s face, but also sitting in the car with Amo. His dark gaze kept coming to her face as if he wanted to say something.
She was so tense it was a relief when he finally pulled into her driveway. Chloe brought her hand to the door handle, prepared to jump out of the car.
“Wait.” She froze at his word. “Stay and go to college here … with Elle and Lake.” Amo shifted in his seat to face her fully. “I could take some classes. Who is going to walk you to class when Elle or I aren’t there?”
Chloe kept her gaze down, looking at him through her lashes. “I’ll have to get used to being on my own.”
“But if you stayed here, you wouldn’t have to.”
What had happened at the mall hadn’t changed anything for her. It had only solidified that she had to keep running.
“Elle won’t have to watch out for me anymore. She can finally enjoy school at college with me not getting in her way. I want that for her.”
“What about you? What about me?” He tried to keep his voice even.
“I’ll adjust. It will be good for me. You have Nero and Vincent and your job at the casino hotel to keep you so busy you won’t even remember me.”
“I’ll remember you …” Amo whispered.
Her heart started to hurt for him. She could feel her resolve begin to slip away. If she didn’t get out of this car, she was afraid he might change her mind.
“That you walked me to class for a few months? That my best friend is your friend’s girlfriend?”
Amo pounded his hand on the steering wheel. “You’re not like any other girl I know, Chloe.” Calming his breathing, he whispered the words, “I love you.”
Chloe’s heart beat against her chest. That was exactly what she had been afraid of.
Jumping out of the car, she ran toward her front door. He can’t. He can’t love me.
“Fucking wait!” Amo ran to her with pleading eyes.
Kill it. You have to kill what’s between us so you won’t kill him …
“We’re friends, Amo. If I stay … I can’t. I will never be what you want. You need a girl like Elle or Lake. Even a girl like Cassandra would be better than me. You love being with your friends, and I like being alone. That’s why I’m leaving,” she lied for Amo’s sake. He deserved a normal girl, not someone who was afraid of her own shadow.
“No one likes to be alone,” he told her softly.
Chloe wished she could brush away normal tears, not the ghost tears that wanted to fall down her cheeks.
“I’m not normal; I’m a freak.” Taking a harsh breath, she hated herself for the words she was about to say. “You said so yourself.”
Amo paled.
“Fucking freak!” was said, followed by laughter filling the space with continuous echoes of the word “freak.”