“I know you wouldn’t like what I’m doing. You’d tell me not to do it for you. A couple of weeks ago I would have said you were exactly why I was doing this, but it’s not true. I’m not even doing it for me, either—well, not completely. I’m doing it so other guys out there will know it’s wrong to rape, and that there are consequences. I want girls to know they’re not powerless. I want...I want to know that I’ve done something that makes a difference. You should see how many girls we have in the class now. And at school, girls have banded together against harassment. I feel like I’ve started something awesome.
“I don’t agree with some of what’s going on. The other night a couple of girls jumped a guy who hadn’t done anything except say hi. Violence without cause is just violence. It’s not right. Anyway, I’m going to be done soon. I’m always going to stand up for other girls, and I hope I always get to teach them how to protect themselves, but my Vigilante days are numbered. When Faceless outed Jason, Brody, Adam and Drew as your rapists, it was like something inside me shifted. I thought I could be satisfied with that. All I ever wanted was for people to see them for what they are. But it’s not enough. I need to make Drew admit what he did. Once I can do that, then I’ll be done. I promise.”
I rolled my shoulders and looked up at the trees. A bright red leaf fell straight at me. I reached up and caught it. Magda would have called it a sign, but I didn’t believe in that stuff—not anymore. Still, there was a little tingle at the back of my brain as I caught the leaf in my fingers.
My phone buzzed. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled it out. It was a text from Zoe, asking if I wanted to meet for coffee.
At graveyard. Can you pick me up?
Yep. See you in ten.
“Anyway,” I went on, putting my phone away. “I just needed to tell you all of this. I hope, if you’re listening, that you’ll understand. And I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. You told me it was okay, but I’ve never been able to believe that. Maybe it’s just guilt, or maybe it’s because sometimes I’d find you looking at me with this strange expression on your face—like you wanted to hurt me. It wasn’t my fault you got drunk. It wasn’t my fault you went off with Drew. I probably couldn’t have stopped you. But it is my fault that I didn’t look for you when I noticed you were gone. It’s my fault that I got pissed at you and had meaningless sex out of spite. It wasn’t my fault they did what they did to you, but if I don’t see this through and make each and every last one of them sorry, it will be my fault. I went too far with Adam, but honestly? I don’t regret it. I have to live with what I did to him, and I can. I will regret not seeing this through. Whatever the consequences, I’ll accept them. Anyway, that’s it. I hope someday you forgive me.”
I turned and walked away. I had only made it to the main road that ran through the graveyard when I noticed two guys walking toward me. Oh, shit, it was Jason and Brody, and they both looked pissed. I whirled around to go in the opposite direction. Two more approached from that direction—Drew and Adam. Adam had a bandage on his forehead. Drew smiled at me—like a psychopath.
Fuck. Gabe had told me I wouldn’t be able to take the four of them, and I wouldn’t. I pulled my cell phone from my bag and only hesitated a second before I dialed Detective Davies’s number.
Then, I ran.
* * *
I ran hard and fast, legs and arms pumping, gravel crunching beneath my boots. There was a gate in the west wall of the cemetery. If I could get to the street, I would be safe.
“Hadley?”
I held my phone to my ear. “I’m at the cemetery. West gate.” My voice was panicked, choppy as I panted for breath. “Adam, Brody, Jason and Drew are after me.”
“I’m on my way.” There was a click, and I knew she was gone.
Getting to that gate was the only thought in my head, because I knew if I didn’t make it, the seven-foot wall around the cemetery would provide all the privacy the four of them needed to do whatever they wanted to me.
They were gaining on me. Their legs were longer, and Adam took track at school. He’d be able to catch me no problem. The only advantage I had was the original distance between us, and my sheer determination to survive. I pushed myself harder, to the point where I thought I might actually trip myself my legs were moving so hard and fast.
I could see the gate, black wrought iron set in gray stone. Beyond that was Elm Street, a residential street that was a popular pedestrian route. Safety taunted me. If I could just get to the gate...
A hand grabbed my shoulder. I shrugged it off, stumbling. I veered off the path onto the grass just enough to escape his reach. It was Adam, and he was coming at me again. I wasn’t going to reach the gate.
My heart felt like it was going to burst in my chest. The wind—and fear—stung my eyes. My lungs burned. I couldn’t run any faster.
About ten feet from the exit, Adam took me down. He tackled me like we were on a football field. I managed to twist my body just enough that when we hit the ground he was the one that hit first. His head thumped hard against the gravel. His friends hadn’t quite caught up, and for a second I thought I might actually escape. I staggered to my feet, but before I could run, Adam’s fingers curved around my ankle, holding tight. I didn’t fall, but the time I took to kick myself free gave Brody, Jason and Drew enough time to catch up.
Drew caught me by the hair, clenching his fist at the roots. I didn’t struggle, because I knew he didn’t care if he ripped my scalp apart. My heart hammered against my ribs. My throat was dry and my bladder tense with fear. It didn’t matter what they did to me, provided I lived through it. And I would live through it. That didn’t mean, however, that I wasn’t afraid of what they were going to do.
“Hello, bitch,” Drew snarled.
