Free Wicked Games by A. D. Justice Page A

drifted up to the rearview mirror, where she saw Bull watching her. 
    The hatred in his eyes made her shrink back into her seat. She was glad she couldn’t see Rebel’s eyes, but she knew he wouldn’t feel any differently.  She finally looked over her shoulder at Noah, saw the same look in his eyes, and felt the vice cinch around her heart a little tighter. 
    Swallowing hard, she said, “Look, I know this is…complicated….but it would really be best for everyone, if you just let me go.”
    From the front seat, she heard Rebel’s sarcastic tone, “You must be joking.”
    Trying her hardest to keep her voice even, Brianna answered. “No, I’m not. Let me go. I will leave, and you will never see me again. I won’t make any trouble. We were all friends once, weren’t we?”
    No response, so she continued, “I really tried to not disrupt your lives. When you realized I was really alive, how did you feel at first? Honestly?” She had seen their faces when they realized who she was and knew they were shocked, but if they were glad to see her at all, she would use that to try to convince them to let her go.
    Noah and Bull answered in unison, “ Angry .”
    Brianna’s eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped open. She had not expected that response at all. She felt as though all the air had been sucked out of her lungs, and the vice around her heart split it in two.  Barely choking back the tears that stung the back of her eyes, she managed a response, her voice just above a whisper. 
    “ Angry ? You’re angry that I’m still alive? You don’t even care why ?” Her eyes were darting back and forth between Noah and Bull, searching for any sliver of remorse. But she found none – only cold stares.
    Softly, and with great difficulty, she choked out, “Rebel? You, too?”
    No response.
    Looking out the window, she pulled her feet up in the seat, and curled into her legs. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face. She had expected Noah to be angry that she hadn’t called or come back in the last three years.  Mad that he was fooled and that she had been living somewhere else. But being mad that she was alive was just cruel. Even though their relationship was strained before she disappeared, she never even considered that he didn’t care about her welfare at all.   
    The past three years had been pure hell on her.  Noah, her friends, her family , they were always on her mind. The love she had for them was overwhelming, and each day away from them made it worse, not better. The loneliness was hard to deal with, but their safety kept her going.
    Mostly to herself, she whispered, “I’ve lost everything .” She could see Noah’s face in the reflection of the glass, watching her, studying her, and figuring out his next move.
    “What was that? I couldn’t hear you.” She knew damn well he heard her. He was just being an ass.
    Shaking her head, she said, “Nothing,” but didn’t turn to look at him. She continued to stare out the window at nothing in particular. The tears continued to flow down her cheeks and down her neck, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. 
                  Bull pulled into the left lane to maneuver around a slow moving car. Just as they passed it, the car sped up and pulled alongside them. Brianna shifted her eyes to look at the driver and saw him point a pistol with a silencer out the driver’s window. 
    She screamed, “ Gun! Get down!” She hurled her body to the left, landing with her back against Noah, and facing the gunman. She waited for the shattered glass and searing pain of the bullet. Holding her breath, Brianna didn’t move until Noah put his hands on her shoulders, picked her up, and sat her back in her seat. She opened her eyes and saw the glass still intact. Bewildered, she looked at him and he simply said, “Bullet proof glass.”
    The man shot two rounds at the SUV before realizing his mistake, then turned and