"Okay, I believe you." He held the money out to him too.

Phil refused to take it. "Keep it."

Nick shook his head. "I real y can't take this."

"Yes, you can. Just consider it a reward for being a smart kid."

Unused to people not being angry at him, Nick was stil reluctant to accept the money. "You're not mad at me?"

"For protecting yourself? Not at al . I tel Kyl al the time to behave just like you did. It does me proud to see a kid with a brain. Now get in."

Nick hesitated. How weird for someone like Phil to not look down on him. It felt real y weird.

He got into the car and buckled himself in.

Phil pul ed away from the curb then turned his radio down so that he could talk. "I should have brought Kyl with me to ease your mind."

"It wouldn't have eased it. My mom says pervs use other kids to lure vics too." Not to mention Kyl didn't exactly travel in Nick's circle of friends. He was a stuck-up snot who annoyed him almost as much as Stone did.

That being said, his father seemed to be decent enough in spite of his perfect speech. Made him wonder where Kyl got it from.

They didn't say anything else as Phil navigated traffic. It didn't take them long to reach Kyrian's house that was down in the Garden District. This was the coveted highbrow area where antebel um mansions went on row after row like hulking beasts from a bygone era of gentility and manners that most people nowadays lacked.

Nick and his mom would sometimes come walking down this way ... mostly 'cause his mom's favorite author lived here and she wanted to catch a glimpse of her whenever she could.

His jaw went slack as they pul ed up to a gate that opened into what had to be the biggest house he'd ever seen. It was a huge Grecian-style home with Doric columns supporting what seemed to be a never-ending porch. Top and bottom.

Phil pul ed around the circular drive until he got to the front steps. "We're here." But he didn't turn off the engine.

Nick frowned. "Are you staying?"

"My orders were to deliver you to the door. Mission accomplished."

Weird, but okay ...

Nick had no idea why he was so intimidated, but something about the house seemed eerie and forbidding. It wasn't like he hadn't known Kyrian had money, but knowing something and seeing such obvious proof were two different things.

What in the world would it be like to have this kind of wealth?

For that matter, he couldn't even imagine not having to count pennies to eat at McDonald's.

Gathering his courage, he got out of the car, grabbed his backpack, and headed up the stairs to the front door. Made of mahogany and etched gla.s.s that reminded him of cut crystal goblets, it looked like something out of a movie. He lifted his hand to ring the bel , but the door opened to show him a tiny Hispanic woman who eyed him like a warden greeting a new inmate. Dressed in a coral shirt and jeans, she had her dark hair pul ed back into a tight bun.

"Nick?" It sounded more like "Neek," which was a much prettier version than the normal drawl he was used to.

"Yes, ma'am."

She stepped back to let him enter. "Mr. Kyrian is waiting for you upstairs in his office." She reached for his backpack.

Nick shied away from her.

"You no trust me?" Her tone was offended.

"No disrespect meant to you, ma'am, but I don't even know your name."

Her face went completely stoic. "I am Rosa and I keep Mr.

Kyrian's house for him. Now would you like me to put your bag away while you're here?"

He felt foolish for not letting her have it. It just wasn't in him to let anyone take anything from him without a fight no matter how worthless it was. It was the same reason he hadn't wanted Brynna touching it earlier. "I guess." He shrugged it off.

She umphed as he surrendered the ful weight of it.

"Goodness, you're much stronger than you appear. How you carry this without being hunchback?"

Nick shrugged. "It's what I have to have for school." She gestured at the mahogany staircase that curved up to the second floor. "Third door on the right. No need to knock.

He wil hear you coming."

Yeah, okay, that was creepy too.

Nick headed up, taking his time to scan every inch of the impeccable palace. The banister had what he was pretty sure were gold medal ions in the center of the black iron railing and the polished floors were some kind of something real y expensive-like marble or tile or ... whatever. Part of him wanted to run back to the street.

I so don't belong here.

He felt like a fraud or unworthy. Until he realized what real y made him so uncomfortable.

There was no daylight. ...

Every window in the house was covered with shutters and heavy drapes. Every single one. Not so much as a tendril of sunlight came in. How weird was that? His mother was always yel ing at him for burning electricity in the daytime.

Stop shaming the daylight, boy. Turn out the lights. Have you any idea how much money you're wasting?

Pushing it out of his mind, he reached the door Rosa had mentioned and opened it.

Kyrian sat in front of a computer with a headset covering one ear. "Talon, I hear what you're saying. I'm just not listening to it. Look, the kid's here. I'l talk to you later." He hung up the phone and pul ed the headset off before placing it on his desk.

"Talon?" Nick asked.

Kyrian smiled without showing his teeth-another peculiar habit Nick had noticed about him even back when he'd come to the hospital. "A friend I'm sure you'l eventual y meet." He inclined his head toward Nick's sling. "How are you feeling?"

"Cranky. Pain meds wore off and it hurts like a mother." Kyrian ignored his curt tone and semi-profanity. "Heard you had some problems at your school today."

"I didn't have no problems at school 'cause they wouldn't let me on campus. Makes it a great day if you ask me." Kyrian rol ed his eyes, but didn't comment on Nick's irritable tone. "Have you cal ed your mom?"

"No. Why?"

"Don't you think she might have heard about the attacks at school and been worried?"

"I don't see how."

"Nick ... She's your mother. She's going to be worried.

Honestly, you have no idea how much your parents love you until something happens to you-then it's too late." There was a note in Kyrian's voice that Nick couldn't quite define.

Something like buried pain from a bitter memory that stil bothered him. ...