“Hello, asshole,” I replied through clenched teeth. “What the fuck do you want?”
He smirked. “The Pink Vagilante, of course.” He pulled me closer. You either know her, or you are her. Either way you’re going to give me what I want. I don’t mind if you want to fight a little first.”
What kind of teenage guy said things like that? A psycho, that was who. A twisted, entitled bastard who thought he could do whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted.
I was just glad he was within striking distance. He said he didn’t mind a little fight.
He looked surprised when I grabbed him by the balls. Then his smirk widened, became a little crueler as his fingers tightened in my hair. He pulled harder. I squeezed harder. Pain made short work of that smarmy look on his face. He was pulling so hard on my hair now my eyes watered. I knew he’d ripped some out, but I wasn’t going to give up.
“Pull all you want, you son of a bitch.” I tightened my grip. “I don’t mind wearing a wig, but you might want to consider your balls.” To drive my point home, I squeezed as hard as I could. The loose fit of his khakis made it easy to get a good handful and really twist. Now whose eyes were watering? I smiled at him, looking him right in the eye.
That was my first mistake. I let myself get cocky. My reward was a punch in the face that knocked my head back and made stars dance before my eyes. I would’ve fallen if he hadn’t had a hold of my hair and I hadn’t had a grip on his crotch. As it was, I stumbled backward, taking him with me. He yelped in pain and hit me again. This time I let go.
The four of them formed a semicircle in front of me. That was good; better to have them where I could see them than have one creeping up behind. Just to be safe, I glanced over my shoulder.
Brody stood on one side of Drew and Adam on the other. Jason hung a step or two back. He wasn’t entirely in this, but the other two seemed content to follow Drew’s lead. They made no attempt to attack. What were they waiting for, an invitation? Okay, then.
“Nice bandage,” I said to Adam. “It’s a real fashion statement.”
Fists clenched a
t his sides. “If you’re the one who did this to me, I’m going to fuck you up. They won’t ever be able to fix what I’ll do to you.”
A shiver of fear raced down my spine. He meant it. There were a lot of ways four guys could hurt one girl.
I took a step backward, then another, each one taking me closer to the exit.
Adam was the first to break rank. I knew he would be. If Jason was the kindest of the four of them, Adam was the most hotheaded. It made me think that he had to be really insecure about himself. He came at me with his right arm cocked back. Gee, maybe he was going to punch me.
I dodged as his fist flew toward me. As I moved, I grabbed his arm, using his momentum against him as I hiked my knee into his ribs. Then, I gave him a whack to the back of his skull, and pivoted so that I could lift my left leg and kick him hard in the ass, sending him sprawling onto the gravel. The cuts and bruises on my body protested, but I ignored the discomfort. I was too jacked-up on fear to care.
Brody came at me next. I danced around Adam, putting myself even closer to the exit. Drew just watched with a smirk on his face. That was when I noticed his phone. It was pointed at me. Shit. He was taking video. He was going to try to use this as proof that I was the Pink Vigilante. Beating the snot out of me, or raping me, would just be a bonus. If it looked like I really knew how to fight, the police would definitely suspect me—more than they already did.
So now what did I do? Let Brody pound on me? It would definitely earn me more sympathy than giving him a roundhouse to the head would. God, but I hated the idea of letting any of them think they’d beaten me.
Brody took a swing, and I braced myself for it. I could tell he didn’t know how to throw a good punch, but it was still going to hurt. I tried to angle my head for the least amount of damage. He got me in the side of my nose and upper lip. Shit, it hurt. I knew by the crunch that my nose was broken. I didn’t think he loosened any teeth, but I could taste blood as I staggered backward. Then, blood trickled from my nostrils.
Like sharks after the scent, the four of them closed ranks again, this time coming at me as a unit. I tried to wipe away my blood, but it just kept coming.
“Hey, assholes,” came a female voice from above. “Four against one isn’t really fair.”
I recognized that voice. It was Zoe, though she was making herself sound deeper than usual. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her perched on the stone wall, a pink ski mask over her head and face.
The look on Drew’s face when he saw her was hilarious. “What the fuck?” He looked confused and pissed, and a little scared. I knew what he was thinking. At that moment, he doubted himself, and wondered if he and his buddies had just beaten up the wrong girl. It was priceless. I’d never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life.
Zoe made to hop off the wall, but then I saw her glance up, and instead of joining me, she turned and jumped down to the street. Where the hell was she going? I turned my head to look behind Drew and his friends, and that’s when I really smiled.
“The four of you put your hands up, now.” It was Detective Davies and she had her gun out. “Turn to face me, slowly.”
“You still recording this, Drew?” I asked sweetly. He shot me a dirty look as he turned toward Diane, phone in his raised hand. Blood trickled into my mouth, and I didn’t care. “I think this just might go viral.”
Earlier This Year
She was dead.
I sank onto the sofa as my legs slowly gave out beneath me. We were in the living room. Mrs. Torres and the police were in Magda’s bedroom. They hadn’t brought her body out yet. “I thought she was getting better.”
Gabe sat beside me. “Me too. I guess she just couldn’t fight anymore.”
