The Limit Read Online Free PDF Page B

sat down and fastened your seat belt.” The honey voice flowed into the back part of the car through a speaker.
    I don’t care what you’d appreciate, so shut up and leave me alone.
I picked up the heavy end of a seat belt and chucked it. The strap kept it from doing any damage. That didn’t stop me from throwing it against the seat again and again, grunting with my efforts.
    “Matthew, please remain calm.” Honey Lady’s voice was too sweet—like biting into a cube of pure sugar. It made my teeth ache. “You can’t hurt anything in this vehicle. You can’t hurt yourself.” The voice took on a shot of sour. “The only thing you can hurt by notcooperating is your family. Now please sit down and fasten your seat belt.”
    They’d hurt Lauren and Abbie?
    I let the seat belt drop. Still kneeling, I leaned the side of my head against the seat.
    Honey Lady’s voice, soft and smooth again, spoke to me. “You’re doing a wonderful thing for your family, Matthew. You probably don’t realize it, but you’re saving them from financial devastation.”
    A tear sneaked out of the corner of my eye, slid over the bridge of my nose, and plopped onto the leather seat. I sniffed.
    “Would you like a tissue?” asked Honey Lady.
    “No,” I said, sniffing more quietly. “I’m fine.”
    I heard a soft click. Honey Lady must’ve turned off the speaker. My upper body slid an inch to the right on the slick leather as the car turned and slowed down. The turn didn’t feel sharp. It felt like the car had pulled over to the side of the road. The car stopped.
    I heard the
ka-chunk ka-chunk
of one of the front doors being opened and closed. Then another
ka-chunk
as the door near me opened. Honey Lady crouched down and leaned inside, her face inches from where mine lay sideways on the seat. A few of her long, golden hairs tickled my nose. I turned my head the other way.
    “Is it all right if I ride back here with you, now that you’ve settled down?” she asked.
    “I don’t care,” I said. “It’s not like I can stop you.” Not when she had Gorilla Man backing her up. I scrambled to the other side of the limo and slumped against the window, my forehead resting on the cool glass.
    I didn’t watch, but I sensed her as she slid next to me, smooth as honey. I heard a click as she fastened her seat belt. A nice, flowery scent filled the space. She even smelled sweet. My fingers tightened into a fist. I wanted to punch something—maybe her or this limo or the limit. Anything.
    A tap of Honey Lady’s knuckles on the privacy glass signaled Gorilla Man to go. She turned toward me while stretching out her legs in the massive space in front of our seat. Okay, I peeked.
    “I want you to understand the law and what’s happening to you,” she said, patting me on the arm and smiling a warm, sweet smile. “I want you to feel comfortable with me and your situation.”
    She kept her hand on my arm. It felt . . . good. I didn’t know what to think. She acted nice—like she cared about me. She couldn’t really, though, or she wouldn’t have taken me away. And she wasn’t just taking me from my family, she was also taking me from my friends, my school, my home—my life.
    “Do you have any questions for me?” she asked.
    Slumping, I jerked away from her touch and folded my arms across my chest. “Yeah. When can I go home?”
    “That’s the beauty of FDO 169-D!” Her smile would have lit up the bottom of a black pit. I almost wanted to squint away from it. “The amount of time you will be required to spend at the workhouse is entirely up to you and your family. The harder all of you work to get back under your debt limit, the sooner you can go home. I’m sure it makes you feel better to know you’re in complete control of the situation. Doesn’t it, Matthew?”
    “Matt,” I said, without really thinking.
    “You like to be called Matt?”
    “Yeah, I guess.” I stiffened. “Whatever. So you’re taking me to some