Read Online Liar by Francine Pascal - Free Book Online Page A

lunged for the phone, nearly tripping over a mountain of laundry.
    â€œHello?” he gasped.
    â€œHey, there,” a sultry voice whispered.
    Ella.
The blood drained from his face. His hands went clammy. “What the hell do you want?” he hissed.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, baby?” she murmured in a whiny, little-girl voice. It filled him with revulsion. “I was hoping I could drop by to talk to you—”
    â€œDon’t call me
‘baby,’”
he snapped. “I’m not your baby.”
    There was a pause. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    â€œYou are!” he shouted. His face reddened. “Can’t you just
leave me alone!”
    She giggled. “I love it when young men get angry. It’s such a turn-on.”
    Sam blinked. He couldn’t believe this. Talking to her was like talking to an alien. “What do you
want,
Ella?”
    â€œI want
you”
she whispered.
    â€œWell, that’s not going to happen.” He forced himself to take a deep breath to try to maintain some semblance of control. “But you know … actually, it’s a good thing you called. Because now I can tell you what I came by to tell you today. I never, ever want to see you again.”
    Ella clucked her tongue. “I don’t believe you,” she stated.
    His eyes widened. Incredible. Maybe she
was
an alien. “Well,
start
believing,” he growled. “Because I’m sick of this. I don’t want your calls. I don’t want your e-mail. I don’t want to hear your name or even
think
about you—”
    â€œWhy?” she interrupted. “Because of Gaia?”
    Hot pain stabbed into his chest. “Leave her out of this,” he warned.
    Ella chuckled. “You know, I don’t think that’s such a good idea anymore. I think she should be in on everything. It’s only fair—”
    â€œIf you tell her anything, I’ll kill you,” he whispered between tightly clenched teeth. A red haze filled his brain. His voice quavered. He gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white. “I mean it.”
    â€œNo, you—”
    He slammed the phone down on the hook. All at once he felt psychotic, out of control. His breath came fast. He was practically hyperventilating. Maybe he should just go find her. Maybe he should just get a knife, or a gun, or
something
—and shut her up for good. But even as these twisted thoughts swirled through his brain, he knew what he had to do. He had to get back to Gaia. Wallet or no wallet, he had to talk to her.
    Before Ella did.

The Strangest Fight
    PUNCH. BLOCK. KICK.
    â€œHai!”
    Gaia withdrew again. Puffs of frozen breath filled the air around her, but she was no longer cold. Her brain hummed, but her body was a cool stone. Once more she and the guy circled each other—hands up, eyes locked, legs bent. This was by far the strangest fight she’d ever been in. It should have been over by now. The other two guys had already dragged themselves away and disappeared into the night. And it wasn’t even really like
fighting.
It was more like … well, like sparring. Like a practice duel. Like what she and her father used to do for hours on end in her old backyard …
    Without warning the guy suddenly jumped up and spun at the same time, whipping his right leg around in a roundhouse kick—straight for Gaia’s head.
    But Gaia ducked it easily. She frowned. She couldn’t help but feel that even if she
hadn’t
ducked, the kick probably wouldn’t have connected, anyway. The guy seemed to slow in midair—just barely—and raise his foot a little.
    What the hell is going on? Who are you?
    Maybe she should ask him. But she doubted he would answer. His face had remained perfectlyinscrutable since he’d first appeared, despite his exertion.
    They circled each other again.
    Gaia’s thoughts raced. Obviously whoever he was,