Read Online Nothing to Lose by Norah McClintock - Free Book Online

the counter. The man went to the cash register and Nick paid him. The man put Nick’s purchase in a small bag, then reached for something else under the counter. Nick’s back was blocking the man from view, but I was pretty sure that the man was giving Nick whatever he had reached for.
    As Nick turned away, I saw him put something in his pocket. I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach. Whatever Nick was up to, he didn’t want me to know about. I wondered if it had anything to do with the way he had reacted when Stan Rogers had showed up at my father’s place. Despite what Nick had said, I was pretty sure that he hadn’t just seen Stan around. Nick knew him. Maybe he had even had a run-in with him, which would explain the way Stan had looked at Nick.
    I also wondered what my father knew—whether he had a reason he hadn’t told me for wanting me to stay at Henri’s. I waited impatiently for the light to change. Maybe Nick didn’t want to talk about what was going on. Maybe forcing him to talk was going to ruin the whole day. But I didn’t care about that anymore. I wanted answers.
    Nick came out of the store and walked back to the corner. A steady stream of cars whizzed by him while he waited for the light to change. When he spotted me waiting on the other side of the street, he smiled and waved a hand. People gathered around him—other pedestrians, waiting for the light to change. I saw a couple of them frown as a tall, blond-haired guy suddenly started to shove his way through them toward the curb.
Some people are so rude
, I thought. Then, just like that, it happened.
    I gasped. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
    Nick lurched forward. I couldn’t figure out why. What was he doing? Then I saw the startled look on his face. He turned his head, even as he was staggering forward, his arms pinwheeling frantically in the air. He was falling out into the street.
    I heard the squeal of brakes. Then—
ohmygod!
I wanted to close my eyes but I couldn’t look away. Nick must have seen the same thing I saw—a car was almost on top of him. Then came the impact and a sickening thud. Nick flew up onto the hood just as the car rocked to a stop. When he rolled back down again, I heard the
bang, bang, bang
of a chain reaction as another car crashed into the first car, then a third car hit the second one and another one hit that car. Traffic stopped in all directions. People crowded into the street. I ran toward Nick.
    When I reached him, he wasn’t moving.

A s far as I could tell, Nick wasn’t even breathing. The driver of the car, a tense, terrified-looking middle-aged woman, had struggled out from behind the wheel and was staring down at him, her face white. She was shaking all over.
    â€œHe jumped out in front of me,” she said.
    I sank to my knees beside Nick. Tears were running down my cheeks and there was nothing I could do to stop them. He was so still. I couldn’t see any movement in his chest, not even the smallest up and down from the shallowest of breathing. I forced myself to think.
What do you do in an emergency?
I was supposed to know. I had taken a first aid course when I was twelve years old. It had been my mother’s idea—of course.
Think, Robyn
.
    First, check for a pulse.
    I pressed a finger to the side of Nick’s neck and located a pulse.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
    Next, get help.
    I looked up at the people who were crowded around.
    â€œSomeone call 9-1-1,” I said.
    A man was already on his cell phone. “I’m making the call right now,” he said.
    Something caught my eye behind him. The tall blond guy. He was staring down at Nick. When he looked up again, I saw something hard and cold in his eyes. Then—I was sure of it—he smiled. A tight, nasty little smile. He started to turn away.
    â€œHey!” I shouted. I stood up just as he melted into the crowd. I wanted to go after him. I