Mortal Kiss by Alice Moss

Author:Alice Moss [Moss, Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-98879-0
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32: Bound

The two girls watched as Sergeant Wilson and Ballard tied Finn to the chair. Finn struggled and yelled, but he was no match for the two men, even when Sergeant Wilson removed the cuffs. Ballard tied the boy’s feet and hands together, then twisted the rope around Finn’s neck, forcing his head back, and secured the end to the chair.

Ballard turned to Sergeant Wilson. “Get out. Now.”

Liz’s dad didn’t even hesitate. He walked to his car, slid into the front seat, started the engine and backed out.

“I don’t understand,” Liz said. “Why is Dad taking orders from that horrible man? What’s happening to him? We should go after him!”

Faye squeezed her arm as they watched the police car disappear down the narrow track. “We have to stay here,” she told Liz. “We can’t leave Finn alone with Ballard.”

Liz looked miserable but nodded. Through the window, they saw Ballard lift his hand and hit Finn hard across the face. The boy’s head smacked back against the chair, and the girls heard him groan.

“You think you can interfere with our plans, do you, Finn?” Ballard said, his sinister voice amused. “How long will it take you and your kind to learn you will never win?”

Finn lifted his head, twisting it from side to side to loosen the rope. He coughed, and Faye was shocked to see blood on his lips.

“We haven’t lost yet,” Finn managed to say. “And you know we won’t go down without a fight. I’ve seen worse than you come and go.”

Ballard was circling Finn, the way an animal might stalk its prey. “But you will go down, boy. Look at you. How long has this battle been going on? You never change. And you never learn. I’ve been waiting for one of you to slip up, do something stupid. And what you did in that schoolyard. That was stupid. Drawing attention to yourself. To all of us.”

Finn coughed. “What do you want?” he rasped. He seemed to be finding it hard to breathe. “Stop playing games. I’ve got better things to do.”

“I’m going to give you a choice.” Ballard bent over Finn, his voice echoing in the eerie emptiness of the old mill. “Because I’m generous that way, and because I want to send a message. Your kind may have hindered us before, but that’s not going to happen again. So here we are, Finn. You can join us. Or I can kill you, here and now. I can end your pathetic little life once and for all, because I’m tired of your arrogance.” Ballard straightened up. “I’m going to give you five minutes of quiet time alone to make your decision. Make sure you choose wisely. Or your long life might just be at an end.” Ballard walked away, laughing cruelly as he went. As the girls watched, he slid open the main doors of the mill and went into the snow, closing them behind him.

Faye turned to Liz, her teeth chattering from crouching in the snow.

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