Free Fractured by Teri Terry Page B

stood and followed along without realising. Cam has dropped back slightly from his tutor group, and walks beside me. He must think I’m totally mad to smile, here, now.
    I am.
    The spell, if there was one, is gone. We approach the doors of the hall. The other Lorder stands there, watching students leave, one by one. Coulson stays at the front, door duty beneath him. I’m relieved. And then lunch twists in my stomach as images of Coulson’s bloody body replay in my mind.
    ‘Are you all right?’ Cam whispers as we step out of the hall. ‘You’ve gone all pale.’
    I just shake my head, run to the toilet in the next building and throw up, again and again. When I’m finally sure there is nothing left to come up, I splash water on my face, stare in the mirror.
    What the hell happened in there?
    My hands are shaking. I’m not that person, I couldn’t do that. Could I? I wouldn’t cry if he died, but not by my hands.
    But then what was all that training for?
    And visions flow through my mind like a movie on fast forward. Shooting practice. Targets. Knives and their uses. Faster it spins. I was a good shot, the best of my cell. A cell that was, itself, the best.
    No!
    Yes. What is being a terrorist about? Political discussions over cups of tea? The Lorders are evil. He deserves to die. They all do .
    I look at my hands. I can feel the cold weight of a gun in them. I know what to do with one. He deserves to die. Why not?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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    ‘I’ll let you in on a secret.’ Jazz is smiling so I’m guessing this isn’t bad news.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Before you asked this morning, I was planning on us going to Mac’s today, anyhow. He’s got a surprise for you.’
    My stomach jumps. Jazz is still smiling, he must know what it is, and it must be good.
    ‘It’s not Ben, is it?’ I whisper, quietly. Knowing it won’t be, it can’t be, but unable to stop myself from asking the question.
    Jazz’s smile falls away. ‘I’m sorry, Kyla. If I find out anything about him, you’ll be the first to know.’
    I lean back against his car, unable to stop the wave of disappointment, however unreasonable. Aiden promised he’d send news through Mac if he found out anything about Ben – so my brain instantly flipped to that. Wrong .
    Amy appears across the car park. She walks to us, and slips her arms around Jazz. He turns and kisses her and I try not to watch.
    ‘Are you all right?’ she asks me.
    ‘Fine.’
    ‘A friend of mine saw you running to the loo, looking sick.’
    ‘Oh. I just had a tummy upset, no big deal. I’m fine now.’
    ‘Sure you don’t want to go straight home?’
    ‘I’m sure!’
    ‘Don’t look so fierce! We’re going already.’
    ‘In you get, ladies,’ Jazz says, holding the car door open.
    We drive down back country lanes, through stubbled fields. Past farms and woodland, to Mac’s place. It is down a narrow lane, isolated. His huge back garden is full of bits of cars that he scavenges and salvages for parts, to build into new cars. Like the one he made for Jazz. But he isn’t just a mechanic.
    What could the surprise be?
    It knocks me over when we go through Mac’s front door.
    Skye! Ben’s dog, a gorgeous golden retriever, jumps up and covers my face excitedly with great sloppy dog kisses. I drop to my knees and wrap my arms around her, sink my face into her fur. Fur that smells smoky.
    Jazz takes Amy for a walk to get her alone as usual. Mac watches me and Skye, her tail thumping on the ground, sprawled half on my lap. Something is hiding behind the careful look on his face.
    ‘How?’ I ask him. A one-word question that covers so much. How did she survive? How is Ben’s dog at Mac’s?
    Mac sits next to us on the floor. He rubs Skye’s ears and she flops down between us, her head on my knee. ‘That’s the happiest I’ve seen this dog look since she got here last night.’
    ‘Do you know what happened?’
    ‘Some. The rest I can fill in. What I can’t figure out is how come