Free Don't Look Now by Michelle Gagnon Page A

difficult to focus; all he could think was that her hair was dyed nearly the same shade as her eyes.
    Carefully, Teo picked his way across the room, trying not to step on anyone. Despite the fact that they were all sleeping on the floor, no one had complained. He guessed they all felt that having a roof over their heads made up for it. And they were an army, after all, he thought with a swell of pride.
    It was still light outside—Daisy had explained that they usually slept days, since their work required them to be up all night sometimes. He wondered what time it was—morning? Midafternoon? It was hard to tell without clocks.
    He was starving, though—he hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the night before. Maybe there’s still some leftover chili , he thought, shuffling into the kitchen and opening the fridge.
    “Hey.”
    Teo whirled reflexively, all his instincts immediately snapping into flight mode. But it was just Turk, staring at him from a dark corner by the sliding glass door. He looked rough, like he hadn’t slept; his eyes were red rimmed, and he had a weird expression on his face.
    “Hey,” Teo said, fighting to sound like his heart hadn’t just leapt into his throat. “Just looking for something to eat.”
    Turk grunted, “Chili’s gone.”
    “Oh.” Crestfallen, Teo closed the fridge. Turk was still watching him, hands jammed into his pockets as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Belatedly, Teo took in his pupils—they were huge, much larger than normal. He’s high , he realized.
    “Noa ran out for some food,” Turk said, speaking fast. “And Zeke crashed. He was up keeping watch on the asshole last night.”
    “Okay.” Teo eyed the door, mentally willing someone else to come in.
    “Hey, you want to see something cool?” Turk said, lowering his voice.
    Teo shrugged noncommittally. Turk jerked his head toward the living room. “In here.”
    Despite the bad vibe he was getting, Teo followed, mainly because Turk hadn’t made it sound like a choice. The guy who’d tried to kidnap him was still lying on the ground. Even though his hands and feet were bound, Teo experienced a surge of fear. If Noa hadn’t shown up . . . Daisy had told him stories last night about kids being sliced open, kept alive while people poked around inside them. At the thought, Teo repressed a shudder.
    “Don’t worry,” Turk said, noticing. “He can’t hurt you.” He issued a low chuckle and added, “Hell, he won’t be hurting anyone anymore. Check it out.” Turk nudged the guy with his toe. He rolled forward an inch, then back.
    Teo stepped closer. Weird, that the guy wasn’t reacting at all. Had he passed out again?
    “Watch,” Turk ordered, a manic gleam in his eyes as he drew his foot all the way back. Teo let out an involuntary yelp as Turk’s foot snapped forward, connecting hard with the guy’s back.
    The guy didn’t make a sound.
    “You want to mess with him?” Turk hissed.
    “No, I’m . . . Is he . . .”
    They were interrupted by the sound of the garage door opening and closing. Turk’s head snapped up and the gleam in his eyes faded, replaced instantly by a look of concern. “Listen,” he said urgently. “I need you to back me on something.”
    “I don’t . . . What?”
    “Say he came after us.” Turk’s words tumbled out in a rush. “Say we didn’t have a choice, all right?” His eyes darted around the room, like he was looking for a way out.
    He killed him , Teo realized with horror.
    Noa stepped into the living room and paused warily at the sight of them. Again, Teo was reminded of a cat. She carried herself with a sort of grace that was rare in someone their age, especially a street kid. She also gave off a sense of authority, like you wouldn’t want to mess with her. “What’s going on?” she demanded.
    Turk cast a desperate look at Teo, and stuttered out, “Uh, he was going after the kid, so I—”
    “Why isn’t he moving?” Noa interrupted, crossing