Contract to Kill Read Online Free PDF

say anything.
    “Sometimes it’s harder to listen than to talk.”
    “Not for me.”
    “Come on, you know what I mean.”
    “I guess.”
    Nathan waited again. Like him, Lauren needed intervals of silence.
    “She thinks I dress too provocatively . But all my friends get to wear cool clothes.”
    Nathan smiled. “Cool or provocative?”
    “Both.”
    It was Nathan’s turn to say nothing.
    “Okay, okay . . . Point taken.”
    He used the phrase all the time, and Lauren had adopted it.
    “You’re at a tough age. You want to be treated like an adult, but you still want kid benefits.”
    “I don’t feel like a kid.”
    “You’re turning fourteen in a couple of months. Ever heard the expression: youth is wasted on the young?”
    She shook her head.
    “It means we adults wish we were young again, kinda the opposite of the way kids wish they were older. Don’t fall into the trap of wanting to be someone you’re not.”
    She didn’t say anything.
    “Brunettes want to be blondes. Short people want to be taller. White people want tans.” Nathan pointed to the mirror. “You and I have something those popular girls at school will never have. A life-and-death combat bond. We’ve been through hell and back, you and me.”
    Lauren shuddered. “I still can’t believe what I did to you in that abandoned house.”
    Nathan put a hand on her shoulder, still looking at her in the mirror. “Hey, we wouldn’t be talking if you hadn’t.”
    “That was crazy.”
    “You aren’t kidding. I’ve been on some rough ops, but that was right up there with the worst of them. Look, my point is, you don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”
    “I don’t?”
    “Absolutely not.” Nathan put a fist to his chest. “If you’re comfortable in here, you don’t need to show off or hang with the popular girls. The girls who need to wear tight clothes to get attention from boys are insecure. They use their bodies to hide who they truly are, scared little girls.”
    “Put that way, they sound kinda pathetic.”
    “Don’t condemn them. It’s just part of growing up. Much of what they think is important really isn’t. Ask yourself this: What’s more important? The way you look, or the way you feel about yourself?”
    Lauren looked straight ahead, but Nathan knew she’d gotten his point.
    “Why don’t you compromise with your mom? I have a feeling you’re both coming from extreme perspectives. If you give a little, she will too.”
    “I guess.”
    “You’re in transition from childhood to womanhood, and it’s going to be tough sometimes. Every girl goes through it. It will take patience and understanding on both sides. Your mom didn’t have a happy childhood. I’m not going to give you all the gory details, but let’s just say she was forced to grow up much faster than you.”
    “In North Korea, was she, you know . . . ”
    “Yes. Many times, and when she was younger than you.”
    “That’s horrible. She never talks about it.”
    “Maybe someday. You’re still kinda young for the specifics. Do you remember how you felt when you saw my chest, all those scars? We were on top of that wrecked car, and we needed to use my shirt on the barbed wire?”
    “Yeah, I’ll never forget it. I was like totally freaked. I felt really bad for you.”
    “Your mom has scars like mine, only you can’t see them.”
    Lauren thought for a moment. He didn’t need to explain what he meant.
    “She yells a lot. It’s hard not to yell back.”
    “You need to understand her anger isn’t directed at you. I get angry too.”
    “As bad as my mom?”
    “Worse.”
    “No way.”
    “It’s true. But I’ve learned to control it. Your mom has a harder time. What happened to me occurred over a three-week period, but your mom endured years of abuse.”
    “I told her she was a bitch, and then I felt really bad because she cried for hours.”
    “Look, Lauren, people say things like that, but they forgive each other. Your mom loves you.