Flirt by Tracy Brown

he froze. Standing there in the terminal, he read the story. Chloe hadn’t died. She was barely alive and in the hospital. They hadn’t identified her. But when they did, she would surely tell what he’d done. Panicked, he looked around the terminal. He wondered if the police were searching for him
right now
. He had been careful to clean up all the bloody evidence in his apartment, but he had watched enough
Forensic Files
to know that one could never get rid of all the blood. There were tons of videotapes of Chloe in his apartment, too—proof he’d followed her relentlessly. And Dr. Hollister knew all about the violent episodes with women in his past. Trey faced the fact that he could never go home again.
    He walked to the ATM in the terminal and withdrew enough cash from his account to last him a few days. Then he strolled back out onto the streets of Manhattan and joined the throngs of New Yorkers, fading anonymously into the crowd without looking back.
     
    At the hospital, Chloe lay hooked up to a ventilator, her face wrapped in so many bandages that she looked like a mummy. They’d had to identify Chloe by her jewelry and birthmarks because her face and body were so swollen and disfigured. Willow cried softly at her sister’s bedside as Rachel talked to the doctors.
    “She’s going to make it, Ms. Webster. But she will need plastic surgery to fix the damage done to her face. She hadn’t been sexually assaulted,” the physician explained, at which point Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. At least that bastard hadn’t raped Chloe.
    “But she did suffer some broken ribs and numerous facial fractures. Her road to recovery will be long, but she seems like a tough young lady. Many people couldn’t have survived a beating that severe, let alone being dumped in the water and left for dead. She’s a fighter. I think she’s going to be fine.”
    Rachel was so relieved to hear that, she hugged the doctor. “Thank you,” she said, finally pulling away and letting the tears fall for the first time since she’d arrived at the hospital.
    The doctor gently touched Rachel’s shoulder. “The police have some questions to ask you, and I’m sure they’ll also wantto question Chloe when she’s able to talk again. That could take a while, since her facial injuries are extensive. But soon she’ll be able to assist with the investigation, I’m sure.” The doctor walked away, leaving Rachel to talk with the police.
    Willow sat at her sister’s bedside, stroking Chloe’s hand. She whispered to Chloe, “It’s gonna be all right. You’ll be all right.”
    Chloe wished she could answer. She wished she could move her body enough to communicate with her sister in any way possible. But she was helpless to do anything but lie there and blink. She wanted to tell Willow that she had been right all along. Her knight in shining armor had turned out to be a devil in disguise. Instead, she squeezed her sister’s hand limply and thanked God she was still alive. She had cheated death and would live to tell about it. She couldn’t wait to do just that.

 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
     
     
    Monique Patterson, I am your biggest fan. You’re the greatest editor around and I will sing your praises until I go hoarse.
    To libraries across the country, thank you for all that you do in urban communities to promote literacy. You’re wonderful!
    To the readers who faithfully read the books, comment online, and come out to events, a million thank-yous are not enough. You give a girl with a vivid imagination room to grow. Love ya!

 
     
     
     
     
     
Wild Cherry
    K’WAN

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Dedicated to every sista who woke up one day and realized that they didn’t need someone to tell them that they were beautiful for it to be true.

 
ONE
Gina
     
     
    G ina, where the hell is my beer?”
    The sound of his voice startled me so bad that I dropped the bottle I was holding, shattering it all over my freshly mopped tiles. Beer splashed