Free Unleashed by Rachel McClellan Page B

imagining what Bodian’s drug might do to someone if they digested it. After several seconds passed, she looked up. "Logan?"
    Logan took a long sip from his soda before he said, "I think she's right. I bet on some level we all have to overcome our inner "beast" as you call it. Like today in first hour. We were taking a test and Ms. Smarty Pants, Shawna Reynolds, was sitting in front of me. I had a clear view of her test and could've copied her answers." He stopped talking.
    "What did you end up doing?"
    "I didn't cheat, but I sure thought about it. It's what we do during those quiet moments, when no one's watching us, that decides who's in control: our inner beast or the person we see in the mirror." He stretched out his legs.
    "That's what I want to talk to you about.” Claire broke several green blades. “This morning I found some money, well, more like it was given to me."
    "It can't be both. Either you found it or it was given to you."
    She cleared her throat. "I found it on my doorstep, left anonymously. In an envelope with my name on it."
    "How much money?"
    "$800."
    He whistled. "That's a lot."
    "I know. It's exactly what we need to go to the Fire and Ice concert."
    Logan leaned forward. "Someone's obviously looking out for you. So what's wrong?"
    "Whoever it was left a note."
    "What'd it say?"
    She pulled it out of her back pocket and tossed it to him. He read it a few times before he said, "I still don't see what the problem is."
    She sighed. "A few days ago, I found muddy footprints on my back porch and muddy fingerprints on my window. And I think whoever it was came again last night. There are other things too. Seriously, I feel like someone’s watching me." Claire brought her knees to her chest. "Then all of a sudden there’s this money, and on the morning news I heard a gas station was robbed."
    "I heard about that, too. Messed up. So you think it's all connected?"
    "I don't know. I just have a weird feeling about it.” She glanced at Logan. He was looking at her with his mouth turned down, like he was trying to follow her line of reasoning. She realized it was a weak argument without including the Bodian part, but Gary’s threat still scared her and she wasn’t about to risk someone she knew getting hurt.
    “What else are you not telling me?” he asked as if he’d read her mind.
    She averted her eyes. “Nothing. Why do you say that?”
    “Because you have that look. Like that time you showed up at the restaurant where I was waiting for a date. You found out she was going to stand me up and you didn’t want me to feel bad. Remember? You told me she didn’t come because she was sick.”
    She winced. “You found out about that?”
    He nodded.
    “Why didn’t you say anything?”
    “Because I knew you were just trying to protect me. I thought it was sweet.”
    She turned away from his intense stare.
    “You have that same look now, Claire. Like you’re trying to protect me from something.”
    Claire thought fast. “It’s nothing. Really. Maybe I’m making too big of a deal out of all this.”
    Logan patted her leg. "First thing first. We need to figure out who's been at your house in the middle of the night. That’s messed up. I'll come by later tonight to see if I can find any clues and to make sure your house is secure. As for the money, maybe you should set it aside for a while. See if anyone comes forward. When's the deadline for the concert?"
    "Two weeks."
    "Then wait it out. Who knows? Maybe it was Smith. I can see him doing something like that.”
    Her dad’s old friend. Why didn’t she think of that? "Maybe. But the letter doesn’t sound like something he’d write. I'll ask him about it later, though."
    "Don't worry. Everything will work out. You're a good person."
    "But if I end up keeping the money and it was stolen or even given to me by some weirdo, won't that be wrong?"
    His eyes narrowed. "What's with you?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "Since when do you care about things like this?