“Go back where you came from, you freak!”

  Ruddy looked at his feet and tried to ignore the jeers as he trudged down the street.

  But we saved them, he thought. We’re the heroes.

  The town was swelling with freed slaves from the mines. Men, women, little children—all filthy, half-starved, and looking for someone to blame. With Teri watching, there was no danger things would get out of control—but that didn’t stop people from hating afflicted for what they’d put them through.

  Ruddy let out a long sigh. Teri. He’d been expecting a warm reunion, but every time he sat down next to her, she found an excuse to get up. She kept him in her sight the way a bird watched a cat.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he muttered. “She’s the one with the problem.” He collided with somebody. “Oof! Watch where you’re going, you ...”

  Green eyes stared up at him from a pixie-like face framed by strawberry-blond hair. “I’m so sorry, sir! I’m such a klutz. It won’t happen again.”

  “Clara!” he said. “I haven’t seen you since … are you doing okay? I mean … I … where have you ...”

  “I’m so sorry to bother you, sir,” she said. “I’ll get out of your way.”

  “No, wait!” Ruddy stared at her. He couldn’t help it. “Don’t go, I ...”

  She brushed her hair back from her face and looked at the ground. “Did you need something, sir?”

  “No. Yes!” He raised his arm toward her, then drew back. “I mean … I thought we could talk, and …” His gaze wandered to her neckline and he forced it back to her face. He’d never seen such beautiful … eyes.

  “What are you doing walking around?” he said. “You’re supposed to stay inside. Don’t you know how pissed off everyone is?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t stand being cooped up inside anymore. I had to get out and get some fresh air.”

  “You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said. “Where are you staying? I’ll walk you back.”

  “I’m still staying at Adrian’s house,” Clara said. “I’ve got nowhere else to go. Everyone in town ...” She shivered. “They say I'm a traitor. I’m afraid of what they might do to me.”

  “Well, you’re safe with me,” he said.

  She took hold of his arm and leaned into him as they walked down the street. “So, sir, what are you doing out here?”

  “Don’t call me sir,” he said. He couldn’t get his mind off the weight of her as she pressed against him. “It’s Ruddy. I’m supposed to be rounding up supplies but I guess I got distracted. I’ve been thinking about … stuff. It doesn’t matter.”

  “I’m a good listener,” she said. “Sometimes it helps to talk things out.”

  “Well … it’s Teri.”

  Clara frowned. “That poor child. What they put her through.”

  Ruddy yanked his arm away. “Yeah, well, we’ve all been through a lot.”

  Clara blinked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  Ruddy shook his head and sighed. “It’s okay. I love Teri. I’d do anything for her. But she’s got Xeke and Corey, and … well, I don’t think she really likes me anymore. They don’t even want me around.”

  She took his arm again. “Why wouldn’t they want you around?”

  “Well, I … I killed Richard.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” Clara said. “I’m so sorry. That must have been awful for you.”

  “I didn’t mean to kill him!”

  “Of course you didn’t.”

  “He was going to hurt her. I thought he was, anyway. I just don’t understand why she cared so much about him.”

  “Richard had a lot of people fooled,” Clara said. “And Adrian, too. They were both very good liars.”

  “I know!” Ruddy said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her. Her and Xeke. But they don’t believe me.”

  Clara patted his shoulder. “I need to show you something.” She took his arm and pulled him as she took off down the street.

  “What? Where are we going?”

  “Trust me,” she said.

  When they got to the Wiley mansion, Clara led Ruddy around back to a padlocked tool shed.

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  “Oh, dear,” she said. “It’s locked.”

  “No problem.” Ruddy grabbed the padlock and twisted it off with a “snap.”

  “Oh!” Clara’s eyes widened. “That was amazing!” She pulled the door open. “Come on.”

  Ruddy hesitated. “What’s in there? Maybe we should go get Xeke. Or Corey.”

  “Please, Ruddy,” she said. “I trust you, but … I don’t want too many people seeing this. It’s … it’s humiliating.” She pulled her coat tighter. “You can bring them here later if you really need to.”

  “Um, okay.”

  She squeezed his hand and led him into the shed. An entire wall was taken up with tools, and there was a workbench on the other side, littered with wood shavings and repair parts.

  There was an open hatch in the floor. A metal ladder led down into a lit room.

  “What is this?” Ruddy said. “An episode of Lost?”

  Clara slid the door closed behind them. He felt goosebumps on his arms.

  “It’s down here.”

  The ladder led to an underground bunker—concrete walls, a bathroom, a desk with a computer, and a chair facing several dark monitors. Clara stood by the desk, rifling through a stack of DVDs.

  “What is this place?” he said.

  “This is how Adrian kept an eye on everyone.” She gestured to the monitors. “It used to be an old fallout shelter or something. There are cameras hidden all over town, including your cottage. He brought me down here and made me ... do things … while he watched.”

  She handed him a DVD. “Play this one.”

  Ruddy booted up the computer while she slipped off her jacket and hung it on the chair. He tried to tear his eyes away from her thin camisole shirt.

  “This is from a couple of days ago,” Clara said. “I’m ashamed of it. But you need to see what kind of person he was.”

