thought.
âLetâs hear it,â Kit demanded.
With her fingers, Danielle tapped out a beat on the front of the guitar. Then she strummed a chord and began to sing.
âStop me, whoa,
Bad moonlight, stop me,
Keep me, stop me,
Hold me like a friend.
Caroline swung her head to the beat, her blond hair swaying. Mary Beth tapped on the seat back, using her fingers as drumsticks. Dee listened intently, her amber eyes locked on Danielleâs face.
âStop me, whoa,
Bad moonlight, keep me
In your cold, cold glow,
Donât let me kill again.â
A long silence greeted the end of the song.
Danielle felt her face heat up with embarrassment and confusion. Had she really written those words?
Billy cleared his throat. âWow,â he murmured.
He started to say more. But Dee interrupted him. ââDonât let me kill againâ?â She glared at Danielle, âThatâs a song for me to sing? Whatâs that supposed to mean?â
Danielle shook her head. âI donât know. I donât understand it. I just started to sing it andââ
âI didnât kill Joey! You did!â Dee shrieked.
With a cry of rage Dee leaped out of her seat and jumped on Danielle.
Before Danielle could struggle away, Dee wrapped her strong, slender fingers around Danielleâs throat and started to strangle her.
Chapter 10
LIKE AN ANIMAL
âI t was you!â Dee wailed. âIt was you!â
Her fingers squeezed tighter.
Dee is so strong, Danielle thought. I never realized how strong she is.
She grabbed hold of Deeâs hands with both of her own and tried to pry the viselike fingers from her throat.
Dee kept shouting. No words now. Just shrieks of rage.
Despite Danielleâs struggles, Deeâs grip tightened.
A wave of panic swept over Danielle. Canât breathe! she thought. Sheâs going to strangle me!
She yanked one of Deeâs fingers hard, bending it back as far as she could.
Dee gasped and jerked the hand off Danielleâs throat.
The van lurched and slowed to a stop.
Danielle gripped Deeâs other wrist and pulled. She felt air rush into her lungs. Taking a deep breath, she scrambled to her knees and shoved Dee away from her.
Dee lunged at her again.
âHey!â Billyâs alarmed voice rang out sharply. âDee, back off! Back off!â
Danielle flung up her arms, blocking Deeâs charge. âI didnât do it! I didnât do it!â The words burst hoarsely from Danielleâs aching throat.
âHurry up, Kit. Give me a hand here!â Billy demanded.
Strong hands grabbed Deeâs shoulders, pulled her away from Danielle.
Danielle glared at Dee. The other girl struggled in Kitâs grip. He held her in the narrow aisle of the van.
âA song for me, huh?â Dee cried bitterly.
âThe words just popped into my head!â Danielle told her. âI donât know why. It didnât mean anything, Dee. I wasnât accusing you. It was just a song!â
âEverybody cool it!â Kit shouted. He shook Dee by the shoulders. âNow!â
Danielle forced herself to stay still. Billy loosened his grip. He rested his hand on her trembling shoulder.
Kit glanced around the group. âWeâve got a showtomorrow night,â he reminded them. âI know weâre all still uptight about Joey, but we canât afford to blow this. Everybody needs to stay cool.â
Dee breathed hard. Her eyes never left Danielleâs face.
She really believes I killed Joey, Danielle told herself. She screamed it over and over. But why? Why does she suspect me?
Danielle rubbed her throat, sore from Deeâs powerful grip.
With a shudder, Danielle turned away from Deeâs blazing stare.
Mary Beth gazed solemnly at Danielle. Her green eyes glowed in the dim interior light of the van.
Glowed with fear.
Is Mary Beth afraid of Dee? Danielle wondered. Or is Mary Beth frightened of me?
A
Zoe Sharp
Back in the Saddle (v5.0)
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