The Children and the Blood by Skye Malone, Megan Joel Peterson Read Free Book Online Page B

always kept his car in such great shape, with a continually full tank of gas and all the maintenance up to date. Cole had never paid much attention, but he was desperately grateful now. Heart racing, he pulled the gearshift into reverse and floored the pedal, sending the car flying backwards. Shouting, Robert ran after him, but he’d already thrown it into drive.
    As he sped away, the last expression he saw on their faces was terror.
    Darkened houses whipped past as he raced toward the guard station. Melissa wouldn’t want to risk the neighbors learning of his escape, but Robert might grow enough backbone to alert the rent-a-cops. If they’d already been called, he was screwed.
    The Smiths had just attacked him. The thought played back as he clutched the steering wheel. Prissy Melissa and gutless Robert had just tried to bash his brains in with a bookend.
    Out of fear of the obsequious little counselor.
    Up ahead, he saw Vaughn’s sedan pulling into the security station. Cole swallowed hard, slowing the car as a crazed idea occurred to him. What if he just talked to the man? Whoever they were, the Smiths’ covers were blown anyway. What could it cost him to just tell Cole the truth?
    Through the open car window, Vaughn surrendered his visitor’s pass and then waved inanely to the guard as he drove away.
    Cole swore. Dropping one hand from the wheel, he patted his pockets in a panicked inventory. Cell phone. Wallet. Nothing else. The image of his pass card in the kitchen drawer arose. Hoping Robert had left his behind, Cole searched the rest of the car desperately. The console revealed only gas station receipts. The back seats were empty. Reaching over, he yanked open the glove box and then froze.
    A slow breath escaped him as he stared at the handgun.
    Quickly, he slammed the glove box closed. He’d forgotten Robert kept a weapon in there.
    Running a shaking hand over his hair, Cole checked the streets, knowing what he’d see. No other way out of the walled neighborhood existed. And Vaughn was getting away. Without any option, he took a deep breath and pulled up next to the security booth.
    “I, um… I forgot my card…” he said uncomfortably.
    Radiating annoyance, the guard glanced away from his basketball game to run his eyes over Cole’s face with a clear message of loathing for the lazy little rich boy in daddy’s sedan. “Yeah, whatever,” he said, flicking the gate switch as he returned to watching the tiny television.
    Cole floored it as the gate swung wide.
    Vaughn’s car had reached the intersection. After coming to a brief stop, the vehicle turned away from town, heading down the country road that led to the interstate.
    Drawing a steadying breath, Cole pulled after him and tried to focus. Talking to the counselor aside, Vaughn had just threatened to kill the Smiths. Vaughn was clearly not a nice man. But Vaughn knew what was going on. Hell, Vaughn was at the heart of whatever was going on, and Cole desperately needed answers.
    So how was he going to get the guy to talk?
    Of their own volition, Cole’s eyes flicked toward the glove box, and he forced his gaze back to the road as his blood pressure spiked. Holding the man at gunpoint. Stupid option. Twenty-to-life would put a serious kink in his college plans.
    Feeling slightly hysterical, he took another breath. It was okay. His adoptive parents had attacked him. They were in league with a guy who’d been psychologically prodding him for the past eight years. No reason to panic. He could handle this. He just needed a plan.
    The taillights of the counselor’s car flashed, and the sedan pulled onto the shoulder.
    He had no plan.
    For a fleeting moment, he considered just driving past the man. The city of Monfort in the northern reaches of Utah fronted all manner of empty places he could go.
    In a stolen car. With a gun in the glove compartment. And no answers.
    He pulled over.
    The door of the sedan ahead of him swung open, and Vaughn climbed out,