Perfect Glass (A Young Adult Novel (sequel to Glass Girl)) Read Online Free PDF

steps back so I could watch everyone in the room. The young guy in the office had turned around and was eying Raf. He made a quick call, then turned out the light in his office.
    I barely made out his shape now. He was still watching Raf, who tensed visibly, the hairs on his neck standing up. Raf scanned the room behind us, the door we’d entered, and the street outside.
    “¿
Cuál es tu problema, chico
?” The burly guy who’d been looking over my order stopped to stare at Raf.
    “
Regresaremos luego
,” Raf said, as he nudged my arm and headed for the door. “We have to go right now,” he whispered.
    I shook him off and held my ground. “Look, man, this is my one trip to make this order. Give me five minutes to hand over my list. Go sit in the truck and I’ll be right out.”
    Raf looked at me like I was crazy, swallowing what he wanted to say. He hesitated for a second, shot out the door, bypassed the truck, and walked away fast, head down.
    I heard a door open and close in the back of the shop. The men waited for me to make a move. One of them laughed and stepped over to the window to watch Raf run.
    “
Fue una pandilla rata
,” he said. “
Los Comemuertos
.”
    Raf’s former gang was called
Los Comemuertos
, literally “eaters of the dead.” My heart tried to kick itself out of my chest; I couldn’t get out of this scene fast enough. These guys now held my life in their hands. They knew who Raf was and why he’d broken ties with his gang. I didn’t.
    “
No necesito esto, hombre
.” The guy who’d been taking my order spoke earnestly to me. His words, although I barely understood them, carried a heavy warning, something like—“You should forget about your friend and get the heck out of here while you can still walk.”
    I would do that if I could. But I was the only good guy who knew Raf was in Managua.

FIVE
    henry
    I grabbed my paperwork and put my hands up, while I backed out of the place. The street seemed quiet enough, but Raf was gone. I needed to climb into the truck, lock the doors, and call John. Confessing my stupidity in bringing Raf was the least of my worries now.
    John picked his phone up on the first ring. “Come on, Henry, boy, tell me you placed the order and it’ll be delivered tomorrow morning.”
    “Raf’s gone, John,” I managed to get out before panic crashed my brain.
    “Whoa. Breathe. What do you mean? Did you see him somewhere?” John shushed the kids who were squealing around him.
    “I brought him with me to Quintero’s,” I said, craning my neck to look for Raf. “The guys there recognized him. They called him a rat, but I didn’t catch all that until it was too late. Raf took off and I think a guy from the store followed him.”
    “Wait…you brought him with you to Managua?” I heard a door slam and things got quiet where John was. “What were you thinking, Henry? I have a legal obligation to keep him out of that city. It was part of his juvie sentencing for gang activity, and it was the only way the judge could save his life from a gang hit. Can you see him now?”
    “He disappeared. I’m going to drive the streets around here.” I was already pulling out of my spot and heading in the direction Raf had walked.
    “Hold up. You don’t know where you are. You’ll get lost and I’ll be looking for both of you. I’m going to hang up and call the
policía
. Sit tight.” John disconnected.
    I couldn’t sit tight, so I drove fast, keeping my eyes glued to the sidewalk. The cars around me laid on their horns, furious about my erratic driving.
    Finally, five blocks east of Quintero’s, I caught sight of Raf when I stopped at a red light. I rolled my window down to yell at him, but fate intervened. Within seconds, four or five obvious gangsters surrounded him.
    The light turned green, but I stayed, chewing myself out for getting him into this. One of the
pandilleros
moved in close behind Raf to hold his arms.
    Bystanders pretended not to notice and even