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curls cascaded against the back of the sofa. Bree, my five-year-old sister, was full of giggles and mischief. I’d had the advantage of several years of a normal family life. But she barely knew our parents. In the wee hours, it was me she crawled into bed with after a nightmare. Me who she came crying to when she got hurt.
    If I moved out, Bree would be practically alone. If she grew up without me, my parents would suck the spark right out of her. I’d decided to stay there, at least until she was old enough to leave with me.
    Bree grinned, pink lips exposing two missing teeth. “Tetha.”
    “Hi, cutie.” I bent over, letting her outstretched arms wrap around my neck, and snuggled with her on the couch while she watched Finding Nemo for the hundredth time. Homework could wait.
     
    * * * *
     
    For the second day in a row, Hayden waited for me on the other side of the gate near the school entrance. He wore a faded blue t-shirt and snippets of tanned skin showed through holes in his tattered jeans. The word yummy came to mind.
    So far, he’d excelled at observing me without appearing to. But now, he openly watched as I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed in his direction.
    “Any news?” he asked.
    “No.” I slowed my pace, unsure if he intended to continue the conversation.
    He fell in step beside me. “How are your parents handling things?”
    My fingers twitched at my thigh and I hoped he’d drop the subject soon. “Oh, uh, they don’t know about any of this.”
    “Wait.” He stopped, compelling me to stop too. “Why would Agent Phillips tell you , but not your parents? Don’t they have a right to know someone’s targeting their family?”
    “Agent Phillips thinks they only want me .” I wished I’d thought of a better answer. “No point in worrying them over nothing.”
    “You’re a minor and they’re responsible for you. Agent Phillips would be required to inform them. Besides, their daughter being stalked is not nothing.” He stared, mouth gaping.
    “Of course.” I slowed my breathing so I didn’t appear nervous. “But there’s no point in telling them, since Agent Phillips doesn’t have any real information yet.”
    He studied me a moment then motioned for me to go ahead. “That logic’s not right. But whatever.”
    My gut prickled in agreement. But with the data I had, everything they’d said made sense. It was Hayden who lacked vital information — of course he’d be worried. And a little voice in my head forewarned that I should be worried too.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    Hayden
     
    “Dude, are you tapping that?” Brad shoveled another bite of pasta into his mouth, his gaze fixed on Tessa several tables away.
    Brad’s lewd comments used to make me laugh. This time, my fingers tightened around my fork. Tessa didn’t deserve to be talked about that way. She’d tutored me two days already, slogged patiently through my notes and had single handedly saved me from flunking out in calculus. She’d been spot on. I had missed something early on, then crashed and burned. I wasn’t quite out of the woods, but I was getting there.
    School had sucked for a long time. Today, I almost enjoyed calculus. I enjoyed her . I looked forward to the end of each day when I shadowed her to the library. Tessa would smile and take a seat inside. I’d sit across from her and watch those silky blond tresses fall over her face while she looked at my notes from our latest lesson.
    Tessa was an all-you-can-eat banquet for my imagination. Every day, I fantasized about kissing her and each time, she’d nail me — as if reading my mind — then she’d calmly remind me to focus. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I knew it would never go anywhere and she’d never go for a hit and ditch. But that knowledge didn’t stop me from wanting her.
    I had a simple philosophy about relationships — there were no guarantees. Even couples who were in it for the long