Free Blood Stained by CJ Lyons Page B

and Darrin. Since the district was so large geographically, the buses had to make two trips, leaving kids from the early routes time to play before the bell rang.
    Or sometimes not to play. As Adam drew close to the rear of the school where the playground lay, he spotted Darrin and Marty. They were the two kids everyone ignored, herded into a corner by four boys twice their age. Bullies. 
    He hated bullies.
    Adam skirted the waist high fence that surrounded the playground. The boys were in the far corner near the staff parking, away from the teachers manning the bus drop off, where the security cameras couldn't see them. He ducked behind between the car parked in the first row.
    Usually when bullies targeted Adam, he simply let them do what they wanted, kept quiet, showed as little pain as possible, and eventually they’d get tired of tormenting him and leave.
    But this time he was the one with the power. He was the big brother. No way in hell was he going to let these skinny snot nose punks pick on his little brothers.
    "I said, give me the watch, bitch," one of the older boys said when Adam got close enough to hear. He was the smallest—skinny but in that weasely, dirty-fighter way—and obviously the leader of the pack.
    "No." Marty stood his ground, his right hand clenched over his left wrist, protecting his watch. Darrin stood behind him, obviously terrified but not running. Pride rushed through Adam. Good kid, sticking up for his friend—Darrin didn't have a clue Marty was his brother.
    The leader backed off half a step as his three bigger friends closed the circle around the two six-year-olds. "Tell you what. I'm gonna give you a choice. Give me the watch—"
    "You can't," Darrin spoke up in a voice made squeaky by fear. "It's his dad's. You can't take it."
    The leader jerked his chin at Darrin. Two of the other boys grabbed him and shoved him against the wall. "Like I said. You have a choice. The watch. Or we see how much it takes to get your buddy here to wet his pants."
    Before Adam could move, the leader sucker punched Darrin. Kid didn't even have a chance to defend himself. Marty threw himself at the leader, only to be grabbed by the fourth bully, a guy almost as big as Adam. He easily plucked Marty off the ground and held him so his feet kicked at the air.
    "Four against two," Adam said, coming out from behind the car. He stepped over the fence as if it wasn't worth noticing. Fear coiled in his belly and he was damn lucky he didn't trip, but the bullies wouldn't know that. Adam approached slowly, not rushing, giving them time to think. "Maybe we should even those odds. What do you say, boys?"
    Darrin looked up at Adam. His face filled with hope. No one had ever looked at Adam like that before. Like Adam was a hero. 
    Adam didn't focus on Darrin. Or Marty. Instead he focused on the leader of the pack. Scare him off and the others would follow. Just like the wild dogs trying to steal food from his dumpster back in Cleveland.
    Adam forced a smile. It felt wrong, like his muscles were too tight with fear to turn his lips the right way. Whatever the result, it obviously startled the leader. 
    "This is none of your business. Get out of here," the leader said with bluster. 
    Now he too was outside the coverage of the security cameras, Adam slid his knife out. He flicked it open one-handed. "You got that wrong. Now listen close because you need to remember this. Everything to do with these two kids is my business. You lay a hand on them, you talk mean to them, hell, you sneeze in their direction, and I'm taking care of business."
    Adam feinted with the knife then landed a solid left to the leader's groin that left him on the ground crying. A wet stain spread down his pants.
    Adam turned to the others, frozen as they watched their leader's fall from grace. "Let them go." They released Darrin and Marty. "Take him and get out of here."
    They hurried to obey, scrambling with their leader back to the safety of the