Page 62

CHAPTER 62

G eoffrey spread his arms to grab me. I stepped forward, bent low, under his arms and to the side. I kicked the back of his knee with all my might and it buckled, just as mine had, except he didn’t have Max to catch him. His momentum added to my strike and he stumbled forward, then gravity took over.

Unfortunately, he also managed to grab hold of me with one hand as he fell down the stairs and we tumbled together, down to the path. I felt my body jolt from the impacts with the stones, but Geoffrey took the brunt of the fall. We landed in a tangle on the narrow path next to the river and the stone bench.

I scrambled away from Geoffrey who, for the first time, seemed disoriented. Blood seeped from a gash on his forehead as he got to his knees, looking about, confused. As he stood, I heard movement to my right and saw Fernanda rushing in from the left.

And from the right, there was Max, heading straight for Geoffrey.

Max got there a split second ahead, grabbing hold of Geoffrey, the impact shoving them away from me.

Unfortunately, after that split second, Fernanda slammed into Geoffrey.

And Max.

They tripped over the bench and fell down the bank into the river, tangled together.

Fernanda looked at me, smug, and I screamed again as the Little Melvin sweep away both the man I hated and the man I loved.