But that didn't matter. Nick wasn't being stupid or disrespectful. "I know she'd be worried if she knew about it but I know she hasn't heard anything. We don't have TV or anything. Heck, we don't even have a phone. You have to cal Menyara and she takes messages to us."

The shock on Kyrian's face set his temper on fire.

"We don't need your pity," Nick growled. "We get along just fine without it and them other things too. You don't need electronic c.r.a.p to live. You know, people lived for thousands of years without it. There's a big difference between stuff you want and stuff you need."

Kyrian held his hands up in surrender. "Settle down, Nick. I don't feel sorry for you. I didn't have any of that when I was a kid either and believe me, I know how people used to live." Nick looked around the expensive furnishings that belied those words. It was hard to imagine Kyrian having ever done without anything. "You've come a long way, huh?"

"In some ways ..."

"And in others?"

Kyrian shrugged. "Let me put it to you this way ... money doesn't solve your problems. It just brings new ones to your door."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning I hope you never know the betrayals I've had. My father once told me that no friend would ever be loyal to me because of what I had and who I was."

Nick's dad had told him basical y the same thing. Trust no one at his back, 'cause al people did was betray. And that they usual y laughed while they did it.

But he didn't want to be so jaded. "Was he right?"

"Absolutely not. There was one friend I had who was loyal.

But when he died, it left me with others who more than proved my father a wise man. I know it's hard to listen at your age.

The G.o.ds know I never did, but-"

"The G.o.ds?"

Kyrian chuckled, again without showing his teeth. "You'l have to forgive me. I'm a little eccentric sometimes."

"Is that why al the windows are closed?" Kyrian arched a brow. "You're observant. Impressive. Most people don't catch that."

"Yeah, wel , few things escape me. I tend to watch silently from the shadows. You learn a lot more that way."

"I'l keep that in mind then." Kyrian stepped from around his desk and handed him the phone. "Go ahead and send a message to your mom. In the event she's heard about your school, I don't want her to worry."

Nick screwed his face up. "Boy, with that kind of uberconsideration, your parents must real y love you." Mr.

Goody Two-shoes.

Kyrian hesitated before he responded. "My parents died a long time ago. And you know the sad thing? I stil miss them every day. I spent my entire youth fighting with my dad over every little thing and d.a.m.ned if I wouldn't sel my soul to see him one more time and tel him I was sorry for the last words I said to him. Words I can never take back that should have never been said. So cal your mom. No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents, I swear to you, you'l miss them when they're gone."

Nick wasn't so sure about that. He barely knew his dad. His mom was another subject though-he would never intentional y hurt her. Dialing Aunt Mennie's number, he put the phone to his ear.

"Hel o?" Mennie's Creole accent was thicker than normal.

"Hey, Aunt Men, it's Nick. Can you-"

"Boy? Where you been? Your poor mama done sick with worry over you. She's sitting right here, right now, al tore up and crying. She ain't slept or had a minute's peace since this morning when she heard about your school. Shame on you for worrying her like this. We went to the school and everything looking for you and couldn't find a trace of you anywhere. No one would tel her anything and there you sit al nice and fine.

Shame on you, boy! Shame on you."

Nick felt like the lowest form of dog spittle as his mom took the phone. It wasn't like Menyara to fuss at him for anything.

She usual y left it to his mom to do. That more than anything told him how worried his mom was.

"Baby Boo?" Those words wrung his gut. It was his childhood nickname that she seldom used anymore. "You al right?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm good. I'm real y sorry I didn't cal . I-I just didn't think you'd hear about it."

"It's okay, Boo. I'm just glad you're al right. It's so good to hear your voice. The police wouldn't tel me nothing about the victims. They said they hadn't notified the families so I was waiting for them to come to my door and ..." She broke off into sobs.

Nick cringed until he was sick. "I didn't mean to scare you, Mom."

"It's okay. It's al good. You're safe and that's al that matters to me. Where are you?"

He looked at Kyrian, who was giving him an "I told you so" glare. "I'm at Mr. Hunter's now. I was at Bubba's store, helping him out this morning since they canceled school. He said he'd pay me double time for it."

"But you're safe?"

"Yeah, I'm safe."

"Oh, thank G.o.d."

Kyrian took the phone from his hand. "Mrs. Gautier? It's Kyrian. I wanted to let you know that I'l feed Nick and have him home about seven if that's al right with you?" He paused to listen to her. "Yes, ma'am. I'l take good care of him and won't let anything happen to him. Promise." He hung up the phone.

Nick scowled at him. "Why do you cal her 'ma'am' when she's younger than you?"

"It's a sign of respect."

That he didn't understand, but he was grateful for it. "Not many people have shown my mom the respect she deserves. I real y appreciate it that you do."

Kyrian put the phone in his pocket. "I learned a long time ago not to judge people by what they look like, sound like, or by the clothes they wear. Just because a house is nice and shiny out front doesn't mean it's not rotting on the inside. Your mom's a good woman with a good heart and I'm glad you're mature enough to appreciate that about her." Nick found a whole new respect for him. "You know? I think I can work for you."

Kyrian gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Glad to hear it. Now shal I show you around?"

He liked the formal way Kyrian spoke sometimes. He went back and forth from typical slang to some old-world expressions that were tinged with an accent Nick couldn't place. "You shal indeed."

Kyrian rubbed his eyes at Nick's bad English accent. "Your duties here wil be light. Nothing too strenuous, and if anything aggravates your arm until it heals, don't do it. Last thing you need is to set your therapy back."