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."It's four o'clock, guys.I'm going up to watch Oprah.Unless the shop catchesfire or we're under massive zombie invasion, I don't exist for the next hour." He took a step, thenpaused."On second thought, don't even bother me if it's zombies I'll deal with them later.Today's aspecial episode on how to make peace with people who piss you off.And I definitely need to find myZen."Mark snorted."Your Zen's shooting stuff, Bubba.Embrace your inner violence.""Fine, then.My inner violence says I'll cut your throat if you bother me until Oprah ends, so sod off."Nick laughed until the time sank in."Ah, man, I gotta run."Mark furrowed his brow."For what?""My new boss was supposed to pick me up after school." Which was thirty-five minutes ago and he'dforgotten all about it."Ah, geez.hope I'm not fired my first day."Bubba hesitated."Want me to write you an excuse?"Nick shook his head."Nah.I better run.See you guys later.Let me know when you find Madaug."Grabbing his backpack from the floor, he hit the door at full speed.Luckily he was used to running for streetcars, and his school was only five blocks away.Something he made in record time.There was still police tape cordoning off the front yard of the school and a couple of officers there toenforce it.They watched him closely as if expecting him to start biting on them or something.Ignoring them, Nick slowed as he studied the cars that were lined up on the opposite side of the street.Only one had someone in it, and it wasn't Kyrian./ am so fired.Crap.My mom w'll kill me.More than that, he'd probably have to pay the hospital bill which at last checkhad already added up to more than his first two years of college tuition combined out of his own pocket.Why couldn't Alan have shot him in the head and ended it all?/ was cursed from birth.Couldn't he ever catch a break with anything? Disgusted, he hung his headand started back toward Bubba's store."Nick Gautier?"He turned at the unfamiliar voice to find the man he'd seen sitting in the black BMW, now stepping outof it.He was probably mid to late thirties.With dark blond hair and extremely clean cut (in otherwords he stank of serious money), he reminded Nick of someone, but he couldn't quite place it."Idon't know you."The man smiled."No, you don't.My son, Kyi Poitiers" gah, he said that name like a true snotty blueblood: "Pwa-tee-aa" "is one of your classmates.Kyrian asked me to pick you up after school andtake you to his house.So here I am."Yeah, right."How do I know any of that's true?" Other than the fact that he did look like Kyi, whichwas why he'd seemed familiar.That still didn't make him safe or friendly."You don't trust me?" Mr.Poitiers asked."I don't trust nobody.My mama ain't raised no fools.I don't get in cars with people I don't know.Ever.You could be a pervert or psycho or something.No offense."Mr.Poitiers laughed."None taken.Tell you what." He pulled out his wallet."I'm going to give youfifty dollars for a taxi and write down Kyrian's address.I'll see you at his house.Nick hesitated.The offer did nothing to alleviate his suspicions."How do I know you're sending meto his house and not someone else's? For all I know that's the address where you take all yourvictims.""God, I hope my son's as streetwise as you are." He pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number.After a few seconds, he spoke."Hey, Kyrian.Sorry to bother you.I'm here with the kid, but he won'tget in the car with me.He's even more suspicious than you told me he'd be."He held the phone out to Nick.Nick narrowed his eyes on the man as he placed the phone to his ear."Yeah?""Hi, Nick.Phil won't hurt you.Get in the car and you'll be over here in a few minutes."Uh-huh.Nick still wasn't sold.The voice was familiar, but."How do I know you're Mr.Hunter?""Because I'm the only person, besides you, who knows you were helping your friends mug thosetourists when you changed your mind and saved them."Nick's stomach hit the ground at those words.He hadn't breathed a word of that to a single soul.Noteven his priests.That was a secret that was supposed to be between him and God and no one else."How did you know that?""I was there longer than you suspected and I saw everything.Now get in the car." Nick hung up the phone and handed it back to Mr.Poitiers."Okay, I believe you." He held the moneyout to him too.Phil refused to take it."Keep it."Nick shook his head."I really can't take this.""Yes, you can.Just consider it a reward for being a smart kid."Unused to people not being angry at him, Nick was still reluctant to accept the money."You're not mad at me?""For protecting yourself? Not at all.I tell Kyi all the time to behave just like you did.It does meproud to see a kid with a brain.Now get in."Nick hesitated.How weird for someone like Phil to not look down on him.It felt really weird.He got into the car and buckled himself in.Phil pulled away from the curb then turned his radio down so that he could talk."I should havebrought Kyi with me to ease your mind.""It wouldn't have eased it.My mom says pervs use other kids to lure vies too." Not to mention Kyididn't exactly travel in Nick's circle of friends.He was a stuck-up snot who annoyed him almost asmuch as Stone did.That being said, his father seemed to be decent enough in spite of his perfect speech.Made him wonder where Kyi got it from.They didn't say anything else as Phil navigated traffic.It didn't take them long to reach Kyrian's housethat was down in the Garden District.This was the coveted highbrow area where antebellummansions went on row after row like hulking beasts from a bygone era of gentility and manners thatmost people nowadays lacked.Nick and his mom would sometimes come walking down this way.mostly 'cause his mom's favoriteauthor lived here and she wanted to catch a glimpse of her whenever she could.His jaw went slack as they pulled up to a gate that opened into what had to be the biggest house he'dever seen.It was a huge Grecian-style home with Doric columns supporting what seemed to be anever-ending porch.Top and bottom.Phil pulled around the circular drive until he got to the front steps."We're here." But he didn't turn offthe engine.Nick frowned."Are you staying?""My orders were to deliver you to the door.Mission accomplished."Weird, but okay.Nick had no idea why he was so intimidated, but something about the house seemed eerie andforbidding.It wasn't like he hadn't known Kyrian had money, but knowing something and seeing suchobvious proof were two different things.What in the world would it be like to have this kind of wealth? For that matter, he couldn't even imagine not having to count pennies to eat at McDonald's.Gathering his courage, he got out of the car, grabbed his backpack, and headed up the stairs to thefront door.Made of mahogany and etched glass that reminded him of cut crystal goblets, it looked likesomething out of a movie.He lifted his hand to ring the bell, but the door opened to show him a tinyHispanic woman who eyed him like a warden greeting a new inmate.Dressed in a coral shirt andjeans, she had her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun."Nick?" It sounded more like "Neek," which was a much prettier version than the normal drawl hewas used to."Yes, ma'am."She stepped back to let him enter."Mr.Kyrian is waiting for you upstairs in his office." She reachedfor his backpack.Nick shied away from her."You no trust me?" Her tone was offended
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