Heat Read Online Free PDF Page A

Heather, though Sam knew Brian wasn't in the class of people that Heather would have considered the top rank. It had taken Sam several meetings to figure out that Brian had the flaming hots for Heather Gannis. He seemed to consider the fact that Heather was dating Sam as some kind of personal insult.
    From the broad smile on his face, it seemed that Brian had finally recovered from his jealousy. "It's been a long time, huh?"
    "I saw you two nights ago, Brian. At the Kellers' party, remember?"
    Brian nodded enthusiastically. He stumbled down the hallway toward Sam and put a hand on the wall to steady himself. "Yeah," he said. "Good party. Too bad you left so soon." Brian's breath was so strong that it made Sam's eyes water.
It was clear that Brian hadn't been leaving any parties early
. He didn't smell like he had been drinking beer. He smelled like he had been
boiled
in beer.
    "I'm glad you enjoyed it," Sam said. He closed the door to his room and zipped up his coat. "I'll be seeing you."
    A heavy hand came down on Sam's shoulder. "Too bad about you and Heather," said Brian.
    Puzzled, Sam turned and looked into Brian's flushed, smiling face. "What?"
    "You know," said Brian. "How you guys are breaking up and everything."
    He's drunk,
Sam thought.
He's drunk, and he doesn't know what he's talking about.
"Did Heather say something to you?"
    "Heather? Nah." Brian's red eyes closed for a moment, and his mouth gaped open. Sam could practically see the two sober brain cells in Brian's head scrambling to dredge up the memory. "It was the guys, man. They were saying how Heather was doing maid service."
    "Maid service?"
    "You know. Going from bed to bed."
    A flash of cold ran up Sam's back, and he
felt a sudden, metallic tightness
in his guts. "They're lying."
    Sam tried to put some kind of authority into his voice, but it wasn't enough to stop the flow of words that spilled from Brian's beer-saturated throat. "That's not what Charlie says."
    The coldness in Sam's back began to spread into his legs and arms. There was a buzzing noise in his head. "Charlie."
    "Charlie Salita. You know Charlie."
    Sam did know Charlie. Charlie was a jock and a standard at all the parties Heather attended. "You're saying that Charlie Salita slept with Heather."
    Brian's smile grew even wider. "Charlie says she's really hot," he said.
    "He's lying."
    Brain leaned in closer. "He's got details, man. He knows things about Heather."
    "He's making it all up," Sam insisted.
    "Charlie says your old girlfriend is a real bunny in the sack."
    Sam Moon wasn't a violent person. He played chess, not football. He couldn't remember being in a real fight since junior high. None of that mattered.
    He raised his right hand, carefully folded his
    fingers, drew back his arm, and
drove his fist straight into Brian Sandford's grinning face
.
    THE TRAIL OF BLOOD STRETCHED
across the frozen ground. Gaia bent and touched her finger to a bright red splash.
Cold
. The blood was as cold as the snow it was staining.
    Like a Family
    Gaia stood and looked ahead. The snow was falling so thickly that she could barely see twenty feet, but somewhere up there she could see shadowy movement. Gaia hurried along, jumping over one splash of blood after another.
    Cold wind streamed through her tangled hair and brought goose pimples from the bare skin of her arms and throat. Gaia tried to remember why she was outside in such cold weather without a coat. Or shoes.
    The blood trail led into a grove of stark, black-trunked trees. The shadowy figure was closer now, and the blood spots were closer together. Gaia moved faster. She had to catch up. She had to catch up before . . . she didn't know what. Something was going
    to happen, something bad, and Gaia was the only one who could stop it.
    A new shape loomed up out of the snow. It was a building. A house.
    Gaia ran ahead for a few steps, then skidded to a stop in the ankle-deep snow. It wasn't just any house--it was her house. Not the brownstone