RIVER
The guy’s question hung in the air, but his voice muted into a distant murmur. All I could hear was the roar of my heart against my ribs as my mind raced, frantic.
My eyes darted between their legs, my brain scrambling for an escape route. Maybe I could push through one of them. Yes, the smallest of the four. Surely Lexi’s body could take him, or at least bulldoze through long enough for me to get away.
Moving fast, my fingers dug into the ground, scooping up a handful of dirt, and I hurled it into their faces. They flinched, coughing and swearing, and I sprang to my feet.
I rammed straight into my target with everything I had, but I’d miscalculated. The guy didn’t even budge, and a split second later, they were on me again.
Hands grabbed at my arms and my shoulders, yanking a
