Equal Parts Read Online Free PDF

in a while,” I said, as the waiter cleared away our lunch plates.
    She tutted. “Time for you get home and back to bed. You look exhausted. I’m sorry I dragged you out here, I just –”
    “Don’t be silly,” I assured her, “I love our lunches! As soon as I’m up to it, we can do a day-trip somewhere, I promise.”
    “Ooh, good!” And that was enough to set her off on another rambling speech about a new shopping center opened in the nearest city, Port Martha, and all the winter outfits she planned to buy. Lucia, it seemed, hated winter. I, on the other hand, loved the cold. I couldn’t wait for the skies to darken and the nights to lengthen.
    We said our goodbyes soon after, when we were out on the street, and Lucia’s hug was tighter than usual.
    “Take care of yourself, okay? I’m going to visit Brad this weekend, but feel free to call me any time.” Lucia’s boyfriend Brad went to college in New York, and she usually flew up to see him whenever possible. I still hadn’t met him, but from her stories, he was a bit of a douchebag.
    “Sure,” I said, though we both knew it was a lie. “Thanks for everything, Lucia. I really appreciate it.” Not a lie. I was lucky to have a friend like Lucia, who put up with all my crap and didn’t judge when I didn’t laugh at anything or smile too often.
    “Be careful,” she repeated, gripping my shoulders lightly before stepping aboard the bus behind her. I stayed long enough to wave her off, and then headed back to my car, parked a few blocks away.
    Lucia’s departure left a heavy feeling in my chest, like I had just said goodbye for the last time. Maybe all my morbid thoughts were catching up to me.
    People bumped into me on the street, some apologizing, others not bothering. Sometimes it felt as though I was completely invisible – like I was ghosting through the streets, the bottle of happiness in my chest the only anchor I had to the ground. I saw myself in the reflections of store windows – untidy copper hair, shapeless clothes, large square glasses, no distinct features or aura – but hardly recognized that girl.
    And it wasn’t until I looked closer in the reflection of my car window as I unlocked the driver’s door that I saw I wasn’t alone.
    “What luck – Finn Cole’s little piece,” sneered a masculine voice. I waited for the shock to hit me – for a scream to rip from my lungs, a gasp, a cry for help, anything . But instead I just stood there, looking at the unfamiliar face in the reflection, blinking like a fish out of water.
    Even when a black case enveloped my head, and something whacked across my skull, and everything went black, I still wasn’t the least bit surprised.
     
    I awoke to the inside of the same black bag. Panic welled inside me briefly, before the numbness of my blood drowned it out again. If they wanted me dead, they’d have killed me by now.
    “What’s this?” asked another male voice, different from the one at my car.
    “Present for the boss,” replied the voice beside me. Slowly, headache receding, I registered the grip on my arm, the ropes binding my hands and feet, the scrapes on my knees. I’d been dragged a long way, by the feel of it. “I heard her say Cole’s after her.”
    A chuckle. “He’ll be happy with you, man. God, I hate that smoky bastard.” Oh, brother. These guys somehow thought I was involved with Finn. Next time I saw that idiot – if I ever saw him again – I was going to punch him right in the face.
    I didn’t make a sound, even as my assailant continued to drag me over the cement floor for what seemed like miles. If I gave away my consciousness, I’d either be beaten or something worse. Until I could assess the situation, I was much better off playing knocked out.
    A rap on wood. A deep voice from inside. A door opening, closing. I tried not to cry out as I was suddenly tossed forward onto my face.
    “I don’t take in strays, Joshua,” said an eerie voice.
    “This ain’t