  “Adrian?”

  “No, Richard.”

  She brushed against his shoulder as she leaned over him to turn on one of the monitors. His ears blazed red. She isn’t wearing a bra!

  A scene played out on the monitor in front of him. Richard and Teri sat across from each other in front of a chess board. Teri looked relaxed, more so than Ruddy had ever seen her. Richard frowned and moved a knight.

  Teri moved her bishop. “Checkmate,” she said.

  Richard stared at the board. “How did you do that? We’ve only been playing for five minutes.”

  “You made me promise not to go easy on you anymore.” She smiled. “We can always try Go again.”

  “No thank you!” Richard said. “That was even worse.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, your game is really improving,” Teri said.

  Richard laughed. “How about this, you just get me to the point where I can beat Adrian.”

  She grinned. “Deal. Adrian is good but he’s kind of predictable. He always goes for the quick win. Never sees the less obvious strategies, even when he’s looking for them.”

  Richard smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. “Teri, you and I are going to make a great team.”

  Ruddy slapped the pause key and stared at the screen. “Why are they acting like best friends? She’s teaching him to play chess? Why would she do that?”

  “That’s how they get you,” Clara said. “They invite you in, give you nice things. Get you to let your guard down. Get you to trust them. As long as you go along, they act as nice as can be, but if you don’t do what they want …” She shivered.

  “Teri is way too smart to fall for something like that,” Ruddy said.

  “Maybe she isn’t as smart as you think she is,” Clara said.

  “No! I mean ...” Ruddy said. “I don’t know. Maybe she was confused.” He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling, but ended up pressing the back of his head into Clara’s neck. She smiled down at him. Her hair smelled like strawberries.

  “Adrian had big plans for her,” Clara said. “It’s all he could talk about, how she was going to help him take over everything.”

  “Teri never would have gone along with any of that, not if she’d known what they were up to.”

  Clara leaned around him to fast-forward the video. “That wasn’t the only part I wanted to show you. Mmm, here it is.”

  Teri was asleep on the bed next to Richard. A few seconds passed, then Richard smiled and sat up as Clara slipped through the door. She was wearing a sheer silk robe.

  The robe dropped to the floor. Clara was naked underneath.

  Ruddy sucked in his breath.

  “I slipped her an Ambien,” Richard said. “She’ll be out for a while. Hurry, though; I don’t want Adrian catching us.”

  “He won’t be back for hours,” Clara said. She reached for his belt.

  Behind Ruddy, the real Clara was sobbing.

  “Why … are you showing me this?” Ruddy couldn’t rip his eyes away from the screen.

  “I’m so ashamed!” she said. “The things they made me do … Ruddy, it was awful.”

  “You didn’t have any choice,” he said.

  Her fingers wove their way into the back of his hair and he felt goose bumps rise on his neck. “No, I didn’t. But I was more ashamed than ever, because … that was after you had come to town and … I had already fallen for you.”

  “What?” He spun the chair around and stood. “Me? But … but …”

  She gazed at him with those green eyes. “I … the first time I saw you, I … you’re so strong. I knew you would save me from them. And I was right. I’ve been a slave for years, they made me do things I hated, but there are things I want to do. Ruddy, I want to do them with you.” She slipped her shirt over her head and tossed it onto the floor. Before he knew what was happening, she was in his arms.

  “Ruddy,” she purred into his ear. “Let me make you happy.”

  He panicked and shoved her away. She stumbled back a few steps.

  “Do you think this is what I want?” he yelled. “Do you think I’m like them?”

  Her face crumpled. Her lip quivered and she crossed her arms over her breasts. “I’m sorry … I … I really wanted to make you happy. I guess I’m just a whore. That’s all I’ve ever been.”

  “Oh no … don’t cry,” Ruddy said. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’m just mad about Richard. He was a sick bastard, and I don’t want you thinking I’m like him.”

  “I know.” She wiped her eyes. “You’re a good man. I wasn’t thinking. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do.”

  “You’re better than this. Can’t you see that?”

  She stepped forward and hugged him tight. His body exploded with heat. She stood on her toes and whispered into his ear. “Thank you, Ruddy. Thank you for being such a good friend.”

  He patted her back. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  She shook in his arms as she sobbed. So soft and warm. He rubbed her back and she pressed against him.

  “We should go,” he said. But he didn’t move.

  “Just hold me a little longer.” She sank into his embrace. He almost jumped when she started playing with his ear, but he controlled his breathing. Just a little longer ...

  Anger exploded into his head. It was Teri. His body stiffened.

  “Is something wrong?” Clara said.

  He shushed her. Are you okay, Teri? What’s wrong?

  It’s all right. Xeke’s with me.

  Are you sure?

  I’m fine, Teri said. You can go back to what you were doing.

  I wasn’t … he stopped. Well, if you’re sure.

  Clara had taken a step back. “What is it?”

  Oh my god, Ruddy thought. He stared at Clara. I almost took advantage of her. I’m as bad as Richard. No wonder Teri hates me.

  “Put your shirt on,” he said. “We should go.” He took a step toward the ladder.

  The look on Clara’s face … it was like he’d slapped her. He climbed up the ladder without looking back.