Ordinary (Anything But) by Lindy Zart Read Free Book Online

back to his. “Are you even a real cop?”
    “Yes. I’m a real cop.”
    “You’re supposed to be one of the good guys. You’re supposed to protect people. Why are you doing this?”
    His eyes shifted away from the mirror. Lightning flashed, illuminating the back of his dark head and broad shoulders. But his eyes, his eyes were still turned away, and Honor couldn’t read them. If only she could see them, then maybe she could reach him somehow, make him see he didn’t have to do whatever it was he was about to do.
    “I need you to cooperate with me and you won’t get hurt. If you don’t cooperate, there will be consequences. Do you understand what I’m telling you? Answer me. Honor .” His voice was hard, unrelenting. It demanded to be answered.
    Honor’s nostrils flared with the force of her breaths. His eyes were visible once more in the rearview mirror. How had she thought his a kind face? It was cold and unfeeling. She swallowed and jerked her head in an upward motion. He got out of the car. Honor squinted her eyes, sure she saw two shapes near the back entrance, watching and waiting. A sound escaped her and she pressed a hand to her lips. It was them, the guys from the school. Of course it was them. Honor inhaled and exhaled slowly. You gotta run, Honor. It was her voice she heard this time, not her dad’s.
    She crouched in preparation.
    The door opened and she dove out, her feet hitting wet blacktop with a jolt. Honor only got a few feet when she was jerked back by her shirt and thrown against the car. She winced at the impact. Rain ran down her face and body in rivulets, chilling her more than she already was. Honor hadn’t thought it possible to get any colder. She was numb, too scared to move. Fear did that—froze you, immobilized you.
    Officer Talley held an arm across her chest and his fingers dug into the flesh of her arm. The face that stared down at her was grim. “You’re a runner. Four years on the track team, right? My niece is two years behind you in school. I’ve seen you at competitions. You’re good.” He swiped rain from his face with a hand. “But not that good.”  He tightened his arm that held her against the car. The pressure wasn’t quite painful, but almost. “I told you to cooperate. I told you, you wouldn’t get hurt.” The officer glanced behind him. “You didn’t listen.”
    Honor looked over his shoulder at the approaching forms. She closed her eyes when they were close enough to be recognizable. Some small part of her had held onto the hope she was wrong about who awaited them. Despair threatened to consume her. She was tired and hungry. She was wet and cold. It would be so easy to stop fighting. She gave the officer a beseeching look. “Why are you doing this? What do you want with me? Please let me go. Help me . Please.”
    He shoved her away from the car and twisted her arms behind her back in one fluid motion. “I am helping you.” She had no idea what he meant by that. Handing her over to the two threatening-looking men was in no way helping her.
    Honor came face to face with her pursuers. The short bald one had a scar that went from his left eye to his mouth, like someone had tried to carve his face for fun. His nose was flat, his eyes small and dark. Flashes of lightning gave his already scary features an even more sinister appearance. “Officer Talley. Thanks for your help. We’ll take over from here,” he said in a gravelly voice.
    Honor shrank back, pressed herself against the officer. “No. Please.” She turned her head to look at him. “Don’t leave me. Please.”
    He made a sound and shook his head. “Did you even talk to her? Explain what was going on?”
    The taller one replied quietly, “We didn’t exactly have time for that. As you’ve witnessed firsthand, she likes to run.”
    “Did you ?” the bald man added. Officer Talley didn’t answer. “Hand her over.”
    His grip tightened on her arms and Honor bit her tongue at the sharp