Hanging his head low, he tried not to look at anyone as the other students sn.i.g.g.e.red and whispered about him.

"That's what happens when you come from trash."

"I hope they don't let him back in."

"Serves him right."

Nick ground his teeth in anger as he neared his locker and reached for the combination lock.

Brynna Addams was pul ing her books out, two doors down.

Tal with dark brown hair, she was very pretty and one of the few people who hung with Stone and crew that Nick could stand.

She paused to look at them with a frown that only deepened when she saw the guard with him. "What's up, Nick?"

"Got suspended." He paused before he swal owed his pride. Again. "Could I ask a favor?"

She didn't hesitate. "Sure."

"Could you get my a.s.signments so that I don't fal behind?"

"Absolutely. You want me to e-mail them to you?" And I stupidly thought I couldn't feel any worse. "Don't have a computer at home."

Her cheeks darkened. "Sorry. Um, where do you need me to take them?"

Nick was grateful she was decent-unlike the rest of the jerks she ran with. "I'l come by your house after school and get it."

She wrote down her address while he pul ed al of his books out. "I'l be home about four."

"Thanks, Brynna. I real y appreciate it." He tucked the paper in his back pocket, then al owed the security guard to escort him off campus.

Heartsick over having to face his mother, he made his way back home to their side of the ghetto and dreaded every step that took him closer to his door.

Inside their c.r.a.ppy house, his mother was waiting on him with a stern frown on her face. Dressed in a threadbare pink robe, she looked about as tired and ticked off as he'd ever seen her.

He dropped his backpack to the floor. "You should be asleep, Mom."

Her eyes cut him to the quick and made him feel even lower than Peters had. "How can I sleep when my boy's been thrown out of school for fighting? You of al people know how hard it is for me to keep you there. How much money it takes. What I have to do to pay for your books and lunches. Why would you be so stupid as to throw this chance away? What were you thinking?"

Nick didn't say anything because the truth would kil her and he didn't want her to feel as bad as he did when there was nothing she could do about it.

I'm the man of the family. It was his job to protect her. It was al he knew.

Take care of your mom, boy, or you'll answer to me. You lip off to her and I'll cut out your tongue. You make her cry and I'll kill you myself. His father was pretty worthless, but the one thing about him was that he made good on his threats. Al of them. And since he'd already kil ed twelve people, Nick figured he wouldn't think twice about kil ing him either.

Especial y since his father had no great love of him.

So he kept his anger locked in and refused to say anything to hurt her feelings.

Unfortunately, his mother gave him no reprieve. "Don't you get sul en on me, boy. I'm sick of that look on your face. Tel me why you attacked that kid. Now."

Nick clenched his teeth tight.

"Answer me, Nick, or so help me, I'l spank you, even at your age."

He had to stop himself from rol ing his eyes at her ludicrous threat. Even at fourteen, he was more than a head tal er than his tiny mother and he had a good forty pounds on her. "He made fun of me."

"And for that you'd jeopardize your entire future? What were you thinking? He laughed at you. So what? Believe me, that's not the worst thing that wil ever happen to you. You have to grow up, Nicky, and stop acting like a baby. Just because someone mocks you is no reason to fight. Now is it?" No. He swal owed attacks against him al the time. What he wouldn't suffer were attacks against his mom. And he shouldn't have to. "I'm sorry."

She held her hand up. "Don't even go there. You're not sorry. I can see it in your eyes. I am so disappointed in you. I thought I'd taught you better, but apparently you're determined to grow up into a no-account criminal just like your daddy, in spite of everything I do to keep you straight. Now go to your room until I calm down. You can stay there for the rest of the day."

"I'm supposed to work this afternoon. Ms. Liza needs me to help move her stock around in the storeroom." She growled. "Fine. You can go, but then it's straight home.

You hear me? I don't want you wasting time with any of those hoodlums you cal friends."

"Yes, ma'am." Nick headed to his "room" and pul ed the blankets closed. Sick and tired of it al , he sat down on the old, lumpy mattress and leaned his head back against the wal where he saw the pieces of the ceiling that were discolored and peeling up.

And then he heard it. ...

The sound of his mother's tears coming through the wal of her bedroom. G.o.d, how he hated that sound.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he whispered, wishing he'd strangled Stone where the creep stood.

One day ... one day he was going to get out of this hel hole.

Even if he had to kil someone to do it.

It was nine o'clock when Nick left Liza's store. He'd already picked up his a.s.signments from Brynna at her huge mansion of a house on his way into work. Then he'd put in five hours so that he could save money for his "col ege fund." 'Course at the rate it was acc.u.mulating, he'd be fifty before he could go. But something was better than nothing.

Liza locked the door to her shop while he stood behind her to shield her from anyone who might be watching them. "Good night, Nicky. Thanks for al your help."

"Night, Liza." He waited until she was safely in her car and on her way home before he headed down Royal Street toward the Square. The closest streetcar stop was over behind Jackson Brewery. But as he neared the Square, he wanted to see his mom and apologize for getting suspended.

She told you to go straight home. . . .

Yeah, but he'd made her cry and he hated whenever he did that. Besides, the condo was real y lonely when he was there alone at night. They didn't have TV or anything else to do.

And he'd already read Hammer's Slammers until he could quote it.

Maybe if he apologized, she'd let him hang out at the club for the night.

