Robert Charrette - Arthur 01 - A Prince Among Men by Robert N. Charrette Read Free Book Online Page A

punk grunted and heaved her straight at the store window.
    She hit it, hard, and smashed through. The impact was worse than that night her ex-boyfriend Billy had thrown her against the wall. She clipped the video rack and sent it spinning in a clatter of cassettes. She heard a distant sound like steak hitting a counter, and she was gasping for breath on the floor.
    Much worse than what Billy had done.
    There was glass everywhere. She felt it slicing her skin, shredding her clothes. More of it tinkled down on her in a sharp-edged rain.
    "MadredeDios!"
    Josh's voice was halfway between surprise and fear.
    Something flew in through the smashed window, something about the size of one of the punks. They had to be jazzed, really jazzed, to jump like that. Jose, standing frozen in shock, was nearly bowled over. The other one piled in too. The three of them went down in a heap of flailing limbs.
    Helen's legs wouldn't move and her right arm lay twisted beneath her. She was broken, dying. Her chest was afire, leaving her no breath to scream. A warm stickiness was oozing along her thigh. She began to cry. It was all she could do.
    The sounds of struggle by the counter stopped, but she didn't care. No point. No point at all.
    Nym started moving as soon as she saw the shadows flickering outside. She went through the door the male shopkeeper had used to enter the public portion of the store. She found herself in a stockroom. Off to the right was another room, a window separating it from this one. Through the window she saw a man sitting at. a desk. Through the partly open door leaked loud, rhythmic sound, almost music; all bass, no melody. Noise. The noise drowned out the struggle behind her. The man looked up from the papers in front of him, and his brows furrowed when he saw her.
    She ignored him.
    The back door was bolted. She threw the bolt and flung the door open, stepping to one side as she did so. Nothing rushed in, so she ran out. Keeping next to the building, she circled around to the front.
    At the front corner she stopped, glancing cautiously around. She could see no one. The sounds of struggle still emanated from the store.
    She ran to the bike.
    The helmet was gone, but that wasn't important. She hopped on and kicked the engine to life, revving it hard. She bumped jarringly over the parking stop as she made her turn. Fighting the bike's attempt to twist out of her control, she barely avoided the dumpster. But then she was clear of obstructions and pointed toward the road.
    Something whooshed past and fire blossomed behind her. A glance showed her the convenience store engulfed in a growing fireball. The tall silhouette of a man moved between her and the fire. She throttled up, ducking low against the bike. Her hair streamed behind her and she pushed the bike as hard as she could.
    The air crackled.
    She was still too close. And no protection.
    Slowing as much as she dared, she cut around a parked car to put it between her and the store. Almost instantly, the vehicle burst into flame. Heat washed over her.
    She opened the throttle. Distance was the only answer now.
    Something else ignited behind her, but not so close.
    She left it all behind.
    Enviro lab had gone on forever. Sharon, John's partner, was a real scijock, always concerned for two or three decimal places past what John thought necessary. They'd been the last ones done. By the time John got cleaned up and out, the campus was emptying. Students in ones and twos were hustling back to the dorms and out to the rezcoms. John ambled along, content to take his time. A band of raucous frat boys from one of the jock houses, already well into celebrating the weekend, tumbled past. He indulgently endured their jostling. Who was he to complain? He had his own celebrating to do tonight.
    Right?
    Ah, well. He supposed this was one situation Faye would not be keen to comment on. Faye had seemed worried about him all week, even before the fencing incident with Phil, but she hadn't