Razor Girl Read Online Free Page B

going back!”
    His brother’s voice again. Louder, more urgent. Did the idiot really think he was lost? That he hadn’t slipped away on purpose? Probably. Tank wasn’t known for his brains. Just his foolhardy protectiveness of those he took under his wing—which was practically anyone and anything these days. Nonetheless, Tank wouldn’t have approved of Chase going off on his own, and he certainly wouldn’t have approved of Chase’s intended goal.
    Whatever. At the end of the day, a man had to do what he had to do, older brother’s approval or not.
    “Hey! Over here! I’m over here!”
    Chase’s head jerked around and he almost lost his balanceon the roof. What was that? Another voice? And not just any voice. It sounded like a woman. It came in the other direction from his brother, and it was faint.
    He squinted as he peered down the street, the setting sun making it difficult to see. But then his eyes found movement. Something—some one —was running down the street with wild abandon.
    At first he feared it might be one of the Others, but it didn’t move like one. They could be quick, but he’d never seen one run. And the air didn’t smell like them, either. Their putrid rot often caused a stink that gave plenty of warning—although not always.
    Just to be safe, he lowered himself onto his belly, flush with the garage roof, pulled his thick leather gloves over his wrists and drew the steel blade from the sheath at his waist. Once properly prepared for any potential fight, he peered over the roof edge again.
    At first he thought he must be hallucinating. The girl came around the corner and he blinked his eyes a few times, rubbed them, then took another look. She was still there. Wearing a white tank top and jean cutoffs, of all things. Miles of skin—milk-white skin—completely exposed. His first thought was that she must be truly stupid to walk around like that. His second thought was how truly happy he was that she did.
    His eyes roved her body, drinking in the first live adult female shape he’d seen in years. The curve of her waist, the flare of her hips. Full breasts, tempting and teasing under the thin fabric of her white tank top. Her long neck, high cheekbones and beautiful golden hair, pulled up in a casual ponytail. She wore some sort of mirrored sunglasses, leaving Chase with an inexplicable curiosity about the color of her eyes, though he wouldn’t have been able to see the irises from here anyway.
    He watched as she ran down the street in his direction. She was beautiful, to say the least; it became clearer the closer she came. But there was something else. Something weirdly familiar about the—
    He shook his head. Impossible. And pay attention , he told himself. Distractions will get you killed .
    As if on cue, the breeze suddenly shifted and a smell caught his nostrils. A putrid stink. He tensed, shoving all thoughts of lust to the back of his mind. The Others were near. One of them, at least. And this girl was a sitting duck.
    Something stirred inside him, some weird, knight-in-shining-armor bullshit that compelled him to jump off the roof and go down to rescue her. The notion went against his grain, and he didn’t obey it, but he did scramble to his feet and wave his arms. “Hey, up here!” he hissed. “Quick!”
    She looked up, surprise mixing with joy on her face. She really was beautiful. And as she practically bounced over to the garage she cried, “Oh my God. You’re a person. A real person. I was beginning to think I was the only—”
    “Behind you!” he cried, realizing he was likely too late. The Other had shown up out of seemingly nowhere, appearing from behind an overturned Smart Volvo, and was inches away from the girl. Dressed like that, with all that skin exposed and perfect for biting, she didn’t have a chance of escaping infection. Of course, she wasn’t even going to avoid becoming the monster’s dinner. Yup, she was a goner for sure. And since he’d made