Page 107 of Science Project

Nicole hadn’t wanted me to know about what her father or the rest of those disgusting men did to her. She really wouldn’t tell anyone else about it.

“Nicole—the girl you have a crush on, head of the cheerleading squad. That Nicole,” Kai said. “Your parents work closely with the police, don’t they? Nicole told Poison a few days ago that they’re using her.”

“What?” I whispered. “What do you mean, they’re using her? For what? Information?”

Nicole wouldn’t have told them, right? She wanted it to be a secret.

“Information and,” Kai said, watching me carefully, “sex.”

I mouthed the word sex, repeating it to myself and coming to the conclusion that Nicole hadn’t just asked Poison to help me escape. She must have told them everything in order for them to actually do something about it.

While Poison might’ve been one of the most feared gangs in Redwood, they weren’t heartless. They just wanted to clean up this town and get out of this shithole. If they were given proof that sex trafficking was happening, then … they’d stop it.

“She told us that her father is forcing her to sleep with everyone in town so he can get info on them to use for blackmail,” Kai said. “Doesn’t that sound like something your parents would be a part of?”

I clenched my hands tightly by my sides, wanting to fucking kill them even more now.

“You didn’t know?” Kai asked, slowly releasing me.

Rage rattled through me, and I gritted my teeth.

Oh, I knew. I fucking watched it!

Part of me wanted to rest, to formulate a plan of action before wildly rushing back home to get my shit kicked in. But I couldn’t see straight. All those memories of the other night flashed through me. Nicole had been sobbing, apologizing for being raped to me.

To fucking me!

“I have to go,” I said, yanking open my car door and collapsing into the driver’s seat.

After slamming the door and starting the car, I hit the accelerator and sped out of the parking lot. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I couldn’t sit back anymore.

I was done resting.

Nicole deserved to have justice. And if I had to kill all of them, then I would.

CHAPTER

SIXTY-FOUR

AKIO

My foot collided with an officer’s chest, and I slammed him to the ground. I stood in the middle of a one-story home in the slums, its windows smashed in, heart pounding inside my chest.

After my talk with Kai the other night, I had been able to keep my cool enough to stop myself from blindly starting a war in Redwood with my family and the police force. I couldn’t win that alone, but I could kill them all off, one by one.

The ones who’d hurt Nicole first.

Then, the others would come slowly but surely after that.

I slammed my heel into an officer’s face, knocking out two of his teeth. Blood was splattered all over his shirt and covered his neck. But I wasn’t finished. Nicole’s helpless screams rattled through my head, and I kneed him in the side.

Every night, I had nightmares about Nicole being raped and me not being able to do anything about it. I drowned myself in her terror-filled screams, burning them into my memory to motivate myself.

Another punch, and I flipped him onto his back and straddled his waist. I grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head repeatedly on the tiled floor, his sanguine blood pooling underneath him, only motivating me to hit him harder.

“Die, you fucker,” I growled. “You deserve all of this.”

My gun was tucked away in my waistband, and there was a knife in my pocket.

---