I looked at him as tears ran down my cheeks. “What did we do wrong?”
“I don’t know,” he whispered. He was so pale. In shock. “I don’t think we did anything.”
“Maybe that was the problem,” I said, taking his hand in mine.
* * *
The day of Magda’s funeral was bright and sunny. It was a small gathering. I stood with the family, because Mrs. Torres insisted. She had Teresa on one side of her and Gabe on the other. I stood with him, holding his hand as tight as I could as the minister droned on. If I didn’t hold on to him, I might lose him too, and then I’d lose my mind. I’d lose everything.
I stared at the shiny box that held the body of my best friend. There wasn’t a tear left in my body, which was good, because the sound of Teresa’s sobs broke my heart, and if I had tears left, I’d drown in them. Gabe squeezed my hand a little harder. I knew he’d run dry too.
He had a black eye—he’d gone after Drew again. This time Mr. Carson had got a restraining order against him. Apparently he’d knocked out one of Drew’s teeth. The gossips said that Gabe would have beaten Drew to death if people hadn’t intervened. They were wrong. If Gabe wanted Drew dead, he would have killed him months ago. No, Gabe just wanted to hurt Drew as much as he could, let him heal and then do it again.
No, Gabe wasn’t the one who fantasized about killing Drew Carson.
I was.
CHAPTER 22
The bad news was that my nose was broken. The good news was that it wasn’t bad, and the doctor thought the swelling would go down in a few days. He gave me some painkillers, told me what to do for the swelling and gave Mom a list of symptoms that would require additional medical attention—like if my brain started to leak out of my nostrils.
There was more good news. Adam, Brody, Jason and Drew had all been arrested. Drew had been nice enough to record the attack. Detective Davies watched the video while some other cops took the four of them away. She looked pissed.
“Let’s get you to the hospital,” she’d said, her arm around my shoulders as she put Drew’s phone in her pocket. “You’ll need to call your mom and have her meet us there. Do you have any idea why they came after you?”
I had my head tilted back and held a wad of tissues she had given me to my nose. “It’s right there in the video. They thought I was the Pink Vigilante. Or Vagilante as Drew so charmingly put it.”
“Asshole,” she muttered, grimacing. “Watch your head.” I ducked as she helped me into the passenger side of her car. She shut the door and came around the front to get into the driver’s seat. “Lucky for you the Vigilante showed up.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant that, or if she was trying to get me to believe she did. “It sure was nice to have some backup.” I was going to kiss Zoe when I saw her. Not only did she come to my rescue, but she took some suspicion off me. Drew wasn’t so sure anymore, and if Detective Davies had suspected me, she wasn’t sure anymore, either.
I fastened my seat belt. “Thank you for getting there when you did. I don’t know what they were going to do to me.”
She shot me a sideways glance as she pulled the car out onto the street. “Yes, you do.”
I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the seat. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
“You’re going to press charges.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “You bet I am, even though their lawyers will probably get them off.”
“It won’t be so easy, since Drew was stupid enough to film the whole thing. And, don’t forget that a police detective also witnessed at least part of the attack. We’ll need to get you photographed as evidence of your injuries. Did you get hit anywhere else?”
I shook my head. “No.” Even if I had, I wouldn’t tell her. I didn’t want to risk anybody seeing the bandage on my side, even though my friends had been crazy enough to cut themselves too. If anyone looked too closely, they might see that my wound was the real thing.
“Okay. Call your mom.”
Mom met us at the hospital. She took one look at my face and all the color ran from hers. Tears filled her eyes as
she came toward me. I let her hug me, making sure her arms wrapped around my shoulders so she didn’t hurt my injured side. For all I knew, the wound had opened up again. At least there was no blood on my shirt from that. Yet. There was plenty of blood from my nose.
“Oh my God,” Mom whispered. “What did they do to you?”
“I’m okay,” I told her. “I think my nose is broken, but that’s it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, stepping back to look me in the eye. I knew what she was worried about.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m okay, believe me.”
My mother’s expression hardened as she turned to Detective Davies. “Please tell me you arrested the bastards.”
Diane nodded. “They’re in police custody. Brody and Jason are only seventeen, so they may be charged as juveniles, but the other two are eighteen, and I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure they are charged accordingly.”
I believed her. I looked at Mom. “When I saw them coming at me, I called Detective Davies. She rescued me.”
“Thank you,” my mother told her. “Thank you for being there when my daughter needed you.”
Diane nodded. “I made sure all of the girls in our class have my personal number.”
“Why did this happen?” Mom asked. I knew she was going to ask, but I still dreaded having to answer her. I didn’t want to lie, but there was no way I could tell the complete truth.
As it was, I didn’t have to say anything. The detective said it for me. “The four of them accused Hadley of being the Pink Vigilante.”
My mother laughed. “That’s impossible. You don’t believe them, do you?” She actually looked convincing. I would have believed her if I hadn’t told her myself.
The cop smiled slightly. “When I arrived at the graveyard, I saw a girl in a pink ski mask running away.” It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no, either. It was a careful response.
I smiled—the painkillers the doctor had given me were starting to kick in. “I had two rescuers,” I said. “Better than what Magda got.”