So instead of turning right, he made a left and headed for her club on Bourbon Street. The faint sounds of jazz and zydeco music coming out of stores and restaurants soothed him. Closing his eyes as he walked, he inhaled the sweet smel of cinnamon and gumbo as he pa.s.sed the Cafe Pontalba. His stomach rumbled. Since he hadn't been at school, his lunch had consisted of more powdered eggs and bacon, and he had yet to eat dinner ... which would be those nasty eggs again.

Not wanting to think about that, he walked down the narrow al ey to the back door of the club and knocked.

John Chartier, one of the huge burly bouncers who watched out for the dancers, opened it with a fierce frown-until he saw Nick. A wide smile spread over his face. "Hey, buddy. You here to see your mom?"

"Yeah. Is she on stage yet?"

"Nah, she's stil got a few minutes." He stood back so that Nick could walk down the dark back hal way to the green room.

He paused at the door to the room where the dancers dressed and rested between performances, and knocked.

Tiffany answered. Absolutely stunning, she was tal and blond ... and barely dressed in a G-string and lacy top.

Even though he'd been raised around women dressed like that and was used to it, his face flamed bright red as he kept his gaze on the floor. It was like seeing his sister naked.

Tiffany laughed, cupping his chin in her hand. "Cherise? It's your Nicky." She squeezed his chin affectionately. "You're so sweet the way you won't look at us. I knew it was you when you knocked. No one else is so nice. Al I can say is your mama is raising you right."

Nick mumbled a thank-you as he stepped past her and made his way to his mom's dressing station. He kept his gaze down until he was sure his mom was covered by her pink bathrobe.

But when he caught her furious glare in the chipped mirror where she was putting on her makeup, his stomach hit the floor. There was no forgiveness in that face tonight.

"I thought I told you to go straight home."

"I wanted to say I was sorry again."

She put down her mascara wand. "No, you didn't. You wanted to try and make me tel you that you didn't have to stay on restriction. I won't have it, Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier. And your paltry apology doesn't change the fact that you knew better. You have to learn to think before you act. That temper of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one day. Just like it did your father. Now go home and contemplate what you did and how wrong it was."

"But Mom-"

"Don't 'but Mom' me. Go!"

"Cherise!" her handler shouted, letting her know it was time to go on stage.

She stood up. "I mean it, Nick. Go home." Nick turned around and left the club, feeling even worse than he had when he'd left Liza's. Why wouldn't his mom believe in him?

Why couldn't she see that he wasn't trying to play her?

Whatever ... He was tired of trying to convince the world, and especial y his mom, that he wasn't worthless.

On the street, he headed down Bourbon toward Ca.n.a.l, where he could pick up a closer streetcar. He hated when his mom treated him like a criminal. He was not his father. He would never be like that man.

Fine, I'll never protect your honor again. Let them insult and mock you. See if I care. Why should he bother when doing the right thing made her so mad at him?

Angry, hurt, and disgusted, he heard someone cal his name.

Pausing, he saw Tyree, Alan, and Mike across the street, hanging outside a tourist bead and mask store. They waved him over.

Nick crossed the street to tap his fist against theirs. "What's up?"

Tyree leaned his head back in silent salute to him.

"Hanging. What you doing?"

"Heading home."

Tyree slapped at the col ar of Nick's orange shirt. "Boy, what you got on? That s.h.i.t's hideous."

Nick slapped his hand away. "Clothes. What's that c.r.a.p you got on and what truck did it fal off of?" Tyree snorted and preened. "These my Romeo threads.

They make al the ladies cal me tasty." Nick scoffed. "Tasty-crazy. Them ain't no Romeo duds.

Those fashions by Geek Street."

They al laughed.

Mike sobered. "Look, we got a thing tonight and we could use a fourth. You want in? It should be worth a couple hundred dol ars to you."

Nick's eyes widened at the sum. That was a lot of money.

Tyree, Mike, and Alan were hustlers. Though his mom would have a stroke if she ever found out, he'd been known to help them a time or two when they'd scammed locals and tourists.

"Pool, poker, or c.r.a.ps?"

Alan and Tyree exchanged an amused look. "This is more a job of watchdog. At least for you. We got the big boss from Storyvil e who's paying us to shake down some deadbeats.

It'l only take a couple of minutes."

Nick screwed his face up. "I don't know about that." Tyree tsked. "C'mon, Nick. We don't have much time before we have to be there and we real y need someone to watch the street. Five minutes and you'l make more money than working a month for that old lady."

Nick looked back toward his mom's club. Normal y, he'd have told them to forget it, but right now ...

If everyone's going to call me a worthless delinquent, I might as well be one.

'Cause living right sure wasn't paying off for him. "You sure it's five minutes?"

Tyree nodded. "Absolutely. In and out and we're done." Then he could be home and his mom wouldn't be the wiser.

For once, he enjoyed the thought of sticking it to her, even though she would never know about it. "Al right. I'm in."

"Good man."

Nick looked at Alan, who was nineteen. "Can you guys give me a ride home after?"

"For you, boy? Anything."

Nodding, Nick fol owed them over to a seedy part of North Rampart. Tyree put him on the street, blocking an al ey.

"You stay right here and watch for the Five-O. Let us know if you see anyone."

Nick inclined his head to him.

They vanished into the shadows while he stood there, waiting. After a few minutes, an old couple walked past him on the sidewalk. By their dress and manners, he could tel they were tourists just taking a late strol off the beaten path.

"Hi there," the woman said to him, smiling.

"Hi." Nick returned the expression. But his smile died an instant later when Alan leapt out of the shadows to grab the woman while Tyree knocked the man into a wal .