Golden Blood Read Free

spread over his hand.
    Gemma’s eyes were huge as she jerked away and
rubbed her thumb over her fingertips.
    “What was that?”
    She shook her head with a frown and backed
away from him, crashing into the door. With fumbling fingers she
undid the lock and burst out, weaving around the clothing racks and
shooting out the door.
    Harrison leaned against the frame to watch
her. He curled his fingers into a fist then flexed them straight.
The warm lick of flame was rapidly cooling. His disappointment
surprised him.
     
    Harrison reached his car without incident.
Jordan and his thugs were either lost in the maze of streets still
looking for him or they had given up. A black Ducati bike grabbed
his attention as it tore past. Harrison recognized Gemma’s sleek
frame. He still couldn’t believe the girl owned such a powerful
machine. What kind of parent buys their kid something like
that?
    His definitely wouldn’t.
    He ran his hand over the roof of his beloved
1978 Corvette Stingray. He’d found it in an old junkyard and his
stepfather, Bryan, had convinced him to go for it. They’d hauled it
home to much laughter, making Harrison seriously doubt Bryan’s
ability as a mechanic, but piece-by-piece they had worked on it and
he now owned a well-tuned classic. Dropping into the driver’s seat,
he ran his hands over the wheel and smiled as the engine rumbled to
life.
    As usual, the drive home was the best part of
his day. He hadn’t admitted it to his mother yet, but he loved
Florida’s eastern coastline. Driving over the Bridge of Lions, he
headed south down the waterfront. The sun kissed ocean sparkled
like diamonds. It was a far cry from the inner cities of Pittsburgh
and Atlanta. He could almost forgive his mother for uprooting them
yet again. Maybe this time it would be worth it.
    He thought of Gemma as he pulled into his
street. How in awe he’d been when he’d first seen her. He didn’t
want to believe the rumors for a second, but when four or five of
his best smiles earned him nothing more than a sharp frown, he
decided to give up. But now…
    He rubbed his fingertips together. The fire
feeling had gone, but not the simmering in his brain. For the first
time since he was fourteen, he felt that yearning. His forehead
creased with a frown.
    Pulling into his driveway, he turned off the
engine and gazed up at his house. It was a large, white, two-story
box. A smaller, white one-story box sat next to it and was Bryan’s
beloved double garage. The house could not be plainer, but it was
functional, sunny and starting to feel like home. They all seemed
happy here.
    The front door slammed with vibrating force.
An irate Rosie marched down the steps with a garbage sack in each
hand. Her blonde bangs flicked back and forth and her lips moved in
a torrent of words that weren’t allowed inside the house.
    Harrison grinned at his stepsister as he
stepped out of the car.
    She paused. “Welcome to the tyranny that is
this house!”
    “I told you not to ask Mom for any favors
before ten am, but you just couldn’t wait, could ya?”
    “Shut up.”
    He tipped his head with a gentle smile. “Need
a hand?”
    She sighed and grinned. He helped her lift
the heavy bags into the trash cans against the garage wall then
followed her through the glass kitchen door. As soon as they
entered the house her scowl returned and she stomped past her
stepmother and up the stairs.
    Helen smiled serenely at the huffy fourteen
year old, then folded a pair of shorts from the huge pile of
washing overtaking the kitchen table. The kitchen smelled fresh
from frenzied cleaning, another reason to flee the house on
Saturday mornings. Harrison closed the door behind him.
    “How do you do that, you little tin-ass
freak?” Justin’s loud voice shot from the living room.
    “I am not. You just can’t handle being beaten
by a six year old!” Sam yelled back.
    Harrison threw his keys into the bowl on the
counter as Helen let out a groan and Bryan sauntered