Revenge by Meli Raine Page A

ass. I am so sorry.”
    Mark’s words pop into my head:
    S tay the hell away from Eric and Claudia.
    How can I do that when I run into them nonstop?
    “Thanks,” I reply. I know the old Carrie would have said, It’s okay or No problem .
    The new Carrie won’t do that. He really was an ass. The truth hurts.
    So does having my best friend kidnapped and missing. I f Mark thinks Eric might be involved, then maybe I need to do my own sleuthing. Mark’s overly worried about me. I can take care of myself, especially with Eric.
    He’s over-reacting. Eric would never harm me.
    “Did I hurt your wrist?” Eric asks.
    I look down.
    Okay, let me amend that. Eric would never intentionally hurt me.
    “Yeah, but it’s not bad,” I mutter. Damn. There I go again. I shuffle my feet and literally bite my tongue. I need to stop talking. The more Eric says, the more I ’ll learn.
    “I really meant what I said back at the office,” Eric adds. He’s wearing a hunter green polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers. The green sets off his hair and creamy Irish skin, making him look very crisp. Like something from an L.L. Bean ad.
    “What you said? Y ou mean your thre a t?” My skin starts to crawl. Sitting here, no one can even see us. We’re hidden by my parked car.
    Eric could do anything to me right now and I would have no way of getting any help.
    “ Threat?” His eyes go wide and he looks horrified. This is more like the Eric I remember from when I was his student. Earnest. Helpful.  
    Nice.
    “You told me not to mess with the Landau family. You grabbed my arm and hurt me.” Mark warned me about Eric and Claudia. Eric warned me about the Landau family.  
    I’m sensing a pattern here.
    “I didn’t mean it as a threat , Carrie!” He reaches for a handful of dead grass and starts ripping it in his hands, shredding it. “That was a warning. They’re dangerous.”
    “Dangerous? How?” I play it cool. Meanwhile, my heart’s thumping in my chest like popcorn in a JiffyPop.
    “They’re playing a game and innocent people get hurt.”
    “A game?”
    His shoulders sag. The collar of his shirt is folded inward. I instinctively reach over and pull it out, putting it where it belongs.
    Eric’s eyes go a deep color. Oh, God. Is that passion? His face moves toward me. My mind spins a thousand miles a minute as I realize he’s coming in for a kiss.
    He’s about to kiss me? Seriously?
    And then:
    “STAND UP AND PUT YOUR PALMS FLAT AGAINST THE CAR.”

Chapter Twelve
    The megaphone makes us both jump. Red and blue lights flash as we stand. I t’s a cop car.
    Mark is at the steering wheel.
    And h is gun is pointed straight at Eric.
    “ I SAID GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS UP!”  
    “No! No!” I shout as I walk toward Mark. “ I t’s not what yo u think!”
    Eric grabs my arm and pulls me back. Mark leaps out of the driver’s side. T here is another officer in the car with him who also has a gun trained on Eric.
    “GETDOWNGETDOWNLETHERGOGETDOWNNOW!”
    Mark and the other officer shout in low, menacing voices as my brain tries to process it a ll. Eric panics and drops my arm, then runs away from the road. He can’t hide. We’re on a desert road. There’s nowhere to hide. It’s nothing but brown dirt for miles.  
    He looks kind of stupid, but panic does that to people.
    “ I got him!” the other officer shouts, taking off at a run, while Mark comes over and grabs my arm in the exact same place Eric was just touching.  
    “What the hell just happened?” he demands, breathless. Mark’s still holding his service revolver in one h a nd.
    “Put that away, please,” I say. I t comes out like a whispered growl.
    “What?” he shouts. “You’re telling me to put my weapon away when that freak just nearly kidnapped you?”
    “ What freak?” I scream back.
    “Eric! I told you to stay away from him. And I find you by the side of the road with him about to throw you in his car and steal you away? Wha t the hell were you doing