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choice but to trust him, and scooted into the car. The leather was cool against her skin and goose bumps broke out on her flesh. H er teeth began to chatter. The overhead light was on and cast a dim glow inside the car, showing it was spotless, and the car interior smelled like fresh linen.
    His blue eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “I’m Officer Jake Talley,” he told her.
    “Honor Rochester.”
    She thought his eyes narrowed, but Honor didn’t know why they would, so she decided she imagined it. The radio went off and he pushed a button, quieting it. “Why don’t you tell me what happened, Honor?”
    She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly , starting softly, “These two guys came to the school today. They were there yesterday too. They were in a silver Chevrolet Tahoe. I didn’t…I didn’t see the license plate. They took a student, Christian Turner, and he wasn’t at school today. And then, today, they were waiting for me, waiting to take me. They said I had to go with them. I don’t know them. So I ran.” Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Why hadn’t she looked at the license plate? Maybe she could have helped Christian if she had. Stupid—she had been so stupid. He could be dead because Honor hadn’t thought to look at the license plate number.
    “I think…I think they killed him,” she said in a strained voice. Saying it made it more real and she felt physically ill. Honor put an arm across her cramping stomach and leaned forward. It couldn’t be true. She didn’t want it to be true. Your fault. You should have done something. It’s your fault. She shook her head, wet strands of hair slapping her face, stinging her cold flesh. No. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.
    She wiped tears and rain from her face and continued in an unsteady voice, “I think they came back today because I saw them yesterday. So I’ve been running. I think they want to kill me too.” Honor closed her burning eyes and focused on stabilizing her breathing. You’re safe now. You’re with the good guy. Everything’s fine. They didn’t get you. They won’t. But they got Christian. Guilt hit her, taking the breath from her lungs. She fisted her hands in her lap and stared down at them, fighting not to go hysterical.
    “That’s…quite a story.”
    Her head shot up. “It’s not a story . It’s real and it happened. There are two guys after me and they might have already killed a kid!” Honor was losing control. She felt it slipping away. “You have to believe me.” Her voice shook. She could feel her grasp on lucidity cracking, disintegrating. She was on the verge of freaking out. Not just a little, but big time. Every part of her was trembling and her eyes were out of focus, a ringing forming in her ears.
    Officer Talley twisted around to look at her. “Okay. Easy. Calm down. Take some deep breaths. Everything’s going to be okay, Honor. I need to call this in and then we’ll head down to the station and you can make a statement.” He smiled. “I’m sure your mother is worried about you too, so we’ll give her a call when we get there. Okay?”
    “Can’t you just take me home?” She hated how small her voice was. It sounded weak, defeated.
    “Sorry. No. Not until I file a report on this. Don’t worry, that’s how we always do things.”
    Honor slowly sat back, nodding. She looked out the window and swallowed. Stay calm. Be calm. It’s okay now. You’re going to be okay. You can trust him. He’s the good guy. A nearby tree looked warped through the blurry window, its limbs like tentacles stretching toward her. She quickly averted her eyes.
    “Let me call this in quick.” The door opened and he stepped out of the car.
    Honor frowned , shooting upright in the seat. The fear was back in full force. “What are you doing? Where are you going?”
    He leaned back into the front of the car and grabbed a poncho from the seat. He quickly pulled it over his head. The officer’s eyes